The Jewelers of Artistic Portland

The following blog is brought to you by June Martin of MOTH & TWIG Mosaic Jewelry.

Artistic Portland houses a wide variety of great local art, including ceramics, glass art, painting in various mediums, fiber arts, sculptural pieces in various materials including wood, metal, and found objects, as well as pretty much everything in between. In other words, if you're looking for some pretty fabulous art, look no further than Artistic Portland!

You can also find a beautiful array of jewelry at Artistic Portland. Full time jewelers currently showing at Artistic Portland include Becca Paisley, Beth Jones, June Martin, Laurel Swetnam, Leslie McMillan, Petra Woodworth, and Susan Hunter. Michael Barley and Dolores Kueffler also show jewelry as well as other mediums at Artistic Portland.

Becca Paisley is our newest jewelry artist at Artistic Portland. Becca Paisley Designs is the jewelry line she created after having fallen in love with the art of metalsmithing. She is inspired by raw metals and tools used to transform a flat piece of metal or a wire into a carefully constructed adornment. She uses traditional, contemporary, and experimental metalsmithing techniques. Her styles range from geometric and minimalist to organic and intricate. The process of adding bold texture, colorful patina or a bright finish to her jewelry could be described as solving a creative riddle. There always seems to be one right answer.

Beth Jones is the creator behind Delicate Filaments. All of Beth's jewelry is designed and hand fabricated by her. She describes herself as loving to work with metals and gemstones of all kinds to create something beautiful and unique, something that is an expression, or even, an extension, of herself. Ever since she was a child she has loved collecting rocks, fossils, shells and weathered old glass pieces from the shores of Lake Huron to Vancouver Island and the Oregon coast, and every other country she's had the good fortune to visit. Beth's work is intricate while also sturdy and substantial. 

MOTH & TWIG mosaic jewelry was created by mosaic artist, June Martin. June's work consists of various materials including tile from Morocco, glass from Italy, bezels from Mexico and Turkey, as well as bezels cast closer to home, in Port Townsend, WA. June uses an array of tools to meticulously create tiny mosaics that she then carefully sets into jewelry bezels. She finds the small work meditative and rewarding. Each piece is unique and she doesn't often plan out her designs, further enhancing the organic feel of her work. She's in love with color, texture, and shape, all elements that can be found in abundance in her pieces.

Speaking of color, you'll find no shortage of vibrant colors and contrasts in Laurel Swetnam's exquisite polymer clay jewelry. Laurel also creates small decorative items using polymer clay. Laurel first started working with polymer clay when she worked as a family therapist. She would use the medium in sessions with her clients. This evolved into the creation of her jewelry line entitled Sequels. Laurel is particularly intrigued with millefiori cane work as she loves patterns and the exploration of symmetry and diversity of organic forms such as pods, anemones, and flowers.

Another relative newcomer to Artistic Portland is Leslie McMillan of McMillan Metals. In Leslie's work you will find how she transforms silver, copper, and brass into wearable art. According to Leslie, manipulating and hammering metal grounds her. You'll see that her pieces have a subtle simplicity influenced by the shapes, colors and the textures of nature.

Recently Leslie trained with Master Momoko Okada in the ancient art of Japanese silver leaf. Production of gold and silver leaf dates back to the 15th century. Today 99% of gold and silver leaf is produced in Kanazawa, using traditional methods of pounding a small amount of metal into whisper thin sheets. The leaf is so thin that even a tiny amount of static electricity can cause it to tear. Along with silver leaf, Leslie uses traditional silversmithing techniques such as; soldering, forging and casting in fabricating her work. Leslie has also expanded her metalwork to include the fusing of high kt. gold to steel which results in a free form and highly textured design. I

Petra Woodworth of Purely Petra is a jewelry designer living in Portland. Petra has been making jewelry for over 20 years. It was love at first sight when her daughters took her to a bead shop on that long ago day. Over time she taught herself the techniques needed to create her unique and beautiful pieces. 

Many of Petra's designs are inspired by "Steampunk" - antique machinery...meets modern day science...meets Victorian romance. Most of her designs are one-of-a-kind and she uses a wide variety of materials from sterling silver to found and recycled objects like old keys and dominos.

Susan Hunter of Bodie Design Studio creates elegant silver jewelry that can be worn everyday or to special occasions since her pieces translate well to a multitude of settings. Learn about Susan's touching journey into the world of jewelry making. Not only does Susan work in sterling and fine silver, but you can also find her latest creations in 14kt and 14kt gold filled! She also incorporates various stones into her jewelry such as blue topaz, chalcedony, amazonite, and sapphire to name a few. Susan also makes fun pet charms from copper! She is truly talented and versatile.