Artist: Simone Palmer

Craft Medium:  Metal Artist's Statement: My love affair with jewelry began very early – I was only 2 weeks old when my mother had my ears pierced. I was born a Virgo – that makes me very creative. I was born on 9/3 – that makes me a #3 personality, someone who collects beautiful things and has the gift to communicate. And, according to a Chinese reading I had done, I need metal and roosters in my life. As a metal clay artist, I communicate my love of beauty in the pieces I create. And as I am married to Terry Palmer, I have a rooster in my life. I’ve been a landscape painter since I was a tiny little girl, have dabbled in metal smithing, jewelry casting, enameling and for years called myself a clay potter. It was not until I found metal clay that I truly found myself as an artist. All of my art experiences and knowledge now come together when I work in metal clay. Literally. From painting, I borrow my eye for beauty. From metal and clay work, I borrow my hand building skills. I can even now use most of those tools I bought and forgot about over the years. My techniques as a metal clay artist are very similar to those of a clay hand building artist. I make sketches to begin a piece – but, I am not bound by that, because usually the clay tells me which way to go. Most of my designs are organic in nature, some a little spiritual, but most are just fun. I work in silver, bronze and copper metal clays. I make most of my own stamping molds, carving most in wax. I begin by rolling out the clay, stamping it, cutting the shapes and then like clay hand building, I assemble the parts to create the piece. When it is leather hard, it is fired in a small jewelry kiln. It is then tumbled, polished and assembled into a wearable piece of jewelry.