Solo Exhibit & Giveaway: artdi!

Update: Congrats to Sarah P! Thanks to Diana of artdi; I was thrilled to share your work with our readers!

Diana of artdi creates jewelry that is lovely at first glance, then grows in beauty the more you examine it. Her dedication to detail means that every piece is a genuine labor of love. In this long necklace, each sterling silver link has been painstakingly hand cut, soldered, twisted, stamped and wire wrapped.

She loves to combine colors, textures, finishes, and mismatched items. In less capable hands this could look heavy handed and jarring; instead, Diana’s pieces are full of playfulness and whimsy. This trio of stacking rings features a hand constructed sterling silver squiggly “rose”, a faceted Chrysoprase rondelle and a sparkling Titanium coated agate drusy cabochon hand set in sterling. Delightfully disparate, they come together in an arresting whole.

This charm bracelet is made from a garden of her handmade “flowers” in shades of pink and orange. Using genuine pink Peruvian Opal, Tourmalene, Mexican Fire Opal, Crab Fire Agate, and dyed Moonstone, each blossom rests in a unique sterling setting.

I love the lines of her modern leaf earrings. Simple in design, they have just the right amount of detail with the stamped polka dots accenting the textured silver. The little Paua Shells add a touch of shimmer.

Curator V: You’ve worked with all sorts of media from clay to printmaking. What is it about jewelry making that is speaking to you know?

Its really the medium of metal that I love. Making wearable jewelry provides me the basic framework on which to make something beautiful out of metal. I remember a sense of awe and wonder after walking into a gallery and really looking at the handmade jewelry and other metalwork on display. I could not imagine how these people manipulated this medium with their own hands. That was the day I enrolled in a basic jewelry making class.

Curator V: You have a degree in painting and have worked as a graphic designer. How does that background influence your jewelry designs?

I think good design follows you wherever you want to take it. Whether it be designing posters, painting portraits or throwing a pot, many of the same concepts apply: balance, color, proportion, positive and negative space, to name a few. I draw and paint everyday at work and then come home and make jewelry. It feels the same to me, without the pressure.

Curator V: Do you have a favorite piece to make? What makes it so special to you?

I have trouble making the same piece more than once. What is exciting to me is using a new technique or material and ending up with something lovely. I have made hundreds of my flower pieces without getting all “flowered out”. There are designs yet to happen using my flowers that I can still get excited about.

Curator V: I love this quote: “Every day, I challenge myself to make interesting, beautiful and unique pieces with only the simplest of techniques.” Could you elaborate on that?

When I started making jewelry, I was a working Mom with no studio and no time. I needed to come up with designs that I could fabricate almost anywhere and that did not require any soldering. The only techniques I was able to use were basically sawing and wire wrapping. That was when I started making my flower pieces. I soon felt the need for a small torch to solder jump rings. Since then I have graduated to a larger torch and a few new techniques. I get a huge sense of accomplishment when I create something amazing using these basic skills.

Curator V: Are there any techniques or materials you’d like to try in the future?

Yes! I feel that I have just scratched the surface of being a metalsmith. I am bursting at the seams with creative energy and I intend to perhaps start from the beginning and relearn the basics plus other skills such as wax carving, repoussé, stone setting, etching, engraving, and keum-bo, I want to play with tools that I haven’t had the opportunity to use on a regular basis including the hydraulic press, rolling mills, kilns, etc. My dream is to someday have all of these techniques and tools at my fingertips, and have a proper studio to work in and share with others.

Giveaway Time! Diana has generously offered these earrings that feature icy faceted Aquamarine rondelles wrapped in woven sterling silver wire and accented with stamped sunbursts. To enter, visit artdi then come back here and leave a comment with your favorite item. One winner to be chosen at random next Sunday, March 4th.

Reading this via a feed? Here’s a direct link to the giveaway.)

Tagged as: giveaway, handmade, jewelry