Barbara Nelson

I am inspired by modern architecture & design. I hand fabricate each piece; getting lost in the process and relationship between the metals, my tools & my hands. My work changed drastically in 2008. The price of gold & silver soared so I turned to bronze in place of gold. Bronze was a bigger challenge than I anticipated and I developed great respect for what the ancients created with bronze and primitive tools. My hand tools are much like what the ancients used and I am reminded of that every time I pick them up. Bronze is now a major component and my work has grown with it. My formal training is in apparel design, I use the same principles in jewelry design: fit, drape, proportion, balance and texture. I use metals as I would fabric but with very different tools. My textures are hand stamped with steel pattern stamps and a mallet. Forming is done with mandrels, daps, punches and mallets. Components are joined with solder, cleaned, oxidized and given a brushed finish. My goal is to create a unique piece of art which is wearable. I want my jewelry to engage the audience. I enjoy the one-on-one connection I have with my audience as jewelry is very personal and self-adornment is a universally human language.