"The artist who aims at perfection in everything achieves it in nothing." - Eugene Delacroix
After 27 years of designing handmade jewelry, one had better do just that! But imperfection and I have not always been on friendly terms. I was one of those kids who used to rip up my artwork if it didn’t measure up to my picky, pre-adolescent standards. I gravitated towards crafts like macrame, embroidery, crochet, needlepoint and of course, wire wrapping. The repetitive process along with the reliable results satisfied my exacting nature and desire for mastery.
When Elizabeth and I started our business, our line was small and simple and entirely made of crystal. Each tiny, identical shape, machine cut, was fabricated into little, sparkling puzzles to form our earrings and pendants. Similarly, life in 1994 was simple and fairly predictable. Then I met my husband-to-be, Paul, got married, had kids and thankfully realized that parenting and perfectionism was a terrible combination. I wanted my kids to have a constant creative outlet and as I introduced them to more and more arts and crafts, I simultaneously managed to tame the beast, moving away from the pride in the finished product to the joy of the process. At some point, many years ago, I read a book on Wabi Sabi, an aesthetic described as appreciating beauty that is imperfect and impermanent. It has influenced my work ever since. I have learned to love the journey more than the destination and it has profoundly changed me as a mom, wife and as an artist.
Dana's Suggestions
REISHI EARRINGS
Black diamond, 14k gold.
Shop: Imperfect Foods was founded to fight food waste by finding a home for the imperfect or “ugly" fruits and vegetables that farms couldn’t sell to grocery stores.
ANDRIETTE NECKLACE
Black Tourmalated Quartz, 14k gold fill, blackened silver.
Read: Wabi-Sabi: for Artists , Designers, Poets and Philosophers, by Leonard Koren.
POPPY EARRINGS
14k gold fill, blackened silver.