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Frances Killam :
Artist Statement
I am a studio jewelry artist and educator. I work with traditional
silversmithing techniques and I am also a certified instructor in Precious
Metal Clay (PMC). My new studio where I work and teach is in the Western Avenue Studios,
My first art class in junior high school was a ceramics class, but I didn't
respond well to the clay and my work definitely reflected that. My
teacher kindly offered to move me to the Jewelry class next door and I never
looked back. I loved everything about working in metal: the process, the
material, the product. Eventually I went to college for metals, earning my BFA
from the University of North
Texas and my MFA from the Cranbrook Academy of Art.
My work has always been rooted in a deep love of process and materials and my
focus remains on casual and elegant wearable jewelry. I love surface
texture and the variety of finishes and subtle coloration that can be applied
to metal. I enjoy incorporating color in my work using pearls,
semi-precious gems, artisan lamp worked glass and painterly cabochons.
As a teacher, my hope is to kindle a love of metalsmithing in my students and
to guide them toward the material and process that best express their
individual ideas and talents. As an artist, I make jewelry to experience
the pleasures of carrying out the work: touching and moving and shaping the
materials to my vision, and then hoping that each piece will resonate with
someone enough that they bring it into their own life.
Please feel free to contact me about jewelry gifts, commissions, private
lessons or workshops!
frances@digmuse.com