MARJORIE SIMON - JEWELER WRITER EDUCATOR
Marjorie Simon
I was trained as a sociologist but I’ve been an artist all my life. I’ve made jewelry since I was a child in summer camp, but detoured into academia, earning a BA and MA in sociology and teaching it at the college level for several years before returning to my true love as a maker.
I have been making jewelry and metalwork for over 40 years, studying with the excellent faculty at community based institutions and crafts communities that exist in the United States. For several decades I sold my work at craft shows and produced edition work as well as one-of-a-kind pieces.
Although I no longer travel around doing shows, I continue to sell my work in select galleries. In 1995 I began to use vitreous enamel on copper and this has become a large part of my studio practice.
I love the magic of glass and the structure of metal.
I make enamel jewelry and have recently completed a sculpture installation of enameled objects.
How a Theme Emerges
These photos show how a design motif comes to life, starting with an inspiring photo idea. The original photo was taken in the Miami Botanical Gardens in the early 2000s. I suspected the leaf shapes and negative shapes would be good to have in my idea bank. I started working with the forms, repeatedly drawing, enlarging, reducing, and abstracting them. I made paper models. Many years later they still bear fruit.
See neckpieces FIRST THOUGHTS ON MIAMI FOLIAGE and OUT OF THE SWAMP.
