Tradition Meets Innovation in Fine Art

A pink samurai helmet, intricate and unique chain maille jewelry, patterns in paintings and textile prints: Marietta’s newest fine art and design gallery opens its latest gallery show on Friday.

The gallery, which is co-owned by mother and sculptor Lois Rule and daughter and graphic designer/educator Becky Rule, bridges the gap between what is considered fine art and great design by showcasing creative works that use or reference commercial processes.

"We want to make sure everything we show is cool, that everything we have is a little bit different," Becky said.

The art of Helen Rule, a sculptor and jewelry designer and the sister/daughter of the gallery’s co-owners, fits that description. She will be showcasing her Samurai! collection. This collection of sculpture, wearable art and chain maille jewelry is inspired by samurai armor and other traditional military arts.

Helen created the armor, which took five long months to complete, last year.

"It was a lot of fun," Helen said, "and when I deiced I wanted to make some helmets I knew I wanted to do something different. I wanted to put my own spin on it and make something you haven't seen before."

Helen succeeded. There will be four helmets on display that, while clearly inspired by traditional Japanese arts, are anything but traditional. The most notable is her pink samurai helmet. "I just had to do it," Helen said. "What girl doesn't need a pink samurai helmet."

Helen's goal was to do something that looks different but is still recognizable as a samurai armor.

"I've always enjoyed studying the history of military arms and armor," Helen said. "I don't really know why. It is just very interesting to see how people did things in the past, and I am constantly amazed by people throughout history that have come up with things we cannot reproduce today. Thousands of years ago people came up with things like chain maille, and they're still popular today. It's just fascinating that some one thought to link metal that way and make art."

For those who are unfamiliar with chain maille, it refers to the material produced by linking small metal rings together to form a mesh. Helen has been making chain maille for over 10 years.

Helen admits it is very time consuming. A simple chain with no pendant or embellishment can take up to 40 hours to make. A complicated necklace can take over 100 hours.

"It's a lot of work," Helen said, "but it's very rewarding to create something like this."

Her intricate and beautiful chain maille pieces have hundreds, sometimes thousands of links. Helen draws from many styles and types of patterns in her chain maille, including Persian, Byzantine, Japanese, box chain and European patterns. She designs with traditional wire metals including steel, brass, copper and silver-plated copper. She also incorporates semiprecious stones and beads as well as other objects.

"I use different chains and started using different metals and incorporating items to create something I really haven't seen anywhere before," Helen said. "There's variety in my work. I really like the chain with a large pendant on it and Persian chain maille is useful for that; but with Byzantine you can interconnect a lot of other pieces into it, creating almost a grid pattern."

Helen grew up in a family of artists. Her mother and father were constantly encouraging Helen and her sister Becky to experiment with the arts. "Our basement was like an art studio," Becky said. "When friends came over our house, they knew what we'd be doing."

"Both my girls were drawing as soon as they could hold a crayon," Lois said.

Helen holds a degree in anthropology from The Johns Hopkins University of Baltimore and an MBA from Emory University in Atlanta.

Helen taught herself to work with metal. In fact, she had never worked with sheet metal until making the armor last year. "I learned really fast that you need to wear gloves when working with hot sheet metal," Helen laughed. Helen said she likes to use "flat pieces of metal but make it more articulated rather than trying to hammer out a full suit or something like that."

In addition to being a full-time artist, Helen works as gallery administrator at 2 Rules Fine Art. Helen currently lives in Buckhead. Her show will run alongside the work of Anne Forman.

"We want to find a way to display art that is commissioned for commercial purposes or made from that viewpoint and put it in a fine are setting at 2 Rules," Becky said. "Art does not have to be difficult. It can be simple and pleasing and aesthetic at the same time. Graphic design is fine art and that is something we are very interested in showing people."

Forman, a fashion professor, textile designer and printmaker from Chicago, Ill., will be showcasing a collection of patterns in paintings and prints from The Fall Collection.

"Her stuff is really detailed," Becky said. "When you start look at it, you can really see all the small designs and the intricacy of it. It's beautiful."

Forman uses typography in her work. "One of our goals (at 2 Rules) is to show the beauty of type and change the way people look at letters," Becky said. "Anne has a real passion for patterns and type."

The Nov. 4 opening reception will be held at 85 Church St. from 6 to 9 p.m. The event is free and open to the public and will include live music and refreshments. The show will remain up through Nov. 26. Gallery hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The gallery will be closed for Thanksgiving on Nov. 23 and Nov. 24.

In addition to ongoing gallery showings, 2 Rules Fine Art is offering different classes every month covering both traditional art techniques and 2D design topics. November artist Helen Rule will be teaching a Beginning Chain Maille workshop on Nov. 8 and Nov. 15 from 6 to 9 p.m. Cost is $75 per class or $135 for both classes.

A lecture-style class, History of Typography, will be held on Nov. 3, Nov. 10 and Nov. 17 from 6 to 9 p.m. Cost is $35 per class or $90 for all three classes.