What led you to start creating your art/craft?
I have always had a magpie like love for jewelry. As a child I had the strange belief that jewelry was a sacred art that only a select few were privileged to learn. I started art at a very young age, thanks to my mother's constant introduction of different mediums and techniques...but to be honest I was more interested in the pursuit of knowledge than art until I was about 15.
How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?
My mother was the one who introduced jewelry to me. Every other medium I experimented with just never really worked. Well for my 16th birthday I was given a beginner's set of beads...and it was like magic, I haven't stopped making jewelry since!
What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?
It is a tie between the whole process of designing the piece and figuring out the story or message I want to go with the particular piece...and...the sensory experiences of feeling and seeing those wonderful beads (I have times where I don't actually make anything, I just sit and fiddle with the beads .
If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art/craft, what would you choose, and why?
Hmmm...that is something I have never had to give much thought to, and it was not easy to figure it out, but after lots of thought I have decided its the Star Fruit. The reason why..well first there is its appearance, it is an exotic and unusual fruit...my jewelry is exotic and unusual looking. The taste is a yummy combination of Kiwi, pineapple and apples. My jewelry is a combination of different materials and inspired by different cultures. And lastly...the shape, a star...one of my favorite forms of inspiration is the night sky.
If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your “creativity”, what would that be, and why?
Polymer Clay. Before I completely devoted my artistic energy on jewelry, I split it evenly with polymer clay. I love expressing myself with such a versatile material, it can be molded into just about anything...and unlike other forms of clay...it doesnt dry out if you wander off for a snack!
What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?
Well, it really depends on the piece. I want my jewelry to be more than just a necklace or a pair of earrings...I want it to be art that tells a story, I want the person who wears it, wear a piece of mythology, an aspect of nature or an emotion.
What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?
Follow your dreams and never turn away from the truth of self!
Amanda, thanks for a totally delightful interview. I especially love your thinking behind what fruit you chose to describe your art! To find out more about Amanda and AZHURE's JEWELS be sure to visit the links listed below.
Showing posts with label faceted gemstones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faceted gemstones. Show all posts
Thursday, December 11, 2008
FEATURED ETSY SHOP - AZHURE'S JEWELS
Saturday, December 6, 2008
FEATURED ETSY SHOP - THE BEADED LILY
MIRKA COLLARby
THE BEADED LILY
Sarah of The Beaded Lily has some truly unique and exquisite jewelry in her shop. Do yourself a favor and pay The Beaded Lily a visit after you've read Sarah's interview below. She has something for everyone!
What led you to start creating your art/craft?
I've "always" been inclined towards art and craft. It started with crayons and making my own little coloring books, progressed to drawing and fiber arts and dabbling in so many things .
How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?
I ended up with beads because I'm good at it. I've never had the patience and determination it takes to keep working with things that I just don't have a knack for. I first picked up beads when my cousin shoved her stash at me to calm my nerves during a family crisis. I immediately loved the feeling of peace it gave me. My mother bought me $200 worth of supplies and I started working things up. People loved them. They wore them. Eventually they wanted to buy them. As I worked on technique, I came to appreciate how special wearable art is, and the magic of the bead. Now this is what I do, it's part of who I am.
What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?
When it starts to come together. I love that feeling. The thing is, each piece has a different come together point. For some it's when I gather the final odds and ends materials wise and I can see the piece in my head. For others it's when I hit the middle bead of a symmetrical design. Others wait till I add the clasp or the very last embellishment.
If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art/craft, what would you choose, and why?
Pomegranates immediately come to mind. Why? They're built around the seeds-- very much like a piece of jewelry is built around the seed of an idea. And it's not just the one seed, but hundreds of seeds, encased in their own little bits of perfection, side by side, coming together to create a segment, and the segments come together to create the fruit. And the fruit is one of the most beautiful, tasty, wholesome things you can eat-- and so few people even have a clue that it's there, much less how perfect it is!
If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your “creativity”, what would that be, and why?
I might sew. I've done some of it, and I'm pretty good. You can create marvelous things with the right fabric, cut and trim. It's also all about personal adornment, wearable art.
What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?
My ultimate goal is to connect you to the thread of artistic personal adornment that is almost as old as humanity itself. I want to connect people. To me, to each other, to history, to the artisans who make the beads and the earth that forms the crystals, to the very first human to pick up a feather and put it in their hair, to the cultures that figured out how to turn gold into wire, to the voice inside them that whispers "I'm me."
What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?
If you don't have to do this, don't. If you have to do this, don't stop, ever. Whatever you do, let it be you, an extension of yourself, your core beliefs. And just keep doing it.
Great interview Sarah, and beautiful creations! One can feel your passion in what you create! Thanks, for taking the time to share your thoughts and creativity with everyone.
To see more of Sarah's work be sure to visit the links below.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
FEATURED ETSY SHOP - CHANGING WOMAN STUDIO
First, let's welcome Carol, and hear what she has to say about herself and what motivates her to create her jewelry.
What led you to start creating your art/craft?
I have always loved creating beautiful things and working with my hands, so making jewelry came naturally.
How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?
While taking a class in another medium, the teacher mentioned this new product called metal clay and I knew right away it was for me, so off I went learning about it and have never turned back.
