Muscadine Vine
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads' Jewelry-Making Contest 2013 featuring Metals
Grand Prize Gold Medal Winner
Category: Necklace: Metal Clay
Honey in the Comb
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads' Jewelry-Making Contest 2016 featuring Metal
Honorable Mention
Category: Necklace |
|
Meet the Designer-Artist
Where do you live?
Hawthorne, Florida
What inspires you as a designer-artist?
Many of my designs are based on natural elements--leaves, insects, textures, etc., while others have archaeological, historical, or ethnic design roots.
What medium do you work with mostly?
I work with bronze, copper, and silver. Although I started working exclusively with metal clay, I have tried to develop and expand my metalsmithing skills, and while metal clays are still an important part of my work I see them more and more as just one more way to work with metal.
Why did you become enchanted with this style of jewelry-making?
When I started with metal clay only silver was available. When bronze and copper clays were developed, they were perfect for the kind of designs I wanted to do. The warm tones are wonderful for natural elements, and the bronze is great for an ancient look.
Where and How do you sell your jewelry?
I have shops on Etsy (sandhillarts.etsy.com) and Artfire (sandhillarts.artfire.com) for online sales, but I also do shows and have some pieces in a local gallery.
What is the name of the piece you submitted with your success story?
Muscadine Vine
What inspired this design?
The abundant local muscadines that appear in north Florida in the fall.
How did it come together?
I had been working on a group of muscadine-themed pieces and wanted one with a greater emphasis on the vines and branches. I incorporated the brown cord kumihimo with the leaf and fruit elements and brought it all together with the bronze vines. |