Ever since I studied Art & Design at school I have a passion for art and so does my husband. Our home has art from local Jersey City artists all over the walls and we regularly attend art openings that happen here. A few of our favorite local artists are, Photographer Beth Achenbach, Masking Tape artist Kayt Hester, Digital artist Miguel Cardenas and Abstract painter Peter Bill.
Local artists aside, I thought I would write about the artists that inspire me. I’m more of a contemporary admirer than say impressionist or portraiture and I’m not all that keen on cubism (ironically, since I just launched the cube collection!)
Henri Matisse. I love the simplicity of his work and I find his work to be similar to that of Alexander Calder, another of my faves. I was able to visit the Calder exhibition at the Whitney last year. I take it for granted, living near NYC, being so close to museums and galleries so that I can immerse myself in art. I truly am grateful for having grown up in London and now living here, I know it’s not so easy for others to visit these amazing places and experience these amazing artists’ work.
During my GCSEs, I studied Norman Rockwell’s paintings and even based my final art exam on his work. I created a (poorly painted) reproduction of his Thanksgiving dinner painting. Little did I know then that 12 years later I’d be moving to America and enjoying Thanksgiving each year. Funny where life takes you.
Mondrian was another artist I was introduced to during my art GCSE, we were studying cubism and we looked at his work during his cubism years. I’m not a fan of that era, but I do like his Bauhaus era work (a lot!), the lines in his work translate great into jewelry.
Just like Mondrian, Charles Rennie Mackintosh also used lines in his work and I admire the simplicity of design to make a statement, similar to how I would describe my own work.
Whilst not necessarily direct inspiration to my jewelry, I love the works by Roy Lichtenstein, Salvador Dali, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and I love street art. Jersey City has a number of murals which have been commissioned by the city. I’m very lucky to live in a city that promotes the arts. Here are just a few pieces that you’ll find in Jersey City.
