Kate Snyder: Art Images & Artist Statement

Artist Statement
            I was not certain what medium I wanted to focus on when I started college, so like many college students I tried a bit of everything. I was not even certain I wanted to major in metal/ jewelry when I took the beginners class. I found it to be the most time consuming, frustrating, roller coaster-of-emotions type of medium in existence, however, after taking the class once I longed to be in the studio again, and all other mediums seemed to lack the sense of fulfillment by comparison. Most of my past work has been assigned projects that have helped me to learn many important techniques pertaining to the art of metal/jewelry making.  

Most of my jewelry work explores the uniqueness of the outdated and average objects that are easily overlooked by society today. I am inspired by 18^th and 19^th century metalwork and jewelry. My book jewelry series for example; was created due to the fact that more and more people tell me that they haven’t picked up a book in years, and probably never have for the fun of it, so I created a series of jewelry pieces that is meant to emulate the beauty of old worn leather bound books, and each enamel image on the page is intended to show a colorful glimpse of the story that the book contains. The artwork is created in hopes that the viewers spark an interest in searching for their ideal book.

I perceive most of my artwork as stepping stones. Each art piece that I have made, whether I love it or want to toss it violently out of a window, helps understand my strengths and weakness. People are always saying that hindsight is 20/20, and believe that that saying goes along with art; I am always looking at old pieces that I have made and noticing what I could have done better then, and also what I could do better now that I have learned new techniques. I believe that to be one of the most important factors of workman ship, to always go back to past work and critique your own art, and if you do not deem it finished anymore it shows that you have grown as an artist.