SUSAN FREDA
Susan Freda
[1996, Sculpture]
Based in Warren, RI
Transparency, form, and flowing line, the play of cast shadows and light on a wall, sparkling, subtle states of being that invoke intimate, emotive responses. Freda imbues her pieces with an ephemeral presence and ability to catch and hold light and form. Created from hand woven wire and glass, her pieces envelope viewers in a seductive, entranced space. Their transparent and interconnected forms and jewel-like nature reference nature, fashion, and otherworldly phenomena.
Susan earned her MFA at the Massachusetts College of Art, following her degree at RISD. She has received numerous awards, notably a residency & exhibition at the de Young Museum & a Pollock Krasner Award.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Ritual. I love the ritual of the studio and of keeping certain hours there. Another important ritual is connecting with nature. I try to take regular walks in nature to let me mind wander and to experience nature.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
RISD was the first experience I had with having a studio and a place and time to make my work. It gave me the foundation for this practice which is integral to my life and which I use daily. The studio is a home to me and it is something I trace back to by very first studio at RISD
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
The detritus that I find in nature is something that fuels the forms, compositions, colors and the textures that I emulate in my work. I study marine botany and shell structures and plant forms on land. I also feel drawn to fashion and the expression of clothing on the body to reflect inner states of being.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
I am creating a new body of work in porcelain. They are ocean like coraline structures that are wall mounted. They are a hybrid between bone, plant, and animal. Im very excited to explore this new material and I cant wait to show it at RISD Craft. Its always a treat to be able to get feedback on new work from people on the street.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I will be exhibiting at the NY Art Expo this year and also in the Hong Kong Art Fair. I am to be represented by 5 new US galleries this year and will be having a two person show with Allison Paschke in Feb at the Wheeler Gallery here in Prov.
To see more of Susan’s work, visit susanfredastudios.com
STUDIOSOPHIASOPHIA
Sophia Readling
[2010, MFA Jewelry and Metalsmithing]
Based in Binghamton, NY
Sophia Readling is the sole designer, creator and maker of StudioSophiaSophia, a color enthusiastic jewelry brand that caters to the lovers of bold adornment. She hand fabricates and casts metal into simple shapes that are thoughtfully placed and dangled off each other, then filled with resin in an electric, eye-catching palette. Her work is inspired by freshly cut citrus fruit, textiles, contemporary fashion design, rainbow makers, Cirque Du Soleil, summer memories, mismatched socks, 60s modernist jewelry, Zumba, and most importantly, color! StudioSophiaSophia is known for her unapologetic use of loud color and daring shapes. She views her work as wearable small paintings meant for starting conversations and making statements, not for wallflowers.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
The creative process for me is usually just getting right down and dirty at the bench! I really don’t do too much sketching or planning beforehand, I start with a vision of a finished piece in my head I want to make and then just start making. From there, the design tends to change a bit depending on whether it is working mechanically or looks as good on the body as I thought it would. Also, music and coffee is a must. There is never a time when I’m working in silence in the studio- Coffee might have become a weird OCD thing but I just like to always have a cup to sip on throughout the day!
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
My current creative practice is based on being 100% true to me and what I’m passionate for/inspired by, not being influenced by what’s trending or what other people are doing at the moment. At RISD I learned to be my authentic self and to follow my individual and original vision for my work- that has carried through to this day.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
COLOR! But also a bit of everything- I’m really into contemporary fashion designers and what they are up to. Mobiles have been a big inspiration lately- I love making things that are able to balance and move together, so I’ve been looking at a lot of them on Pinterest- (For some reason they are all for babies!) I’m inspired by an overall style/aesthetic of people I think are cool (Rihanna, etc.). From a design standpoint I’ve been researching about Memphis Design and its founder Ettore Sottsass, a lot of my shapes and colors feel similar to what they were doing! Also kites- I love that they are so light and large and colorful- those are three things I focus on when making earrings.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
Just so many earrings. I can’t make enough of them!
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I just recently lent a ton of jewelry to a stylist shooting a new Gap campaign so I guess that’s kind of cool!
