Designing is in my DNA - Jewelry, Mezuzahs, Ornaments, Metallic Acrylic Producer (Friendly Plastic™ Sticks)
Getting to dream up designs, creating little collages from scrap,
figuring out how to make tangible ideas from what I imagine
by thinking about what material, what technique, what process
will bring my ideas to life is PURE JOY.
And the creativity doesn't stop once you have a work of art in your
hand. What fun and hard work it is to give your creations an
identity! What do I call it, how do I describe the qualities, the process?
These are the questions an artist must dig deep and struggle with.
This is the exact thing I love - let your mind flow and your descriptive
adjectives fly! Words can conjure powerful images!
I once had a collection of oddly, layered geometric pins of carved, highly
textured black and clear frosted plexiglas that I called Marble and Ice.
And you know what? It looked exactly like you would think!
So you can imagine my fun in getting to name the splendidly colorful,
iridescent and flexible collections I could make out of metallic foil acrylic!
Modern Traditions was born, about 15 years ago, when I thought of how cool it would be to make Metallic Acrylic cut and fused words suspended off of wire hangers. I already had thousands of charms around. (You guessed it! - yet another collection I had called Charmables by Cathy - cute, cute, custom charm bracelets!).
Next came experimentation - the ever evolving cyber world of artists sharing ideas was something to behold. You can cut it, layer it, airbrush-blot-paint it, stamp it, cookie cutter it, slump it, comb it, pierce it and sculpt it. I amassed a whole new vocabulary of techniques
that I could manipulate and make my own. The collections you see today: There's a Word for That Ornaments, Feathered Jewels, Confetti, Abstract Mosaics and Everyday Sentiments Ornaments and Jewelry are the result.
I hope you enjoy looking through my joyful designs as you imagine how much I love making them for an appreciative audience.
Check back often as creations continue to evolve.
I welcome your ideas for custom pieces and am humbled by your interest.
Cathy
~ A snap shot of the "professional stuff" ~
BS Art Education, Metal-Smithing SUNY, New Paltz
Cosmetic Dental assistant for 8 years
Multi-media Jewelry and Enameling teacher at gorgeous New England Camps and Art Centers here in PA.
First Place Prize Amaco's 2010 CHA Competition for Best Butterfly
2016 Palmer Museum of Art Commission Artist, State College, PA.
Published in several Fashion and Craft magazines.
