Taf Schaefer, studied and worked in the art of stone and wood carving before designing glass sculpture and objects for Steuben Glass for the past 20 years including the present. Throughout those years she continued to carve jewelry and now has added the scaled down tableau of the cast belt buckle in base relief as an accessory layered with personal adornment choices.

For Schaefer, the beginning point is exploring an animal’s personality and anatomy. With aesthetics in mind, those qualities can then be sculpted to convey beauty, humor and action. The inspiration for her accessories arises from the natural world and wildlife. She is influenced by the character and dignity of animal life especially as it relates to their personalities, habitat and conservation. A life becomes art as the carving process strives to capture the essence of a swimming fish, a soaring bird, a pointing dog, a prowling bear – all in the service of art.

Taf carves hard jeweler’s wax and also models soft sculptor’s wax, both for lost wax casting. She designs and sculpts the buckle or accessory by hand and adds depth and color enhancing each piece making use of the patination process.

She puts an emphasis on collaborating with environmentalists to raise funds for conservation causes. For example, she will design a buckle, a well known person in their field will lend their signature and a limited edition is created to raise needed funds for conservation groups. Giving back is as important to Schaefer as is her life surrounded by the work of making art.