Where are you from? and a little bit about youI am originally from Baltimore, Maryland but currently live in Georgia. I am mostly of Natve American (Iroquois) descent with some Hawiian in there too. This has a strong influence on my style and I’m drawn to arrow, chevron, or triangle shapes
What items do you carry in your shop?
I make jewelry and this is mostly what I carry in my main Etsy shop (along with a few wearable non-jewelry items), but have done a variety of types of art over the years including drawing, painting, ceramics, and sculpture. I’ve also got a supply shop at http://GiftbearerSupply.etsy.com in which I try to stock items that are not easy to find or are one of a kind.
My aim in my work is to create jewelry with a soul that people will fall in love with and that viewers will see as something deeper than merely an inanimate object. I approach each piece of jewelry as if it were a living being with a mind of its own. My style is Contemporary Tribal and the tagline is “Anything but Primitive”, because what I do is make tribal more refined than what is commonly thought of.
How did you decide on your shop name?
The name of my business Giftbearer comes from my whole philospohy towards like. I have always believed in adding something to the world and leaving it better than you found it, and gifts come in many forms; art is one very valuable gift. It conveys many positive messages, passes down wisdom, and it enriches the lives of those who connect with it. It’s not so much the object that draws people but the feeling it evokes in others. There is alot of non-verbal communication conveyed in jewelry and sometimes one can communicate concepts with materials such as metal or gemstones that there are no words for in language. A shape or combination of colors and textures can be satisfying in an inexplicable way. When somebody puts on a particular piece they can feel complete, but must be on the same wavelength in the first place to connect with that piece.
I often work with something for a long time until it feels just right, and when it does, that’s how I will know it’s complete
Do you have anything new you plan on adding to your store?
I’m in the process of working on a line involving copper flowers. I’ve made a few such pieces such as “Hint at Something Deeper”, and “Copper Poppy” over the past year or so, but decided now was the time to make alot more of them in variations of the same theme.
Although I love working with sterling and Fine silver and gold, there is a special place in my heart for copper. The color is inviting and warm in a way that no other metal can quite duplicate. Until recently it’s been largely ignored, but there are some effects you can get with it that are truly luminous. I also have plans to incorporate some mixed metals into my shop. The contrast of colors can be really lovely.
What items in your shop do you most enjoy making and why?
I also really enjoy working in metal clay, especially making my Budding Vine bracelets, (created from real vines). Each of these is completely unique, dictated by the way nature made them.
Anything else you would like us to know?
This year I am trying to sell everything in my shop to pay my dog, Carmella’s huge vet bill, and phase in all new pieces. She was adopted from a local shelter with distemper and I had to blaze new trails and incur great expense to save her life. Today she is the first of many dogs now in the US to receive a cutting-edge new cure for the disease. Even so, she continues to need special care due to damage she suffered as a result of her earlier rough life. Currently she has a damaged carpal ligament in her right front leg for which she’s having a custom brace made to prevent her from becoming completely lame, and I’m looking into getting her a stem cell transplant to regenerate the ligament and neural cells in the nerve root at the shoulder (damage which causes her to jerk constantly every day of her life). My goal is to raise $6,000 for her medical costs. Please purchase jewelry, supplies, an ad on my blog, or donate to this very deserving dog. Read more about her plight on my blog;
http://artlifenewsblog.blogspot.com/
Follow me on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/Giftbearer
Facebook Profile:
http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/profile.php?id=1039042031&ref=profile
Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Giftbearer/97144878121?v=wall&viewas=1039042031
** As always I would like to encourage all of my readers to check out this wonderful Etsy Shop.
If you check it out and leave me a link to your favorite item you may have 3 Extra Entries into any of my giveaways!