To see more of Sophia’s work, visit studiosophiasophia.com
HINGE DESIGNS
Marge Hinge
[2011, Jewelry + Metalsmithing]
Based in Providence, RI
Marge Hinge’s RISD Craft Gallery
Drawn to the natural world, she strives to make work that responds to the materials in front of her. From rocks to feathers to metal, she studies materiality and works with color and form to create her evocative jewels. She has been collecting and making for as long as she can remember. As a child she was mesmerized by beads, cords and any other material she could get her hands on. Jewelry was the best outlet for this fascination, being able to take something handmade and carry it with you.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
Weather it was growing up in the woods of Upstate New York, I spent my days outside exploring creeks, finding wild orchids, and catching crayfish. Or our yearly pilgrimage to the Cape, where I would cart home every beach stone and shell I could find. I have always felt the most myself surrounded by the natural world. Today I am still constantly in awe of the incredible treasures that our mother earth creates and that I get to work with such incredible materials. There is also a giant orchid cactus that lives in my studio, its not mine, but my studio mates and I all come together when it blooms once a year. I love the anticipation of watching its bright red flowers come out as a sign of spring.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
I would have never thought a glass cold working class (which I took because I couldn’t get into the hot shop) I took my sophomore year would have translated into the work I do now. Going from glass to stone has transformed how I look at and work with materials today. I also really appreciate the critical thinking that I learned and use in my business and creative work daily.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
I work more in collections of materials rather than seasons, I have some incredible patterned and colorful stones that I am working with right now and I am excited to debut at RISD Craft. I also have been working with a whole stone and slicing it into slivers to create necklaces. It starts to tell a story with the colors and shapes that transform throughout the stone. I love finding new colors and lines that you can’t see from the outside.
To see more of Marge’s work, visit hingedesigns.co
KATHERINE RUDOLPH JEWELRY
Katherine Rudolph
[2009, Jewelry & Metalsmithing]
Based in Nashua, NH
Katherine Rudolph’s RISD Craft Gallery
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
My design process often begins with paper models which I find translate well into thin gauge sheet metal. The sheet metal, like the paper can be scored and fold into crisp forms. This is a favorite technique, as it allows for voluminous yet deceivingly lightweight forms. I work primarily in sterling silver and 18k gold, adding pops of color through the use of stones, as well as contrast and depth with oxidation. Choosing to work with stock materials such as sheet, tubing and wire allows for a degree of precision as well as interchangeability of “building components” which lend itself to the explorations of repetition and pattern. To achieve my personal vision, I try to listen to the materials to understand their properties so that I may work in symphony with rather than against these qualities, giving the final design the air of simple elegance. My jewelry ranges from easy to wear everyday adornment to sculptural art objects worn as conversation pieces.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
The time I spent at RISD undoubtedly left a lasting mark on my creative practice. Like my workspace in the Metcalf building, my bench is still piled with paper models and the studio walls are covered in architectural clippings from magazines and photos taken while traveling. Since graduating, I have often returned to my sketch books from college as well as material studies and a box of models created for assignments during my time at RISD. They have been invaluable as jumping off points for new work.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
My work is highly inspired by architectural forms. Photos taken while traveling often serve as the origins of a design. When looking to the skyline, I enjoy isolating specific buildings and deconstructing them with an interest in understanding their logic and order. The smallest architectural details don’t go overlooked. I am continuously adding to my digital image collection and clipping file from various publications which are referenced as sources of inspiration. One of my primary challenges is the reinterpretation of these architectural references in the scale of jewelry and the body. Specific architectural references that have inspired my jewelry include: The Ca’ d’Oro -Venice, Italy. Richard Meier’s Jubilee Church -Rome. Neuschwanstein Castle-Germany. The Air Force Academy Chapel- Colorado and the aesthetic of Santiago Calatrava.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
My current body of work further explores the possibilities of scoring and folding 26 and 24 gauge silver and gold sheet, to create voluminous yet deceivingly light weight forms. I am focusing on scoring curved lines, which when folded create a unique combination of convex and concave surfaces. The “Scored Leaf Necklace” which I designed at RISD and which won first place in the International Precious Metals Institute design competition in 2009, was the catalyst for my continued interest in this particular fabrication technique. Through exploration of line and form, the scoring and folding technique has led to my current body of work, which includes the Scallop series.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
In February 2017 I was juried into the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen and will be participating in The Shop At The Fair during the annual Craftsmen’s Fair in August 4-12.
In 2014 I joined the committee of the Nashua International Sculpture Symposium and have actively been participating in fundraising and the coordination of our annual symposium. 2018 marked our 11th anniversary.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Additional pieces can be found at etsy.com/shop/katherinerudolph
To see more of Katherine’s work, visit katherinerudolph.com
JB FIREWORKS
Jenine Bressner
[2001, Glass]
Based in Providence, RI
JB Fireworks’ RISD Craft Gallery
The quickest way to try to communicate with other people is by adorning ourselves with cultural signifiers. I know that my jewelry has been and continues to act as an impetus for communication between strangers. Ignitions are sparked when we take risks like wearing something unusual or talking with people unfamiliar to us. I want to see things I’ve never seen before, and I strive to make work that satisfies this wish.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Experimenting, playing, and trying to do something in a way I haven’t before enable me to maintain plasticity in my brain.
