Karen Klinefelter

I’ve been making art jewelry and sculpture for over 30 years. The constant theme has been a fascination with patterns and textures, grids and lines and finishes that oppose one another. The discovery of organic , sustainable Tagua (vegetable ivory) as a medium challenged that design sense with its fluid and unpredictable shape and nature. My current work is a combination of my love and understanding of the metal and my delight and exploration in finding my voice in this completely different material. I use a belt sander and flex shaft tools to shape and texture the Tagua. Then I use dye, the torch, colored pencils and ink to add color and design. I hand fabricate settings for the pieces using sterling silver and high karat gold.