What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?
That's a hard question since I really love all of it. I guess finishing a piece and really loving the way it looks.
If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art/craft, what would you choose, and why?
Now that's easy, I'd have to say a pomegranate because its beautiful, vibrant and juicy.
If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your “creativity”, what would that be, and why?
I guess it would be fiber arts since that has always been my other love.
What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?
I'm not sure that I have a message other than putting a little more beauty out there in the world.
What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?
Most of us never think that what we make is "good enough". Make what you love and it will always be good enough.
THANKS, Carol for sharing your thoughts and work with all of us. Your jewelry is exquisite!
To see more of Carol's work, be sure to click on the links below!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
FEATURED ETSY ARTIST - Jessi's Jewelry/Distinction Jewelry
WELCOME, JESSI....!
What led you to start creating your art/craft?
My path was a rather unusual one. I became a fan of a wonderful but short-lived television show called Firefly, and one of the characters wore a distinctive necklace made of leather cording. I searched for one like it but it was not for sale anywhere. Having dabbled around a bit with beginner jewelry design, I just made myself one! I was able to make an almost exact replica of the necklace, and on a whim I posted to a fan forum offering them for sale. I didn’t expect anything to come of it, but they started selling like hotcakes. Shortly thereafter I started offering simple beaded necklaces inspired by the show, and before long I had to open my own web store ( www.serenityverse.com/shop ) to handle the order volume. Over time I became better at what I did, learned a lot about designing, and thanks to the sales I was able to afford and offer better quality materials. Before I knew it……I was a jewelry designer!
How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?
Initially all of my work was “stringing.” I used the materials that most appealed to me, namely gemstone beads, sterling silver, and lampwork. Stringing gets a bad name amongst jewelry designers because it is the most basic skill, and is often branded the hallmark of a beginner. That has always irked me because while the market admittedly is flooded with “beginner crafts” strung jewelry, some of the most stunning and artistic creations I’ve seen have been strung necklaces and bracelets. I have always felt, both as a beginner and later as an experienced designer, that a strung piece made with superb materials, quality workmanship, and most importantly a striking and beautiful design is something for which no apologies should be made.While perfecting, honing, and expanding my design skills (and my ever expanding collection of beads!), I dabbled in other mediums. Stringing beads wasn’t enough for me, but I had a hard time finding any other medium that felt “right” for me and gave me the artistic control I needed. I took a brief stab at lampworking, tried wirework, tried Chinese knotting, mangled polymer clay, and all it took was one look at seed beads for me to run away screaming!The epiphany snuck up on me sideways. I began collecting some beautiful cabochons made out of unusual gemstones, planning to wire wrap them. But every time I tried to wrap one, I was unhappy with the results. I didn’t enjoy wire wrapping, and most irksome was the fact that I had purchased these stones for their innate beauty and patterns, and wire obscured and distracted from them. I decided to have them set in sterling silver as pendants so that I could make necklaces with them, but I couldn’t find anyone to do it whose “style” was right for me. Then it happened….my eyes lighted on a dusty sign in a local lapidary supply announcing silversmithing classes.I signed up. I collected even more stones. The class was cancelled. A year later though, I was lighting a torch for the first time. By the end of the beginner’s class I was hooked. By the end of the advanced class I was obsessed. Not even six months after I started, I knew I’d found my medium….and I had acquired my own top of the line torch and more tools than I care to admit to.In silversmithing I have finally found a medium that gives me the creative control I desire and allows me to make things I’m proud of, and most importantly I love doing it. I will probably always do stringing and very basic wire work as well, especially incorporating my metalwork. But my focus has certainly shifted dramatically to silversmithing, and I only expect that focus to deepen.
What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?
I adore the creative control; the ability to be able to imagine a design that I think would be cool and then actually create it. That is quite a rush.
If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art/craft, what would you choose, and why?
A pink grapefruit. Refreshing, tangy and sweet without either flavor being overpowering, the grapefruit is bold but not brash. The qualities of the grapefruit do a pretty good job of describing what I like to create; pieces that are different but not overpoweringly edgy, pretty without being “cute”, elegant but not snobbish, and clean without being boring.
What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?
I want to convey the messages that are personally important to my customers. Jewelry is about more than simple adornment. It's about meaning; a wearable token for who we are, who we love, and what we admire. One reason I love custom work is that I get to create something that has deep and often hidden personal meaning to the person wearing it.
What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?
Do what you enjoy, and create what you like. There is a lot of peer pressure in the jewelry field to “be different!” “expand into other mediums!” and my least favorite, the unspoken encouragement of difficulty of creation over pleasing design. How, however, is one supposed to “be different” if everyone is struggling to do just that? In that case, are you not, by trying to be different, copying everyone else? What is new and different one year will be the overused trend the next. So stop trying desperately to be different, and be yourself….and that act alone will set you apart. Follow what you like and enjoy, and your own unique style will develop gracefully on its own, and your skills will surely advance along the paths that you are drawn to.
THANKS, JESSI for sharing your beautiful work, and also giving us an insight as to what makes you "tick" as an artist! Below you will find links to Jessi's Etsy shop, and also her web site. Be sure to take the time to visit!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