Sometimes that means actually getting lost and traveling on paths I don’t know in my own town, or combining seemingly disparate materials.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
At RISD, I realized that we could do things we previously thought were impossible. The amount of effort, challenge, failure, growth, and learning we squeezed into a few days made the outside world seem very coddled, in comparison.
I learned to look more closely at what already exists to try to improve upon it, how to better budget my time, and I learned that everything is possible.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
Since I gave birth, my time is much more limited. Having tighter parameters around when I can work reminds me of Foundation assignments at RISD. The time I have in studio is spent making glass and textile components, and I assemble those into larger wearable pieces at home while my kid is asleep.
Color and light excite me and inform my work more than anything else right now.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
I expect to have some glass chains (which match everything by default) and I’m especially having fun playing with color and texture in my flameworked glass and merino wool earrings!
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I just got back from teaching Glass Flameworking at Snow Farm in Western Massachusetts, and my work will be featured in Facèré Gallery’s “Signs of Life” book and exhibition in Seattle this fall.
Anything else you’d like to share?
RISD CRAFT has the most stylish children and dogs of any craft sale I’ve ever seen! Thanks for being such a beautiful community.
To see more of Jenine’s work, visit instagram.com/jbfireworks
KENDALL REISS
Kendall Reiss
[2011, MFA Jewelry + Metalsmithing]
Based in Bristol, RI
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
In my work I combine natural and found materials with precious metal to produce jewels that are one-of-a-kind. Above all, simplicity, wearability and femininity are the primary considerations in my process of design and hand fabrication. My background in geology and my fascination with the natural world factor heavily in material choices, design combinations, and construction of the final object. Each piece is fabricated entirely by hand in my studio in Bristol, RI. The resulting work is clean and sophisticated; a synthesis of minimal forms, hard and soft elements, and texturally sumptuous materials combined to produce contemporary wearable art.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
My current creative practice spans several different areas of inquiry. While at RISD, I learned to integrate my background in science into my artistic practice at the jewelers bench. Research – be it material or theoretical is an enormous part of the work I make. Time spent at the Nature Lab, the RISD Museum, and the Fleet Library, Special Collections, and Picture Collection helped to fuel and expand the definition of what research meant for my work. I still visit these places as an alum, and I bring by RISD CE students to these places for inspiring their projects and helping them to discover their interests as artists.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
In my work, I focus on two separate yet parallel modes of inquiry: the design and fabrication of contemporary jewelry alongside material experiments, which result in sculptural objects and time-based installations. A native of Bristol, Rhode Island, I grew up exploring the rocky shoreline of Narragansett Bay. I attended Dickinson College where I received a BS in Geology, which provides the visual training and hands-on approach I now use to conduct and record my studio-based investigations.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I am joining the full time faculty at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University in Boston this fall as a Professor of the Practice and co-director of the Senior Thesis Program. The position officially began in September!
Recent interview with Josh Fenton for GoLocalLive: http://www.golocalprov.com/live/Artist-Kendall-Reiss-Is-Helping-to-Drive-the-Rhode-Island-Economy
Recent interview with Boston Voyager: http://bostonvoyager.com/interview/meet-kendall-reiss-kendall-reiss-gallery-studio-gallery-located-bristol-rhode-island-however-teach-full-time-boston-school-museum-fine-arts-tufts-universi/
Nominated for the 2017 U.S. Small Business Administration, Rhode Island Woman Small Business Owner of the Year Award.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I operate an art venue in the East Bay called Kendall Reiss Gallery & Studio. The gallery is located at 469 Wood Street, Bristol, RI 02809. I opened the gallery officially on July 21, 2017 after purchasing the property in January of 2017 and undergoing six months of renovations at 469 Wood Street. I partnered with South Eastern Economic Development (SEED) Corporation, Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, and Bank 5 to secure funding for the project.
