Alicia Hanson

Name: Alicia Hanson

Age: 35

Location: Oceanside, CA

Profession: Jewelry Designer | Silversmith

Craft(s) of Choice: Jewelry Making, I also do sewing, cooking, paper creations, and shrines

Blog (if applicable): http://hioctanejewelry.blogspot.com/

Ever since the first time I remember watching my dad weld and use a cutting torch I was mesmerized by those flying blue sparks I wasn’t suppose to be looking at.  I even remember the smell.  Kinda of like after fireworks.  From that moment on I knew I want to play with metal in some form.  I started making beaded jewelry in high school and I would take weird small little toys and make them into earrings.  I always wanted to learn to solder.  Finally that day came when I was about 30,  and then I learned casting.  Now I am always trying to find more ways to spend as much time as I can in my studio creating.  I love learning new things.  I remember just two days ago my 3 year old daughter was watching me solder and she said “Mommy what’s that?”  I explained my soldering torch.  Hopefully she’ll be hooked too.

Christine Terrell

Name: Christine Terrell

Age: 40

Location: Austin, TX

Profession: Jewelry Designer

Craft(s) of Choice: Metalwork

Blog: http://www.adaptivereuser.blogspot.com

Not crafting per se, but I remember as a kid spending hours and hours coloring in those books that were filled with black and white line drawings of kaleidoscopic patterns. I also remember at the time, my family thought I was crazy. How hilarious that I would grow up to be a graphic designer and then move on to creating small, fussily detailed jewelry constructions. Now my family AND friends think I’m crazy.

Danielle James

Name: Danielle James

Age: 21

Location: Lancaster PA

Profession: about to be grads student

Craft(s) of Choice: Metalsmithing

Blog: artisticresponseteam.org/blog

We propose to gather shells from the fouled beaches and use these shells to make art objects, such as jewelry and wearables. These are shells that have been stained by the oil and should not be reintroduced into the ecosystem. We think such shells will be beautiful in their own right and remind the wearer/buyer of the natural disaster transpiring in the Gulf. These projects will also act as a lasting and public reminder of the infinite value of our environment.

Age: 25

Location: Belton, MO

Profession: Mom, Metalsmith, Wife, Crafter Extraordinaire

Craft(s) of Choice: Metalsmithing, Jewelry, Knitting

When I was 14, I read a Daja’s Book by Tamora Pierce, about a little girl who could manipulate red hot metal with her bare hands. This magical young girl made a steel and copper rose bush, and in my mind there was nothing more amazing. I promptly took a weekend forging class and was hooked. I may not use magic to manipulate my materials, but it’s still seems like magic when the metals move. I started off making Copper and Steel Roses and now, 11 years later, I make forged silver jewelry inspired by moments in my life. My life changes with the seasons, but I’m always focused on my crafting and how to translate what I see into what I make. While I still find roses to be a most amazing inspiration, my kids love to help me explore the new horizons of the world- this week I made a necklace inspired by an afternoon of bubble blowing, last week I knit a wire bracelet while teaching my neighbor to knit a sweater. I love what I do, and what I make, and who my crafting has allowed me to become- what could be any better in life?

Kate Richbourg

Name: Kate Richbourg

Age: 43

Location: San Carlos, Ca

Profession: Jewelry Designer

Craft(s) of Choice: Jewelrymaking, Metalworking, knitting, fiber arts, quilting

Blog: http://www.beaducation.com

My earliest crafting memory is rooted in a box of costume jewelry that lived in a hall closet when I was a kid. My grandmother LOVED jewelry and took every opportunity to add to her collection. Some of that jewelry ended up in a “junk box” in our hall closet. It was a potpourri of things… broken chains, odd earrings, and beaded necklaces. It was a jumble of jewelry parts that held endless fascination for me.

That was where I started to hone my jewelry skills. I started making jewelry out of components in that box at the tender age of 8 or 9. I would grab some pliers out of my grandpa’s desk drawer (he kept a couple of good ones in his bottom drawer) and some wire (or dental floss or sewing thread or whatever I could find) and work away. That box kept me occupied for hours. I made up my techniques and learned how to make things look good and stay together by trial and error.

I still tap into that free-flowing creativity when I design. I keep many of my jewelry components in little boxes and I still enjoy pulling them out and seeing what kind of treasures I can create. When I teach my jewelry classes I share my philosophy with my students. I think it’s important to remember what it feels like to just “create.” Remove expectations and just have fun with the process and enjoy the result.

Kim Quinn Nicholson

Name: Kim Quinn Nicholson

Age: 29

Location: Atlanta, GA

Profession: Owner of Purple Hippo Art Studio, art studio for children

Craft(s) of Choice: metalworking with silver and found objects

Blog: website- www.kimquinn.com Shop- www.kimquinndotcom.etsy.com

I am always creating new things. Whether it is a painting, jewelry, sculpture; my house is full. It was just a “hobby”, then I discovered Etsy and had an article written about my jewelry, and I started selling! It was the first time I realized I wasn’t the only one who liked my pieces, and that there was a possibility I could do this for a living.

Rachel Rose

Name: Rachel Rose

Age: 48

Location: Olathe, Ks.

Profession: Artist, Instructor

Craft(s) of Choice: Watercolors, Pastels, Beadweaving,Meltal workwire wrapping

I decided to be an artist when I was 7 years old. My parents took us(siblings) to see our cousin Phylis. She lived in Hollywood CA. I remember her being tall and beautiful, her boyfriend Jack was funny. My cousin is an artist. The room she put us in had a print that scared me. I kept staring at it. As I watched it I fell into it and traveled through the lines and colors of the print. I went very quickly and I fell out of it back into myself. When I woke up I was no longer afraid and I knew I could paint it. I got very excited when I realized not only could I paint,but I wanted to paint. I have always thought of painting as magical. I paint with all the materials I use and I never stop painting. For me it’s like breathing.

Tim See

Name: Tim See

Age: 29

Location: Syracuse, NY

Profession: Working artist and teacher

Craft(s) of Choice: Ceramics, Stained Glass, Metal

Blog: http://timseeclay.blogspot.com

I have been making pottery for ten years now, and its still the only thing I really want to do. If I am not physically making work, I am drawing reading or thinking about ceramics. Its great to be in love with your job.