Joan Rhodes has been creating wearable art for over fifteen years, but when she discovered precious metal clay in 2006, she knew it was her perfect medium. Her mastery of metal clay enables Joan to use found objects and incorporate textures from nature directly in her designs.
My eco-friendly pieces incorporate natural gemstones, recycled glass, antique silverware and slag (molten glass-like by-product of the iron furnaces of the Cumberland County). I use different processes depending on what the object is to determine what it will become. For example, spent bullets became daisies in a sculpture. Broken windshield glass becomes a drusy-like cabochon in silver metal clay and sea glass becomes a wire wrapped pendant.
I enjoy using textures found in nature such as leaves, seed pods, flowers and wild grasses in my designs.
In the last few years, Joan has developed a series of profiles in metal clay – Breeze, Serenity, Liberty, Spunki, and Moxi. Each reveals her own unique characteristics and is designed to promote the spirit and value of women. These beautiful and meaningful pieces complement her other work, as they are imbued with the same glorious combination of earthiness and elegance that defines Joan’s jewelry.
Joan will be at Fall Into Fine Craft with over fifty other fine artisans, so mark your calendar today! You can see Joan’s work at http://www.joansjewelrybox.com and on the Gallery page of http://www.ybcrafts.org.
Yellow Breeches Chapter, Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen 