In the Mezzanine Gallery January 12 – February 14
4th Friday Art Walk Reception with the Artists
January 24th 5:00 – 7:00 PM
Featuring jewelry creations by Dan Cassetta, Adrienne Buffington, Sandy Cryer, Pam Haycraft, Carol Hettenback, Janis Riley, Lynn Schmitt, Cindi Shaffer and Joanna Shipley
Dan Cassetta began cultivating a new passion later in life with lapidary and jewelry making. He has always been interested in the natural world and made a living by doing what he loved: living art in the form of landscaping.
In the 1970’s, Dan was introduced to stone cutting and various types of stone and rock art. This aligned with his interest in minerals, fossils and the natural world. Years later, he began taking lapidary classes and made the natural progression to jewelry making. Dan has learned his craft through YC classes.
Carol Hettenbach: My designs are inspired by the medium. I have chosen to work in. Natural stones lead me to nature. Metals usually inspire the designs of the Art Deco era. Each piece is one of a kind, using both new & antique findings, beads, & stones. My choice of the name “Raven’s Nest” comes from the Raven’s nature of collecting bright & shiny things in his nest. As I collect unusual findings from antique stores, thrift shops & yard sales, the ideas flow into my designs.I have been exploring art all my life. Starting with 2D exploring colored pencil, Sumi, photography & acrylics. Then 3D, ceramics, pyrography,jewelry & lapidary skills. My focus now is with metals. Combining metals and techniques to create my pieces. Since moving to Prescott Valley I have taken several classes to advance my jewelry skills.
Janice Riley: In growing up, I was always looking for ways of being creative. I did everything and anything that involved color, design and, last but not least, my imagination. I painted, sewed, embroidered and crocheted. I attended lots of local woodworking, drawing, watercolor painting and ceramic classes. Later on in life, I continued to paint but added interior design to my skill set. I took college classes where I formally studied art, color, fundamentals of design and drafting. It was about 10 years ago that I took my first jewelry making classes and learned the basics about metalsmithing, wire work and beading. It was these few classes that led me to my passion which, today, is designing and creating beautiful beaded, wirework and metal clay jewelry that is interesting, fun to wear, unique and catches the eye.
Over the years, I have taken a multitude of jewelry classes some of which include enameling, etching, wire wrapping, polymer and metal clay. I am always looking for ways of developing my craft and being the best that I can be.Jewelry making combines the best of my skill sets. It requires imagination and creativity, but also has elements that require logical planning, measurement and technical design considerations.My design process is often guided by mood and whatever muse has captivated me on a given day. It involves making, remaking, rearranging and reassembling components to create visually interesting work. The end result is a unique piece of jewelry that will hopefully speak to someone and find a loving home.I get great pleasure in teaching and I am always looking for the opportunity to share my jewelry making expertise and to watch other people be creative and get excited about making their own beautiful pieces of jewelry.
Lynn Schmitt: Jewelry is my passion and my obsession. I enjoy combining gemstones, crystals and metals to design jewelry you’ll enjoy for years to come.In addition, I love the feel of copper, sterling and bronze wire as I manipulate it into a variety of shapes from simple to complex. Sometimes I add colored resin or snippets of greeting cards by artist Susan Schmitt to the wire shapes; thus, creating pieces that are uniquely different.Whatever the materials, my goal is to create jewelry that is distinctive and easy to wear.For me, the ultimate joy is the smile on a customer’s face when she selects a piece that speaks to her. Come see what I’ve been creating.
