Jewelry Artist Statement

I've been absent... sorry! So busy, my life is these days. One thing I've been working on, with the help of a friend who is a great writer/editor is an artist statement to accompany my jewelry. So here's the final version:

Jewelry by Evelyn Taylor
Modern Earthy Wearables

My mother kept her jewelry collection in the middle drawer of her dresser, organized in egg crates and velvet boxes. I discovered it at a young age and visited often. The treasures I found in that drawer inspired me then, and continue to influence my jewelry and sculpture
designs.

My work has evolved out of practicality, a personal aesthetic, and a desire for originality. I began making my own jewelry at around the age of eight, taking apart tape recorders and using the gears and springs to make earrings. Even then I was planning outfits around accessories, and
to this day I tend to shop and dress based on what jewelry feels right. I’ve always received comments and compliments from co-workers and friends, and my colleagues at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Kimmel Center have become my most loyal customers. It's a pleasure to sit at meetings and see my work adorning the necks, earlobes, and fingers of those across the conference room table!

My woven necklaces were born in 2003, two nights before I was to attend a formal party for which I had the perfect dress, but lacked the perfect necklace. When I bought the dress, I envisioned woven silver threads draping around the scooped neckline. So I took an old mini loom that I’d used years before to weave copper wire—really just a wooden block with a hole in the middle and six headless nails—and found that it worked perfectly with silver embroidery thread. Hours later, I had a
necklace no one else would be wearing. I began selling them when people began asking me to make them. I'm still weaving with metallic embroidery threads of various hues and weights, and have since added other materials and tools, such as colorful Japanese cord and larger looms, to the mix.

Inspiration has come in many forms since my mother's jewelry drawer. Syracuse University is where I discovered clay, and the ancient Japanese Raku firing technique. A four-year stint as a production ceramist at the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works brought carving, stamping and surface pattern into my work. The sculptures of Alexander Calder and the furniture of the Eames brothers influenced me to develop a sleek, modern vision. And my passion for the outdoors—especially lakes and woods—continues to keep things earthy and organic in terms of color and texture.

Moving to Collingswood in 2006 brought great changes in my life. Cooper River Park has become a haven of visual stimulation, as well as meditation and exercise. Perkins Center for the Arts has provided more than just studio space, introducing the rich, chocolate brown clay that has become the standard for my handmade beads as well as a social network of potters.

All of the beads are rolled in my hands, so each one is unique. Some are imprinted using pieces of jewelry from my mother's drawer. Some are made from molds or hand-carved. Found materials, such as Bakelite buttons, vintage earrings, and beach pottery shards have inspired a whimsical line of rings.

I usually design for myself, but seeing my work on others has helped to expand my vision of what works with a variety of styles, colors, proportions, and shapes. But it continues to be important that my collection is adaptable and wearable in all aspects of my life: with casual t-shirts or sundresses, with crisp white blouses and suit jackets at the office, and with dresses or gowns for evening events.