"The essential quality of my work is harmony of form. I want my
sculptures to stir the observer's inner sense of beauty. To be
peaceful in their simplicity. I want my jewelry to soothe. To be
elegant, casual, and comfortable “ like fine silk and soft blue
jeans."
Nancy's passion for metalsmithing began over 35 years ago. She was
captivated by the age old process of forming the metal directly with
hammers. "The hammer is simply an extension of my hand..." Her
exploration of the traditional smithing techniques, raising holloware
and forging, started with traditional vessels forms. Soon she began to
push the envelope both technically and visually, leaving the rotation
form and functional form behind. Asymmetrical table top sculptures and
wall pieces were a natural progression for her nature based aesthetic.
"Natural forms have always fascinated and excited me: plant forms, earth
forms, human forms."
Sculptural jewelry was the next step, taking the sculpture off the
pedestal and putting it on then body. Nancy did a series of one of a
kind sculptural bracelets over the course of two years in the mid
1980s. The tremendous success of this direction encouraged her to
repeat the designs, adding earrings, neck pieces, and pins to her line of
bracelets. Over the last 20 years the line has grown with over 80
different designs, each made in a variety of sizes, available in both a
Sterling & 18K combination and solid 18K gold.
To create each piece, flat patterns are cut from sheets of gold and
silver and hammered systematically over specialized tools. Once a piece
has been hammered into its final form, it's filed and sanded, then
buffed to a high polish. This fine finish accentuates the simple
sculptural lines of her jewelry.
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| Nancy in her studio. |
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| Nancy working on creating jewelry. |
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| Bracelet | | | |
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| Earrings |
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