The summer exhibition at the gallery featured work by Alyn Carlson, Tanya Crane, and fellow RISD alum, Arpie Gennetian. Surface to Substrate explores the concept of landscape through the lens of three contemporary artists. Works in the exhibition employ a wide variety of media including Carlson’s paintings and drawings inspired by the stark Icelandic landscape, delicate mixed media collages by Gennetian, in combination with Crane’s intricate sgraffito enamel jewelry. [On View: July 2 – August 31, 2018]
To see more of Kendall’s work, visit kendallreiss.com
RICKY BOSCARINO
Ricky Boscarino
[1982, Jewelry + Metalsmithing]
Based in New Jersey
Ricky Boscarino’s RISD Craft Gallery
My jewelry work is created by the repoussé method as well as traditional fabrication. Sterling silver and bronze are my main materials. I also incorporate found objects and antique glass stones.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Channeling sources of inspiration is my most important practice. Since I live and work in my great work in progress which is my home and studio every day is an adventure in creativity. I have the ability to switch media from metal, clay, glass, wood and cement and many others which I dabble. My work is mixed media and this is one of my most important practices.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
I look back on my years at RISD as incredibly productive and inspiring. I feel just as inspired as ever and even more so that I am passionate with my current work. RISD showed me the abundance of creativity which I carry with me everyday.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
My home Luna Parc is my main Well-Spring of inspiration. It is my 30 year obsession. Since 1989 the house and grounds have been developed by me into a museum and sculpture park.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
My articulated insect jewelry pieces are certainly my most favorite to make. Since my youth I’ve been an entomologist and now as a working artist I have incorporated this concept into my work. The insect pieces are made of sterling silver and bronze. The appendages, head, thorax and antennae are fully articulated with minute rivets. These I consider my signature pieces.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I’ve been featured on several home shows on HGTV for Luna Parc: Extreme Homes, Home Strange Home, Extreme Cribs. Also on TLC on a show called Four Houses and on a Canadian TV show called Home Work.
To see more of Ricky’s work, visit lunaparc.com
DaVINE JEWELRY
Danielle Vaillancourt
[2002, Jewelry + Metalsmithing]
Based in Somerset, MA
DaVine Jewelry’s RISD Craft Gallery
Utilizing forms and textures from leaves grown in my herb garden, shells I’ve gathered, and other natural objects from my collection, I work mainly in sterling silver and bronze with semi-precious stones and pearl accents to create jewelry to bring people closer to nature. My work incorporates traditional metalsmithing techniques combined with fine metal clay work, and consists of small production lines, one of a kind pieces, and custom commissions. When the use of casting is needed for my small production lines, I carefully create each original model myself before bringing it to the caster to be molded and cast, and then use those castings to create finished and refined pieces of work.
With my jewelry, I hope to show people the details and beauty I see in the natural world, allowing them to carry these objects with them as wearable sculptures, reminding them of things often overlooked and taken for granted in everyday life. My goal is to bring people closer to nature, helping them feel more connected when they glance down at the ring on their hand or reach up to touch the pendant around their neck.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Finding time to be outside in nature, even when I feel like there are other “more important” things I should be doing is the key to fueling my creativity. I’ve been slowly building up my backyard garden area to be a creative and relaxing haven, and during the warmer months I spend a lot of time out there, finding inspiration and peace as I tend to my plants. Some of my most recent best ideas for new work have come to me while I’ve been out there gardening!
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
During my time at RISD, I began working with nature objects for inspiration in my jewelry. My senior thesis project focused on using acacia seedpods and seashells recreated in metal for their intriguing and unique shapes and textures. I enjoyed creating work focused on showing them in a way that really made people look at the details of these beautiful natural objects. Nature remains the primary focus of my work, and I still include a few pieces in my lines that I started developing while I was in school. Our professors always drove home that small details mattered and could make even the simplest pieces more extraordinary, and that is something that I carry with me to this day.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
My main source of inspiration is the natural world, and I spend a lot of time paying attention to all the details around me. I have an ever-growing collection of nature objects, and I’ve learned to always take containers or bags along with me to collect things in whenever I go on an outdoor adventure.
I love to go to the beach during the times when there’s fewer people around and it’s quieter so I can explore and find new treasures to inspire my jewelry. My backyard is full of plants whose leaves, flowers, and seedpods I draw tons of ideas from, including the sage plant that has inspired an entire line of work.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
One of the new lines of jewelry I’m working on this summer is based on the leaves of a lupine plant (Miss Rumphius, anyone?!). I’m especially excited about it because, recreated in metal, they have an almost floral, bloom-like quality to them. Like the acacia pods I’ve worked with, which many people think look like waves, I love that they look a little bit like something more than simply a leaf.
