My life-partner-soul-mate Mike wakes up each day and along with morning coffee, infuses his body-mind with world news and stories that he hunts down from the more astute and thinking websites out there.  I, admittedly with some embarrassment, will share with you that I have never been much of a news consumer.  His habit, however, has rubbed off somewhat and this morning we watched/read some fascinating stories including one about truffles and another about bees.  Specifically, how the head of Bee Inventory and Monitoring Program at the USGS (United States Geological Survey), Sam Droege, refined a system to photograph the 4,000 species of bees that live in North America, north of Mexico. The point being that not only have these incredible photos resulted, but there is now a better way to understand, study and document these creatures upon which our whole life on this planet depends. They are the pollinators.  Without them we all perish - no plants flowers vegetables you name it, can grow. We know this, but somehow seeing the incredible photos of these beautiful and so tiny creatures brought it home again to me, and to put it eloquently: it just blows my mind.  

The beauty and complexity of nature has always affected me in a way that I find challenging to express in words. Words such as ‘awe,’ ‘tenderness,’ ‘excitement,’ and a sort of overwhelming wonder seem to only vaguely describe the response I have when I ponder the natural world in its absolute infinite breadth, complexity and inter-connectedness. That is, then, part of my motivation for being an artist, for creating beautiful wearable mini-sculptures.  It is through my jewelry designs that I express this appreciation I have of the shapes, textures and the light and shadow of the natural world. My designs of minimal forms and shapes are intended to evoke the same kind of pure and ‘coming home’ feeling one may experience in nature.  The simple and organic forms of my pieces are meant to inspire and remind the wearer to take a ‘moment,’ much as seeing a beautiful flower might cause a person to pause and just appreciate.  And with any luck I am successful…

Have a wonderful week!

 xo

Kristen

January Newletter!
2014 is off to a running start for the studio. I am happy to be writing the very first edition of my monthly newsletter, where you will keep up with all the happenings of the studio and be the first to hear about special offers.  

First, a big heart-felt ‘thank you’ for supporting Silver Ranch with your continued patronage.  I look forward to serving your handcrafted jewelry needs in the next year and I am excited about some new designs I already have under way in the form of drawings and wax models.

The studio saw some big changes in 2013.  As we settled further into our new home & studio location, I expanded my offering to local customers in the form of jewelry parties: classic shopping parties and jewelry-making parties.  Each one has been such great fun.  Against the backdrop of the jewelry and creativity, each party guest has truly enjoyed the opportunity to take time out for herself, to nurture her creativity in the form of creating jewelry or picking just-the-right-pieces for herself, and the time it allowed her to spend with old friends and to make new ones.

Another exciting development in the studio last year was the introduction of my bronze collection. My bronze collection offers the gorgeous warm tones of gold at a fraction of the price of gold or silver, and it has been received by all of my customers with great enthusiasm! Thank you and more to come!

As we press into the new year with many dreams and plans, it is also vitally important to honor just today. I will leave you with a quote that hangs on the wall of my studio:

Cease to inquire what the future has in store, and take as a gift whatever the day brings forth.  ~Horace


Much love,
Kristen

Today I am working on wax models for new designs with Valentines Day in mind. Think:  little carved hearts in my signature organic style.  Also working on the business plan & collection ideas for 2014… Exciting things!

Wax model in progress for heart charm!