Wire Artist of the Month February 2017: Helen Driggs
Helen was educated as an illustrator and holds a BFA from Moore College of Art and Design.
She also studied at University of the Arts, Tyler School of Art, Peters Valley School of Craft, MetalWerx and in private workshops with talented studio jewelers and academic instructors of jewelry and metals across the country.
Helen was the Senior/Technical editor of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine from 2006-2016, and appeared in 6 instructional videos for Interweave including her two favorites: Basic Fabrication and Riveting and Cold Connections. My book, The Jewelry Maker's Field Guide, was published in 2013.
Before that, she worked as a graphic designer and art director primarily in the newspaper business, and between 1989 and 2003, she illustrated 14 children's coloring books on a variety of science, art and history topics, including Dinosaurs, Forests, Oceans and Space.
Read her blog: materialsmithing.wordpress.com Follow her on twitter @fabricationista
| Artist Name: Helen Driggs | Location: Pleasanton, CA |
Helen has a wide variety of interests that inform and inspire her work: science, the natural world, history and textile design are all passions of hers. 3D object creation is something that seems to be genetically driven for her, and she is always making something: metalwork, jewelry, artwork, apparel, food and even home improvements.
A few examples of Helen's Work
Fold Formed Bronze Brooch
Bronze with magnesite and sterling silver; 3 x 3 inches. Fold formed, hand fabricated and patinated. 2008
Rough Rutile Pendant
Her recent direction has been in the exploration of using recycled materials and metals, including ceramic, found objects, tableware, textiles and plastics, and including color that is not in the form of a valuable or expensive gemstone in her pieces.
Copper, brass, sterling and Rutilated natural surface quartz. 2.75 x 2 inches. Roll printed, hand fabricated and hand formed. 2008
Involute
Helen love's color, but hope to use it in a way that is not valued only for the price of the raw materials. She has used everything from recycled silk neckties to vintage silverware in her work.
Cold Connection Sample Exercises
Cold Connection is my favorite fabrication method, sawing is her Zen, and nothing is safe from her evil experiments.
Aluminum, Copper, Plastic, Plexiglas, Brass. Largest link approx.. 3 x 3 inches. Hand fabricated, cold connected, assembled and patinated. 2013
Hammer Formed Botanical Pendant
Copper, NuGold, Bronze and Pearls. 3 x 4 inches. Hand formed, cold connected. 2016
Green and Yellow are Friends
Copper, Aluminum, Bronze, Pigment. 3 x 2.5 inches. Hand fabricated, hand colored pigment and patinawith cold connections. 2016
Hoja Verde
Copper Brooch. 2.25 x 2.75 inches. Hand fabricated, hand patinated. 2016
Tab O-Rama
Aluminum, brass, copper, bronze, pigment. 3.75 x 1.25 inches. Hand fabricated, cold connected and assembled, hand applied pigment. 2016
Helen has been a contributor for our WireJewelry Blog. See all of Helen's posts HERE. You can see all of Helen's Jewelry by visiting her blog HERE. Follow her on Instagram HERE.
About wirejewelry's Wire Artist of the Month Program
Each month, we pick a talented wire jewelry artist and their work to highlight. We know we have some incredibly talented customers, and we seek to encourage and highlight those members of our community by highlighting one wire artist every month.
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