April star Davis is one of the jewelry designers who rebells against frivolity of excess : hand-crafting and small scale production provided an alternative design movement for an ideology didn’t align itself with commercialism : using recycled metals and ethically sourced stones as well old jewelry pieces she finds on her travels from morocco to Belgium : The look goes from old world charm to contemporary : jewelry perfect for a consumer who wants to look forward, with a nod to the past timeless classics based on her upbringing in California in the 1970s it’s there you see the influence of the hippy community and her love of Art Smith beatnik : artist : jewelry designer and eccentric who along with Alexander Calder made the hammered handmade pieces that are now coveted by collectors and most in their rightful place on exhibit in museum collections.
My goal is to make things : jewelry is what one calls a day job but Davis1969 is the name I use for my mixed media art : described as punk dada by noteworthy Los Angeles art critic Peter Franke :
But it’s undeniably her decades making jewelry for tv & films as well as the clued in people from Tommy Lee & most recent a very famous artist who’s so private davis refuses to name :
I
don’t pay for PR and all that so it’s word of mouth that’s carried me
with the support of costume designers like Denise Wingate who has been
using my work for almost 3 decades now : you may see some homeless in
my jewelry as I’ve done wedding rings for a veteran couple forced to
live out of a tent : I give a lot of pieces away as I am no good at the
business side of being an artist :
Thanks to Tommy Lee I can make my immigration fees but other than that I’m somewhat of an eccentric and nomad : you kind of have to know me or someone who does to find my more rare pieces that never even make it to my website :
my
focus is metal work with wire & always hammered : My old hammer has
wear and tear and imprints almost like leaving a fingerprint on each
piece :adding the occasional antique talisman to create something that feels custom made for the wearer :
:to
create things that people will keep and pass on : not having family
heirlooms I created my own and they live through each person with each
moment they spend in the jewelry : it’s truly a joy to create something
that can last : sustainability isn’t new if you don’t have much you
learn early on to recycle and to incorporate found objects into your
work : no slave labor as I make each piece myself & have worked
along side artisans in Mexico and Indonesia to create jewelry lines on a
larger scale : however I’m back where I feel myself : alone at my desk
hand making jewelry and art from things I’ve collected :
For more information aprilstar2012@gmail.com
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