DianeKuligowski

I discovered clay back in the 70's and it just simply gave meaning to my life. I never imagined doing anything else. I loved it so much and at the same time, the pressure of making a living at something that requires such physicality was a real challenge as time went on. After 28 years, I decided to take a break from making pots. I thought it would be temporary but after making a move that meant packing up my studio, exploring another profession and then a great desire to get back to "making things", being a potter again didn't feel like quite the right place for me. There's no question that potters envy jewelers because of the shear compactness of their wares. I think that's how I decided to start making jewelry.

At first, everything about metal seemed like the antithesis of clay. You can only imagine the change in going from creating your work from something that is soft and pliable to something that seems so sharp and hard. But metal has become extremely fascinating and interesting for me. My focus and concern when creating my work is centered in form, surface, decoration and function. I find that I build my jewelry pieces similar to the way I would build my pots. I like using metal in a way that reveals the process as well as the hand of the maker. My appreciation for functional pots extends to my desire to make functional jewelry.

I think about making jewelry ALL the time; what to make next, how to make something I've been inspired by, how to make something a bit different than the previous piece. I'm not production oriented and I give a lot of attention to each thing I make. I'm very into subtle. My imagination is especially stimulated by ancient pots and metals of the Middle and Far East as well as the primitive symbolism represented in these works.

I've recently added polymer clay to my jewelry making repertoire. It will be noticeable in the flashes of color!

My greatest reward is when a customer tells me that the only piece of jewelry they ever wear is mine and they rarely take it off! That is the kind of jewelry I want to make. I recently heard an interview with a wonderful potter/sculptor who is now in his 90's. He made the statement "art is putting form to spirit". That is so true!!