Ann Hartley

Come back into my shop here:

www.etsy.com/shop/hartleystudio

I have always had busy hands, it runs in my family. I can remember macrame plant holders, cross stitch samplers, bargello pillows, sewing, quilting and candle making. When I found the printmaking studio at Baylor University, I thought I was in love. In retrospect, I know now it was the metal, the tools and the process that lured me in, not the image making. I completed my BFA in 1990 and, after a hiatus, found myself at Illinois State University pursuing my Master's degree. Technically, I was a very good printmaker but the images were forced and empty. in 1995, while home in Louisville, KY for the summer, I wandered into Objects of Desire gallery and fell head over heels in love, with jewelry. I had never seen jewelry like this!! Pieces of art to wear. I was hired on the spot and worked the first of many summers. The owner, Julia Comer, was my mentor and when I went back to Illinois State, I quit the printmaking program and joined the metals department. I completed an entire portfolio in one semester and was accepted at the University of Illinois for grad school.

I graduated with my MFA and got married in 1999 and moved to Columbus, OH with my husband. While my husband worked on his MFA in painting at OSU, I worked as a goldsmith at a very swanky jewelry store. What I didn't learn at school, I learned here under the instruction of some of the best goldsmiths in the country.

Several years ago I decided I wanted to stay at home with my kids, so we packed up our car and moved to the Midwest. After two years of making nothing but dinners, I was going stir crazy so my husband built me my wonderful studio. I have two great kids, a wonderful husband and a kooky dog! All four are very supportive of my studio practice. My studio is out in our backyard where I can watch birds and knit when I'm supposed to be making jewelry.

I love making jewelry and am inspired by everything I see. I love architecture, hikes in the woods, canoeing, knitting and sewing. I love playing with my kids and watching them learn new things every day.

If you have made it this far,...you might want to check out my facebook page:
www.facebook.com/hartleystudio
or follow my blog:
annhartleystudio.blogspot.com/

Have a wonderful day!!