*"This and That" Neckpiece 18" Kathleen Faulkner
I started out as a painter who majored in sculpture. All my schooling got me a job on a little ferry in my town. The frustration of being an artist working at a regular job finally came to a climax one day. The local jeweler, who, at the time lived on Guemes, was coming home on the ferry and, without conscious intention, I approached her and said, "I think you need an apprentice." Then she said, "Why yes I do. Can you start Monday?" That began my journey into the craft world. My life as I knew it would never be the same.
As I learned and worked with her, I came to the realization that this is what I was meant to do. I like to make things. It is a different process for me, unlike painting. Painters tend to enter another state when painting, time evaporates and it can be a type of meditation. Jewelry, on the other hand is a struggle and I have to work very hard at it. I have to pay attention, I have to be precise. Time passes but in a very different way. I never lose track of time when making jewelry. To me it feels very different.
I make jewelry because I can, it makes me happy, it is fulfilling. I paint for the very same reasons. Different processes same result.
"The Art is long,
Life short,
Opportunity fleeting ,
Experiment dangerous,
Judgement difficult"
from Hippocrates
*materials: sterling and fine silver, beads, river rocks, enamel, copper
