About The Artist
I've been making jewellery in one form or another for most of my life. From seed beads to horn and wood beads, and on to wire bending.
My interest in wire bending happened quite by accident. A friend's mother had just started making some things, and I was blown away that it even could be done. It was a new concept to me, and a nice change of pace from the bead work I had always done.
This was a nice creative outlet, and it blended well with my appreciation for Belly Dance. I was able to create necklaces, earrings, and other adornments in styles I liked, and that were fitting to my costume.
Eventually, I delved into chain maille. I happened across a photo of chain maille armour, and after examining it for awhile, I figured out how it was done. My first piece left me thinking "I will never do this again! It's crazy!". But, I just couldn't stop. As crazy as it can be, it was addicting.
One year, I had the opportunity to offer my jewellery at a friend's booth at a Renaissance Faire. I was targeting the Belly Dancers mostly, but being a shoe booth that I was set up in, sales were less than wonderful. Apparently, I had upset other jewellers because of my pricing, and even my friend commented that I was not charging enough to compensate for the time spent on it all. So, I reworked my pricing after that faire, and attempted one more time, through my friend, to try and sell my pieces. One fellow liked what he saw, but wanted a custom piece. I managed to make exactly what he wanted, and that was my last sale for many years.
After that, with two kids running around and a "nine to five" job to pay the bills, I didn't have much time to persue the idea of selling anything I made. I still made jewellery, but only as gifts for family and friends.
For over ten years, I have worn the same items of copper wire that I had made, with every so often adding in a new design. Oddly, within this last year or two, suddenly, they are being noticed, commented on, admired. Now, I'm always asked if I sell them. So, I made the decision to try and sell them again. I dusted off the old "business name" I had used previously, since it's fitting for me, and now I'm making a go of it again.
My Style
There's many many wire workers out there. Most seem to focus on wrapping stones, or using wire as a medium for beads. And there's a vast number of highly talented ones out there. Whereas, I will use beads and/or stones in some of my work, they are not my main focus. Metal is pretty. Metal is shiney. I like metal. I want to show off the beauty of metal with my work. Any beads and/or stones that are used are there to accentuate the piece, not be the focus point. If you are looking for intricately wrapped stones or beadwork, I highly suggest "Googling" for them. Again, there's a multitude of talented artists out there, doing just that.
With some of my patterns, you may see others like it, similar, or even what seems to be exactly the same. That's because a few of my favourites are actually classical pieces, used for centuries.
One in particular, the one I call the "Asp", I've often seen in a variant. Usually you will see it in it's singular form. What I mean is, each piece is attached through one other. I do it doubled. Each piece is attached through two others, creating that classic snake-like quality of how it moves. Hence, why I call it the "Asp". There is a lot of work involved in attaching it the way that I do, but the end result is fabulous.
When you look at a piece of jewellery made of wire, examine it closely. Nicks and mars ideally are avoided, but are bound to happen. When they do, are they extremely noticeable? Are there a lot of them? What about the spiral (if there is one)? Is it as tight as it could be? Or is the middle a hole where the spiral began? I don't skimp. I make sure that spiral starts tight, and stays tight (unless the design requires an open pattern). I make sure any nicks or mars are removed or hidden, or else the piece is tossed and I start over.
Each piece I make, I hand hammer the all the individual parts before attaching them, adding strength to the piece. All parts, even the "jump rings" are made by me. I don't buy pre-cut pieces, for any reason.
Copper is a passion for me. Whether in my home, or on my person, it's my favourite colour and metal. Every piece I make is treated with that same passion. Even pieces not made with just copper alone, or ones made entirely without it. Every metal has a personality to me. They bend at different points, they have different resistances. And I enjoy the zen-like quality that happens when a piece comes together, as if by itself.
I am not a machine, everything is hand done, so even though I put great care into making everything as exacting as I can, it won't look factory made, and there will always be slight variations, even in duplicate parts of the same piece.