Anything else you’d like to share?
With my jewelry, I hope to show people the details and beauty I see in the natural world, allowing them to carry these objects with them as “wearable nature”, reminding them of things often overlooked and taken for granted in everyday life. My goal is to bring people closer to nature, helping them feel more connected to it when they glance down at the ring on their hand or reach up to touch the pendant around their neck.
To see more of Danielle’s work, visit davinejewelry.com
INDIVIDUAL ICONS
LeeAnn Herreid
[1991, Jewelry & Metalsmithing]
Based in Warren, RI
Individual Icon’s RISD Craft Gallery
LeeAnn Herreid‘s jewelry is something the 21st century traveler should never be without. Compass rings and pendants set in sterling silver ensure you never lose your way, spirit level earrings keep you in balance, stainless steel ruler bracelets give you the measure of things, and thermometer earrings keep you cool. These are just some of the pieces in Herreid‘s line of functional and innovative jewelry; more than just decorative, they are pieces with purpose.
For several decades, LeeAnn has been making custom work and one-of-a-kind pieces out of sterling silver, stainless steel, 18 karat gold, and platinum. This technically complex work inspired her to achieve a Graduate degree in gemology at the highly esteemed Gemological Institute of America.
LeeAnn‘s work is available in galleries and museum shops throughout the United States and abroad. Her pieces have been praised internationally and featured in numerous magazines & multimedia. She is an Accredited Jewelry Professional with 30 years at the bench.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
A well thought out and streamlined design is very important to me. To distill the idea into the most important elements and to strip away everything that is superflous to the idea is very important in the finished product. To make clean, wearable and well constructed work is my primary mission.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
Every single day I use what I learned at RISD: challenging myself to make a cleaner, stronger design, paying attention to the minutiae of detail which differentiates good jewelry from the great. The connections and constructions are all clean and well thought out.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
The pieces I have recently been making for the Metropolitan Opera are exciting to me. I have been using the fabric from their costume department and making all sorts of jewelry with it, embossing (rollerprinting) the original fabrics into sterling silver. One of the fabrics I have been working with often is the original golden silk curtain from the Metrolpolitan Opera’s first opening night at the Lincoln Center in NYC.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
Have a piece on tour with the “Innovative Merger of Art and Guns”, a show curated by Boris Bally. The show was first opened at the Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston, and is currently on exhibit in St. Louis. 100 metal Artists were each sent an inoperable handgun that was confiscated or bought back by the police Department in Pittsburgh. We were asked to make a piece of art out of some part of the gun. I made a squash blossom necklace (A traditional Native American/ Navajo jewelry Design). The squash blossom necklace has spun off into several different ideas and pieces. I will be submitting some of these for a competition for the RI Coalition against Gun Violence. Hopefully, it will make a difference!
To see more of LeeAnn’s work, visit individualicons.com
LINDA MAGI
Linda Magi
[1977, Jewelry & Metalsmithing]
Based in Rochester, NY
Linda Magi’s RISD Craft Gallery
Interesting design, expert craftsmanship and attention to detail can transform ordinary materials into special objects. I follow this concept as I craft cotton yarn, maple twigs, semi precious stones, silver and other materials into jewelry that redefines the meaning of preciousness.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Observation and the analysis of what I have observed is an important part of my creative process. Sometimes it is the observation of the world around me and at other times it is the observation of the parts that I have made for my jewelry. I always have parts laid out on my workbench and I am constantly playing with them and thinking about how to put them together.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
My time at RISD laid a good foundation for what I do now. Especially significant are the long hours spent working in the studio experimenting, trying out new Ideas and developing my jewelry making skills. Being surrounded by others working in the studio was also an important part of the experience. I learned a lot by observing their processes, successes and mistakes.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
Inspiration can come from anywhere. While cleaning up brush and cutting down maple saplings at my cottage in Canada I was fascinated by the organic twists and turns of the branches. Taking inspiration from a bench my grandfather had made and my knowledge and admiration of Adirondack style furniture I decided to try incorporating twigs into my jewelry.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
Elements I have crocheted using cotton thread have been part of my jewelry for a long time. Only recently have I started experimenting with crocheting, knitting and other fiber techniques using fine silver wire. I will be showing earrings and necklaces using these techniques at RISD Craft.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I was recently a guest on the Graphic Ear program on WAYO 104.3 fm radio talking about making, my jewelry and influences, including my time at RISD. Listen to the podcast here.
To see more of Linda’s work, visit lindamagi.com