World Artisan Gems

Name: Morwyn Dow

Website Link: http://www.anothercountry-morwyn.blogspot.com

Where are you located? Albuquerque, New Mexico

Tell us a bit about yourself: With my partner Asa, I own, work in and live over a used bookstore.  When I’m not working in the store, I’m working in my studio.

When did you begin designing jewelry/art?  I’ve been a crafter all my life. When you grow up with very little in the way of material comforts, you learn how to make your own fun – doing “found object” art before there was a name for it. I loved my Barbie doll and taught myself to sew, knit and crochet when I was 12 so I could make clothes for her. I’ve been blessed with the ability to “grok” directions and teach myself just about anything from a book. I took advanced tailoring classes in high school and worked for a while as a seamstress. I taught myself embroidery and needlepoint, paper arts and book making. I took up wire wrapping, jewelry making and eventually beadwork about 14 years ago.

What made you choose this type of art?  It was never a conscious choice – it felt more like a logical progression, an evolution.

What do you make?  I make art, wearable and superfluous.  What I do is primarily labor intensive, not cost-effective, non-practical and aesthetically pleasing.  I had an art teacher in high school who told me once that’s the definition of art.

What materials and methods do you use?  For materials I concentrate on seed beads.  For methods, I prefer working in bead embroidery, freeform peyote, and bead crochet. 

Where do your design inspirations come from?  Everywhere.  Art, music, poetry, literature, nature, mythology.  But I’m not so much inspired as compelled to create. It’s a way of communicating in a different dimension. Through art we share something deeper than opinion or attitude, the minutiae of the mundane or our surface lives – we share our individual, unique visions that come from a deep, communal wellspring of creation. It connects us. When you throw everything you know, every skill and every ounce of passion you have into the creation of a piece, just knowing you gave it your all can be reward enough. But, when someone really understands your work and appreciates it, there’s no way to describe that feeling of vindication, of acceptance, of joy, of connection.

What is your best working environment/where is your studio?  I work best when I’m at the table in our efficiency apartment, sunlight streaming in through the little window behind me.  An episode of some old sci-fi show will be running on the DVD player.  Each piece has a different genesis, but once I start a project with a generalized sketch, my process goes like this: pick out a bunch of materials I think will express the concept I’ve formed, thin it down to something manageable, then begin assembling the piece, with a lot of discarding, rethinking, replacing and reworking as it develops. I’ll keep at it until it’s what I want it to be. If I’m having problems, that’s when I really dig in my heels and beat my head against a wall until I solve whatever design issues I’ve run into. I work in short bursts or marathon sessions as time permits, but I usually set a (flexible) deadline for completion.

Where can your products be seen?

http://www.anothercountry.etsy.com
http://anothercountry.deviantart.com/gallery/
http://www.beadjournalproject.com/anotherc.htm

Magazine articles or press:  Step By Step Beads Sep-Oct 2007 (Vol 5 No 5), Page 26, “Easy Beaded Bangles”

Are you a fan of any jewelry artisans?  I’m a huge fan of many, many bead artists.  Tina Koyama, NanC Meinhardt, Tom and Kathy Wegman, The Lone Beader, Diane Fitzgerald, Margie Deeb, Heidi Kummli, Karen Lewis (Klew), Eni Oken, the list goes on and on.  I’m constantly surfing the web to find new artists, new work, new techniques, new materials.

Price range: $7.50 – $750.00

Tell us a little about one of your favorite creations:  This would be my cuff bracelet, “and I ran.”  I wanted to make a huge cuff, as a personal challenge, incorporating this enormous Chinese turquoise bead and a found object person charm. It turned into a pictograph. Gemstone rounds,pearls, Czech glass stars and tons of seed beads tell the tale of a white haired woman (hmmm . . .) pursued by Dark Forces. She’s running to safety – if she can just get behind that stone, her future will be bright and starlit.  It was mounted on sterling silver connectors with silver toned chain and base metal charms dangling down. I backed it with deerskin. The charms read “trust” and “believe.” It closed with a silver finish button/snap clasp.  I wrote about its creation on my blog; the false starts through its completion.  It begins 2/25/07 and goes through 3/21/07.  It took me nearly a year to get myself to the place where I could part with it. I loved it. I had to list this late in the night, while I still had my resolve.  It sold almost right away, before I could change my mind.  

and I ran

Anything else you wish to add?   I hope I never stop learning, evolving and refining my art.  I think the key to improving one’s level of artistry has to do with raising one’s level of personal investment in that art. It’s the difference between sunflower patterned wallpaper and Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. The best piece of advice I’ve received to date came from a creative writing instructor many years ago:  Get out of your own way, don’t be afraid to fail, and just let the work take you over.