Why Do I Make Jewelry?

It's that time of month again... The Etsy Metal Blog Carnival!

This month's question is "Why Do I Make Jewelry?"

I have a BFA in sculpture and did metal sculpture and some jewelry in college, a long long time ago.    
But, I've made art all my life. I've made lots and lots of different art... printmaking, calligraphy, sign painting, clay, silk painting, metal sculpture, photography, drawing, ... 
I don't really think I have a choice, I have to make something.

So about 10 years ago I ventured back into working with metal and enamels and making jewelry. And I felt like I had come home. I absorbed everything I read and learned in workshops and it stuck. It was as if I already knew all of this stuff, I had just forgotten. 

It was different than making something to hang on a wall. Jewelry is more alive: it moves; it's 3-dimensional; it's noisy; you are allowed to touch it, as a matter of fact you have to touch it. I have a hard time going to a museum or a gallery to look at paintings and sculpture and not being allowed to touch them... I do it anyway!

 The other thing that appeals to my ADD nature, is that just about any art that you can do, you can do on jewelry, like painting, drawing, calligraphy, small sculpture, photography... so I feel like I'm not missing out on anything.

Why do other Etsy Metal members make jewelry?

 Cynthia Del Giudice 
 Laura Jane Bouton
 silentgoddess 
 Beth Cyr 
Peculiar Forest 
Tosca Terán 
 Nodeform 
Mary Anne Karren
My Precious Studio
 Deborah Lee Taylor
Anne Walker
Andrea Ring 
Gracebourne Design  
 Danielle Miller 
 Inbar Bareket 
 Jewellietta 
 Abella Blue 

Etsy Metal Project Runway Challenge #4

The Project Runway Challenge: 
The designers were asked to design a day to night outfit for Nina Garcia 

For our EtsyMetal Translation: 

Make a piece of jewelry for Nina. There was a scene where she was going through jewelry at Marie Claire. Also she notes that she likes streamlined, modern looks. Whatever you do, don't bore Nina!

Leaf Stick Pin

I made this 5.5" long twisted fold form leaf stick pin. I enameled the back with several layers of whites and clear and the front with several layers of chartreuse, clear, liquid green and liquid black.
It's torch fired.

Artist's Work That Has Influenced My Own

Etsy Metal Blog Carnival - July 11, 2011


The first thought that comes to my mind is Andy Warhol. What I love most about him is the idea that you should be who you are. And... I love 'pop art.' I love movies-particularly B-movies, and TV, and comic books.

Photo Booth Ring

Photo Booth Strip

Photo Booth Box

Pendant of My Mother

 I was inspired by his work to use photo booth pictures and shinky dinks to create narrative jewelry about myself and my family. 

I was a teenager and in my early 20's when things started getting crazy. Pop art, conceptual art..., what is art? It wasn't just visual art that influenced me, but at that time music was very influential and was just turning from 60's, early 70's anti-war, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Joni Mitchell to Patti Smith, the Ramones, Elvis Costello. Very edgy, rebellious, questioning everything, I guess you could say maybe a little paranoid! 

Heavy Metal Ring

How I feel that this has affected my more current work is that it is rebelling against high end, finely made work. Not that there is anything wrong with that! It just never fit who I was. My style is the opposite of that with fat welded seams and metal where there should be a stone. I like to think of it as working (wo)man's jewelry, meant to be worn every day.


Please check out where other artistic influences lie by going to these other Etsy Metal sites!!

1. Theresa - http://tkmetalarts.blogspot.com 
2. Kate Jones - http://www.katejonesdesign.blogspot.com 
3. Fluxplay Jewellery (Maria Whetman) - http://www.fluxplay.blogspot.com 
4. 2Roses - http://www.jewelrytutorial.blogspot.com 
5. Elizabeth Scott - http://esdesignsjewelry.com/blog 
6.Andrea Ring- http://www.amuckdesign.blogspot.com 
7. Nodeform - http://nodeform.blogspot.com/ 
8. Beth Cyr http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com 
9. Inbar Bareket http://www.inbarbareket.net 
10. Cynthia Del Giudice: http://cynthiadelgiudice.blogspot.com 
11. Evelyn Markasky: http://markasky.blogspot.com/ 
12. AdobeSol - http://www.AdobeSol.com/blog 
13. Quercus Silver http://quercussilver.blogspot.com/