I began making jewelry as a child and have continued, on and off, for most of my life. After moving to California in 1996, I took classes at the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts and began pursuing the craft more seriously. I furthered my study through workshops at the California College of Arts and Crafts and the Taos Institute of Art. I am studying enameling at Glassell School of Art here in Houston.
I have lived in Scotland and China, and this has given me a deep appreciation of Celtic and Asian art. Both continue to be strong influences. My interests in ethnic and primitive art, archetypes and symbols, literature and poetry, Buddhism and Eastern thought, and Jungian psychology often form the context of the pieces I make. I love ethnic jewelry for its exuberance, the arts and crafts style for its sensuous use of color and form, and Celtic art for its vigorous abstractions of the natural world. Jewelry from other times and cultures is a major inspiration for me.
When developing new pieces, I like experimenting with both mechanical and design elements. My former career as a petroleum geologist and science background mean I approach jewelry making with curiosity and a technical bias. While each piece I make is unique, I often work in series as this gives me the chance to develop an idea in a number of different ways.
What I enjoy most about jewelry is that it is the perfect vehicle to convey ideas and emotions: it is a miniature world we can carry around with us, a personal talisman that can express our mood or display an alternate personality, a touchstone that can remind us of who we are and how we want to carry ourselves in the world. These are the things I hope to create in each piece I make.
Priscilla Frake
|
 |
 |
