Lisa in the Black Forest by a lakeside rock quarry, hunting for Jasper & Agate to cut & polish for jewelry pieces.
Art and craft of all types has been a major part of my life for as long as I can remember. My father’s mother and grandmother were artists (watercolors and china painting, respectively). My mother’s father and grandfather were watchmakers and owned a jewelry store. I learned from all of them, either in person or from what they had left behind. I have actually learned a lot of different techniques over the years, through many methods, and although I’m not regularly practicing all of them all the time, I do enjoy what having learned them can bring to any one thing I’m focusing on. The list of subjects is long, and included painting, drawing, design, sculpture, color theory, photography, paper making, stained glass, bookbinding, quilling, sewing, calligraphy, and woodworking. Of course there’s jewelry making, too, my main passion.
Although I first learned some techniques when I was much younger (my grandmother taught me to knot pearls before I was 10), I started my official jewelry education in 1998 at Spruill Center for the Arts, a community arts center outside Atlanta, GA. I started with basic goldsmithing classes, and then also took classes in chain making, filigree, repoussé and granulation. About one year after I started there, my husband and I moved to Germany. We lived about an hour away from one of the world’s best schools for jewelry making, the Goldschmiedeschule (“goldsmithing school”) in Pforzheim, and I was able to be a guest student there for two years. I took classes in basic goldsmithing, as well as in enameling, settings and lapidary. Since returning to the US, I’ve taken classes in metal clay and deep drawing at two different Lapidary Journal shows, as well as glass fusing at a local bead shop. Although many things are best learned in a classroom environment, I really enjoy learning through books, and have learned many techniques that way as well.
I joined the Lancaster chapter of the PGC in 2004, shortly after moving to the area, and attained chapter juried status later that year. I started selling my jewelry at craft shows around that time, too, including:
- 2004 Christmas Craft Show (York)
- 2005 Spring Fine Art & Craft Festival (Kutztown), State Craft Fair (F&M)
- 2006 Art on the Avenue (W Reading), State Craft Fair (F&M), Lititz Rotary Craft Show, Christmas at the Guild (York)
- 2007 Crafts in the Park (Lititz), Art on the Avenue (W Reading), Summer Fine Craft Fair (DE), Mt Gretna Craft Show, Peter’s Valley Craft Fair (NJ), Artisans Porch Walk (Lititz)
In 2007, I also had some of my work at Lancaster Designer-Craftsmen’s Goggleworks Gallery Exhibit and in the “Boxes” Showcase at Radius. Since before we left Germany, I have sold my work through my website, and currently my work is also for sale at Michelle’s Gallery in downtown Ephrata.
I am also happy to say that in early 2008 I applied to attain state level juried status with the PGC as well, and I was accepted!
Regarding my style, my interests are varied, so therefore too is my style, no matter what I am working on. I feel one creates best when they are creating something that they like, something that they themselves find beautiful and interesting, so my ideas and designs change from day to day, and I end up with a wide range of work. Some things have more of a modern feel, while others are very classic, but I always try to be different. I particularly enjoy working in filigree. I like small, detailed work, which filigree definitely is. I also like the fact that it’s not often made by artists in the US. Jewelry making is very popular and therefore extremely competitive; one has to work hard at being different in order to stand out.
I also take pride in making as much of a piece as possible. Over the years, many of the techniques I’ve learned and the materials with which I’ve learned to work, beyond basic metalsmithing , have been so that I can add interest and color to my pieces while still doing the work myself. Recent examples are glass fusing, enameling, precious metal clay, and polymer clay. I’m sure more will be added in the future. In addition, I enjoy making all of my chains and clasps myself, as well as most of the settings and other findings. Even some of the beads and cabochons are handmade
My studio is setup in half of my basement. It’s a decent sized space, with lots of tables, tools and equipment. I do all of the work myself. My favorite place at which to work is my great-grandfather’s watchmaker’s bench, saved from the old jewelry store before the current owners re-did the entire space.
