After a lifetime of creating and collecting, I began to create jewelry with my heaving collection of bones, metals, copper, leather and assorted good finds. After giving away my creations as gifts, and still being driven to create and make, I began to hoard my finished jewelry. Each piece was one of a kind, and had a story of what the materials were, and where they were from. I decided to share my love of contemporary decrepitude with the world. Every single piece that I create, and list, has been created, researched, designed and made by my hands. I see the beauty in that pile of dusty dirty metal scraps in an abandoned farmyard, in bones that I find while wandering the prairie landscape, and in the plants and feathers, and leathers that I repurpose and combine. The materials I work with include:
-copper sheeting (repurposed from a building site, was used to cover the roof of a local indigenous event/ceremony building )
-small fish, and bird bones (respectfully and legally acquired)
-wild turkey feathers,
-vintage beaver tail leather,
-vintage animal teeth (elk, cow, beaver)
-repurposed natural tanned deer hide
-repurposed soft supple black leather
-repurposed vintage jewelry. I have been experimenting with copper patina, and using fire and chemicals to modify the colour on my copper, and also with creating warm (browns/golds) and cool (blacks/silvers) versions of my work. As a long time goth, I cant tell you the amount of cool jewelry I have wished out loud, had a black and silver option.
***Due to the natural items I used in the creation of my work, there are variations between pieces, even when they are the same design, feathers, bones and treated metal are gifts of nature, and I cannot guarantee the same markings on each piece of the 5 in a run***
As an artist, I live the cliche of being the most critical of my designs and finished work and have noticed that I have just been hoarding, and sitting on my creative output, and I have decided to change that. Throughout the lockdowns in 2020/2021 I spent a great deal of time reflecting on who I am as a worker, what my values are, and what I truly can commit to doing to sustain myself going forward. I had never fully immersed myself into creating for profit, post fine arts, and it felt like the time was at hand. Trial and Terror Artistry is a unique creative space run by a unique creative person. I can find it difficult to find accessories that suit my style and aesthetics. I want the rough and natural aspects of a one of a kind hand made piece. So, I create pieces for other spirits like me, who want a statement piece that can be worn as every day jewelry, but that has enough visual interest to stay on when going out after work, and that carries a creation story specific to the piece. I am committed to providing financially accessible, wearable art, and will offer limited runs of each piece - 5 only(see the message above re: variations), as well as some items that are one of a kind, in a higher price bracket for those who can afford and love the one off nature. I am also committed to supporting others in my circle, and will from time to time offer a little corner of space for a "guest artist" to sell items that are stylistically similar and use the same sustainable ideals as I do. So welcome, thanks for reading, and I am honoured that you are here. ABOUT THE OWNER:
I have a University degree in Fine Arts, and have mostly focused on painting, and keeping notes on concepts and materials for art pieces, and when I started making jewelry, just making things for myself as I wasn't sure that my style, and interests would be something others would purchase. My creative process involves dreaming about shapes, finishes, and groupings of materials, about finding inspiration in nature, and our throwaway culture. Music, visual art, street and goth style, witchcraft, occultism, decay, and drag have been my biggest stylistic influences. My process can come on fast and strong with ideas coming to fruition quickly, or can drive me to research and gather information, and experiment with new methods, materials, and processes. In my spare time I love tending to my garden plants, seed saving, foraging and identifying medicinal and edible plants, as well as designing, reworking and building furniture and clothing, talking to my cat Wintersparkles, and deep diving into and researching any number of my current obsessions. I am a bio mom to a young teen, and a step parent to a young adult, I have been with my partner 5 years, and had had a crush on him since middle school, 23 years before we connected. We have 3 cats, Poppy and Blaze (mom and daughter) and Wintersparkles ( a lumbering hulk of a Nebelung kitten at heart).
