Stephanie J. Eddy
Meet the Designer-Artist
Where do you live?
Boise, Idaho
What inspires you as a designer-artist?
Color and how objects relate to each other are big factors in what inspires me, whether it's lilacs blooming in my garden, an Art Deco painting or the antique canister on my mother’s table. It's fully observing my surroundings, allowing my mind to interpret those findings, then allowing myself to release any pre-conceived notions of "how things oughta be."
What medium do you work with mostly?
My focus has been on wire work, specifically Viking Knit weave, for the past six years. Prior to that, I have 40-plus years of experience creating beadwork, along with hot glass and ceramic design, among others.
Why did you become enchanted with this style of jewelry-making?
I became obsessed with the Viking Knit weave because the basic technique, so far as design, was virtually unexplored. I believed there was more to it than simply making a silver bracelet with a couple of end caps. The method particularly lent itself to my freeform design spirit for sculpture. By adding multiple wires and color it has opened a whole new world of creativity for me. It also inspired me to seek a faster way of making the weave, so I developed the Lazee Daizee™ tools.
Where and How do you sell your jewelry?
I do not currently sell any finished jewelry, although I am getting quite an inventory and may do so in the future. I do sell the Lazee Daizee tools, along with wire and bead kits on my website, StephanieEddy.com, and at various trade shows.
What inspired your Grand Prize Gold Medal Design?
To me, a beautiful sunset, from Bogota, Colombia, to my own back yard, is an ever-changing gift at the close of each day. It often sends me on a journey of solitude and creativity that may last throughout the night. It’s unlike the sunrise, which I rarely see. The domed focal button, provided by Susan Clarke Originals, reminded me of a sunset, with rays and ribbons of color that extend into the night, providing a background for celebration and creative play time. I wanted this project to be something explosive, with elements and techniques that I had not explored before, like a sunset of fireworks in the sky. And, I also love dragonflies, with all of the magical and spiritual freedom they introduce. At the end of the day, these creative objects of nature inspired me by bringing peace, balance, strength and harmony to my often chaotic mind.
How did it come together?
My hope was to capture the brilliant shades, spiraling rays, and ribbons of movement, light, and the momentary changing values of colors and hues, that comprise a glorious and peaceful end to the day. With the focal button as inspiration for color, I began to explore different methods of weaving wires to achieve these different effects. I blended multiple wires and different gauges, added dimension with beads, flattened the traditional round shape to form wire ribbon, and made a massive number of different, complimentary weaves. I then laid out the focal button, along with the dragonfly buttons and began to build a structure to showcase them. It was a fascinating journey, like a giant puzzle, with all kinds of fun elements to play with. I worked over several late evening sessions, moving various pieces around, while trying others. Slowly the paths from the sun began to form and explode into celebratory firework-like, ribbon curls at the end of my mythical journey.
View all of Stephanie's designs in the Gallery of Designs.