Derrick R. Cruz

        Some time ago I came across and bookmarked one of Derrick R. Cruz's lines of "narrative accessories and art objects" (they are just that, the quotes are because this is actually how he refers to them) Dark Memento (img 1). The line, tagged "Objects for Contemplation and Remembering" is made up of beautiful and dark jewelry, every single piece is not only something I would wear but something I would absolutely scramble for.
        Cruz, who was born in Brooklyn and raised in Puerto Rico is the man behind Black Sheep and Prodigal Sons. Best articulated on the Black Sheep and Prodigal Sons website, Cruz's work can be described as such:
"Melding historically rich craft traditions and occult motifs, Cruz's work materializes his obsession with the beauty potentially found in darkness. Each piece, from inception to presentation, is as much a pledge to fine craftsmanship as it is a conceptual conduit between materialism and intuition. Under the influence of funerary crafts, alchemical studies, and Native American mythology, Cruz honors the past with rigorous research and meticulous execution. Building on those traditions, his objects emerge as modern moralizing tools and intimate fetishes."
        Unfortunately (or fortunately?) after reading this I did not feel that I could better describe his work as a whole. Every aspect of inspiration, research, and work that goes into each of Cruz's pieces is entirely apparent.

        As I mentioned earlier, when I discovered Cruz it was through his line Dark Memento. I had not, at the time of this unearthing, taken the time to look at his other series and complete body of work. When I returned to it to write about him, I was blown away by what I had been missing. Though Dark Memento is entirely up my alley, the amount of thought and true ingenuity that has gone into some of his other series is astounding.
        In his piece "The Abandoned Comb Amulet" (img 2-3), Cruz addresses the current (potentially devastating) worldwide abandoning of their hives by honeybees. He makes a strong case for art as commentary, as the piece stuck with me much stronger than the multiple conversations I've had with people on the same subject. The piece is a pyramid of sugar-glass encasing a gold replica of a piece of honeycomb (made through the "ancient lost-wax tradition" which he does not thoroughly describe). He presents the issue as "Solomonic", saying "A choice must be made to forcefully exhume the honey-drenched gold, violently shattering and consuming its casting, or to recognize value in its current form, nurturing a natural deterioration and the gradual revelation of treasure within." ........ yeah. I wish I'd thought of this too.
        It becomes immediately clear that Cruz finds his inspiration and holds fast to it, delving into research and making pieces that are narrative, intelligent and sincere.         A close second (to Abandoned Comb) is his Bendicion series (img 4), beautifully quiet scrimshaws (engravings, historically made by sailors on whale bone) on 1920's piano keys with gold and ebony inlays on silver chains with praying hands. I'm dying here.

Take a look at the rest of his work on the Black Sheep and Prodigal Sons website.


images: blacksheepandprodigalsons.com