The truth is that I didn’t find art, art found me.

Somewhere out in the forgotten fields, lies my muse.  I am a modern day hunter-gatherer.  I am in love with other people’s trash.  No, not the fresh hefty sack stuff, but the time and sun aged discards from another era.  I have a barn full of rust.  I treasure the stuff.  I prefer alleys, salvage yards and fields to storefronts.  In that search, I am often touched and amazed by the people I meet in those “chance” meetings along the way.  It’s really a two-for- one….the joy in meeting the most salt-of-the-earth people combined with finding treasure… well, it’s the stuff that makes my heart skip a beat and ignites my soul.  That is the epitome of a good day!

My art and my collecting are directly intertwined.  The same thing I seek in my collecting, I strive for in my work; a sense of nostalgia, whimsy, irony and most of all, a sense of soul.  Although I have been a full-time jeweler and artist for over twenty years, using jewelry as a vehicle for change truly began about three years ago.  It was a chapter in my life that read like a great country and western song.  Heartbreak, betrayal, career, finances, home and basically, a trampled soul.  About the only thing missing to that country song was that my dog didn’t die, thank God!

What I thought was the end at the time, was really the beginning.

In between looking for a “real job”, I came out of the studio one day with a buckle that said, “release the vision”, with Our Lady of Guadalupe.  The words rang in my head, I threw the ads away and got to work. 

 I call my buckles “wearable shrines of intention”.

In this age of big box, small connectedness, over simulation and undervaluing of precious life, I offer you these.  Using jewelry as a vehicle for change is my way of connecting souls, inspiring others to live by their wits again and reawaken the wild nature in all of us.  Not only that, but a percentage of the purchase of a buckle will go to a Women’s Empowerment Fund I have created to help get women back on their feet after a debilitating crisis in their lives. 

There is much more to come, but for now I wish you aimless days of exploring and countless opportunities for creating.  We all have a story.  What’s yours?  I hope it is full of hope, passion and faith. 

 And remember, art truly does save lives

Rescued and revived,

Nancy