Aside from being a jewelry artist, Kristie Jones is a 38 year old stay at home mom to "three terrific children" and a few cats, dog, and birds. "I’m a lover of the Victorian era and collect period clothing," she admits. "My interest have a wide range - I am not above panning for gold in Alaska or digging for emeralds in North Carolina." Thankfully she also hunts the beach for treasures to use in her beautiful jewelry designs. "I was fortunate to grow up in a very artsy crafty family," she says. With talented quilt makers for a mother and grandmother, she followed in their footsteps. Eventually her grandmother taught her the Victorian art of redwork. "I have done some very intricate Victorian portraits; you know the big hats and bustles." Jewelry came came later. "It was actually my daughters who inspired me to make the jewelry when they saw it at some sort of festival and had mentioned to me how much they loved the sea glass jewelry," she explains. "So after years of ignoring the glass on the beach I started to pick it up and make a few things for the girls and the rest of my family." Her earthy designs show off the natural beauty of the found pieces, letting the glass take center stage. "I am not fond of overshadowing the natural beauty of the sea glass, I am often afraid that if I use too many extras I’ll lose what first attracted me to it." She lets the treasures "speak" to her and inspire her to create something special. "I am often overwhelmed with ideas and not enough time to try them out," she jokes. "There are so many talented people out here that I am just proud to be selling my creations along side them," she says of her fellow Etsians. Please check out her shop: http://keepsakesbykristie.etsy.com/
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Meet Etsy Artist: KeepsakesByKristie
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Meet Etsy Potter & Artist: MAKUstudio
Marianne Kasparian (aka MAK) is of Armenian heritage and grew up on the East coast near Washington, DC. Her love of travel has led her on many cross-country drives through the US - and she has lived in many states. "Different cultures intrigue me in their ways of life and especially their food," she admits. "I’m particularly fond of Japanese (sushi), Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, and Thai food. Of course, stuffed grape leaves (dolmas) and many other Mediterranean foods are always on the top of the list." She worked most of her life as a bartender, but found her passion in raku beads and jewelry 7 years ago. "Raku pottery was made long ago for Japanese tea ceremonies," she explains. "It was modernized later in the Western world into the process you see today. This involves taking a piece of pottery that has been bisque fired in a kiln, then glazed and then firing it in a raku kiln (which my husband and I built ourselves). The piece is then fired to about 1800 degrees F, depending on environmental conditions, and pulled out of the kiln while still red hot. Then it is placed in a reduction chamber (a metal can) containing organic materials such as newspaper, sawdust, leaves, etc. Smoke is created and reacts with the pot leaving the unglazed portion black (a very unique characteristic of raku). It's so exciting and creates one of kind colors which are very hard to duplicate." Her quirky style is often "down to earth and funky." She opened her Etsy shop about a year ago and has cultivated it into a full time job. "(Etsy) has been a great environment for me to grow even further with my art, as well as share my passion with so many other people and artists," she says. "Follow your heart and live your passion!" Please check out her shop: http://makustudio.etsy.com/
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Meet Etsy Jewelry and Clay Artist: TheArtisticTouch
The talent behind TheArtisticTouch may have a full time job, but her art is her true passion. Her mother claims the first steps she took were for a pencil - and she's been creating ever since. In fact she's afflicted with what she calls "Craft/Art ADD." She thrives on learning new mediums and eagerly delves into what ever strikes her fancy. "I love animals and specialized in pet portraits for years," she says. Recently she got up the "nerve" to try graphite portraits of people and was quite successful just by word of mouth. Her latest endeavor is polymer clay. Ideally she's love to be able to support herself through her art instead of doing it on the side. She'd like to remind her fellow Etsians that "if you have a question, this community is the best place in which to try to find answers. Everyone has taught me so much with their wisdom and nobody knows better than someone who has experienced it already. I really like the 'pay it forward' mentality, and I do hope I am able to help a fellow Etsian in the future with my knowledge I learn over time." Please check out her shop: http://theartistictouch.etsy.com/
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