This week I’m proud to feature the favorite handmade item of one of my favorite people (what’s new?!). Meet Chelsea Jones – though I’m sure most of you already know her! Chelsea is the silversmith mastermind behind Tactile Melodies, which we’ve carried in the shop since the beginning of time! I remember meeting Chels for the first time at our Holiday Pop-Up in 2013; she came with Cecily of Starsprinkle Supercollider to help set up the jewelry section because I had no idea what I was doing!! Thank goodness for those ladies! And thank goodness for Chelsea! It’s been a blast getting to know about this music Loving, space obsessed jeweler from Sullivan, I and working with her on the Bloomington Handmade Market as well!! Here’s her favorite handmade item (for now!).
Okay, full disclosure… I hate picking favorites. Sure, there are things I like more than others – but choosing just one band, restaurant, or movie over another somehow feels a bit too exclusionary. While mentally scanning my collections of handmade items to somehow pick a favorite for this blog, I kept coming back to one piece – Hanger Grid #1, mixed media, by Tony Cox.
I started my jewelry business after college, and I did a trunk show at the art gallery in my hometown a couple years ago. This piece was hanging across from where I set up my display, so I spent the whole weekend admiring it. I knew I had to bring it home with me at the end of the weekend. I love its colors, textures, and geometry; it would look good hanging in any direction just about anywhere.
I bought it because it’s a really cool piece of art, but I love it because Tony was my high school art teacher. While he was an awesome teacher of various art techniques, his classes more importantly taught me that patience (in art and in life) will pay dividends. Don’t take the shortcuts – your work will be better if you pay attention to the details and do your best the first time around.
I love remembering how fun/enlightening Tony’s classes were every time I walk past it. Tony loves making repurposed art with found objects, and this piece is a nice reminder that something great can come from something ordinary. Being Tony’s student was an important step to my current artistic successes – it’s great to be able to enjoy his creativity while exercising mine!
Gather 