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Featured
Artist
James Cleland
Past Featured Artists: Ampersand
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Although by profession I am a jewelry artist, my formal education consists of degrees in the biosciences and geology. Thirty-five years ago I was enrolled in a Geology class that went on a fossil dig in northern Kansas. There we found fish fossils that were not thought to be indigenous to the area, and I was hooked on the thrill of the discovery. Since then, I have always found time to I have recently been combining these natural design elements with historic Japanese symbolism to create contemporary jewelry with traditional images. My wife, Ginger gave me a book of Japanese “mon”, and I was immediately inspired by these emblematic designs from a culture so influenced by other Asian cultures; they are a bridge from the natural to the abstract. Using techniques such as forming, punching, piercing, overlaying, stone setting, and engraving, I create a new, and sometimes whimsical, look to these old patterns. While I am often tempted to add my own elements, I remain faithful to the original designs. My latest body of work reinterprets these traditional symbols into pendants, brooches, bracelets, and earrings. Each represents hours of thought, study and bench work culminating in an object d’art with soul that reaches out to our clients and collectors. Many pieces incorporate moveable, spinning elements and most are “storytelling”; each aspect of the piece progressively depicts another facet of the primary design. Because I believe that a piece of jewelry should be as beautiful on the back as it is on the front, I give equal design attention to the reverse of my pendants, pins and bracelets as I do to the face; although not necessarily reversible, my clients consider the back designs to be their “secret”. While the commercial and academic success of my “mon” jewelry has kept me motivated to continue my exploration of these designs, I trust they will serendipitously lead me to some new expression of natural forms and patterns. James Cleland
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explore various areas in the West, including Wyoming and Montana. While taking a Missouri Fossils course at Meramec College a few years ago, the professor took us out west to dig for dinosaurs. I now repeat that trip each summer with my son Albert, returning to the same area which we keep "confidential". I feel this ongoing interest in bones reflects my attention to jewelry construction and the support structure of my designs. My passion for natural designs is constantly regenerated as I strive to create anatomically accurate plants, animals and fungi, all of which I have discovered in fossil form. In the past I have explored the creation of bugs, fish and flowers using both simplistic shapes with inlaid hardstones as well as highly detailed gold and silver with gemstones.
