The Artist
I grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. I am also a natural born artist--some people are just cursed that way and are unable to do anything else to feel fulfilled or be happy.
After a brief stint in college in the tumultuous Vietnam Era, I headed for the Caribbean, following my father to the beautiful island of St. Croix. I have loved creating art as body decoration ever since Santa gifted me with a bead loom as a teenager. As a self-taught artist during my time living in the Caribbean, I wore many artistic hats--illustrator, sign painter, muralist--I even worked regularly in boatyards, painting a sailboat's name on her stern or a large graphic on a speedboat's hull.
While living on the tiny jewel island of St John, I taught myself to paint on fabric, starting with T-shirts and moving on to dresses, visors, bags--just about anything made of fabric. I eventually opened my own hand-painted clothing store on my home island of St. Croix. I also began exploring fine art, particularly watercolor.
In 1989, the island was devastated by class 5 hurricane Hugo, and I was forced to re-locate. Luckily I had family up in the North Carolina mountains. Boone, North Carolina is the home of Appalachian State University and has an outstanding art program, so I took advantage of my refugee status and went back to school at the age of 40! I earned a degree in fine art (summa cum laude no less!) and did post-graduate work in jewelry design.
My jewelry is inspired by my time spent in the beautiful islands of the Caribbean and my love of her white-sand beaches, sparkling waters, coral reefs and amazing sunsets.
Wondering where the Captain in Captain Deb came from? I also spent time as a professional sailor in the British and American Virgin Islands, first as deckhand/crew/cook on several charter sailboats, then earned a 30 ton Ocean Operator's License. This was a whole lotta fun, but like I said, natural-born artists are really unable to do anything else! The nautical jewelry I create are pieces I would have LOVED to have had while I was sailing!
MY JEWELRY AND MATERIALS
Like I said Santa brought me a bead loom. My husband and I bought a small place at the beach with no studio for large oil paintings, and She Shellz was born! I use materials sourced from Earth and Water--shell products, freshwater pearls, pure metals like copper and silver (and their alloys of brass and bronze,) and linen (from the flax plant, natures strongest fiber.) Artisan glass starts off as sand, basically a natural material. Although I'm a committed vegan, I do use leather and occasionally bone beads. I try to use coral that has not been harvested live. The commercial shells I use are from the Phillipines, where shell farming is a sustainable industry. Of course my very favorite element to use is a shell picked up off the beach!!
Connections made through Etsy, have lead me to some wonderful bead and component artists, whose pieces can be seen worked into my designs. These elements are knotted, wrapped and strung predominantly onto waxed Irish linen and natural and colored leather to create a unique, tropical, upscale and "island boho" look for resort and beach. One of my signatures is to use soft leather cords to secure a necklace instead of a clasp, allowing the wearer additional adjustability and comfort. My years of sailing has taught me a variety of knotting techniques as well.
Self-decoration, particularly with the shell, is a human tradition as old as humanity itself. I see myself as part of this continuum of gathering materials, making, wearing and sharing beautiful, meaningful body decoration.
Thanks for reading this and visiting my shop!
Smooth Sailing!
Capt Deb
