Aerie Necklace outlets

Aerie Necklace
18 ga peacock blue colored copper wire,
turquoise colored leather cord,
brass cord tips, brass lobster claw clasp
Approx 12"L x 3.5" W

Face Art Jewelry

I began working with wire in the late 90s when I began making glass. I found out that I could insert copper wire in my fused glass sculpture and began to add it to my fused and warm glass creations. I experimented with wire wrapping, wire beadmaking, wiber beadmaking, and wire amendments to my flame-worked glass bead jewelry. My wire love then moved to making the series “Les Tetes”, the heads: bookmarks of brass or copper wire.

Starting in June 2021, in response to a lot of loss, grief and pain, I experimented with making mask-inspired wire faces and extended my wire use to heavier gauges and other metals, like steel and aluminum. These faces evolved, inspired first by West African masks, and then later to fantasy objects exploring my fantasy and science fiction interests.

Now I'm back to creating jewelry, working smaller than I was last year, to make earrings that are about 3 inches and necklaces and neckpieces that are larger. This making releases pain even though sometimes it hurts when the wire is too stiff or when the wire is too soft and it resists shaping.

I begin with intentions for the faces, but they decide what they're going to look like.

I work in one continuous line –– that is my challenge. Each face is created as one unbroken, uncut line, straight from the wire spool and it is not cut until the face is finished. Each face is a problem solved, a journey made, a quest completed.

I'm grateful that you're looking at this work: that you received and are engaging in outlets the communication.