This little crinoid here is the first fossil impression I ever made on my own. He’s imperfect, dull, and the details are far from crisp. But, when I pulled him off my little kiln and saw him after that first firing, I felt so proud.

I didn’t love the way it looked, but I’d attempted something new, and I knew I could grow with it.

When we first learn something new, we often mimic what we see in others, but (hopefully) we don’t stay there. As I wrote in a previous post, I’d seen fossils in silver clay before, but I knew I could make it my own.

Borrowing from other aspects of nature (plants and wildflowers) I added to my repertoire a whole celebration of the intricate details of the natural world. I took lessons from other jewelers (online and in person) on how to solder so I could incorporate stone settings, and I merged all my learning together to create the artistry I’d envisioned for myself.

It took time, effort, and patience, but I grew my skill set and I feel really good about the evolution of my artistry. Of course, it’s not where I plan to stay, either.

This little crinoid hangs out with a bunch of hag stones in my studio. There’s an old Ozarkian tradition of gifting a holey rock to someone in preparation for a long journey. I used to gift these to my students at the end of every school year. I think it’s fitting that this symbol representing the start of my metalsmith journey watches over me in this space 🌈🌧️☀️

Who knows where it will take me next:)

#metalsmith #artistintraining #neverstoplearning #inspiredbynature #hagstone #ozark #ozarks #fossils #wildflowers #oneofakind