The most meaningful part of my journey as a jeweler and metalsmith are the pieces I make that reflect a period in time that represent someone else's journey. These are pieces that incorporate history, memories, and emotions. These opportunities are the gift of my work and I am constantly amazed what I learn about people and what I am blessed to creatively express.
When my friend Cherie approached me about making a brooch from a broken plate, I had no idea about the backstory of this broken plate. Here is her story:
BLUE CHINTZ by Cheri Banks
Born to Swedish immigrants in 1897 Cecelia Louise Samuelson's life spanned a period marked by tragedy and triumph; from a childhood train accident that nearly severed her legs to financial ruin after the stock market crash of 1929 and her husband subsequent struggle with alcoholism (and courageous recovery) and Cecilia ran two small businesses to help make ends meet while fighting a recurrent battle with cancer that took both of her breasts. She narrowly escaped a devastating house fire in 1968 and lived to see a man walk on the moon. She lost her last battle with cancer in 1972.
Celia, my grandmother, was the strongest woman I've ever known. I adored her.
In the early 1920s, Cecelia and Arthur were newlyweds strolling through a giant New York town when a shop window displayed a vibrant English transfer-ware dishes caught Cecilia's eye. Wavy-edged squared plates in Crowned Ducal's "blue chince" pattern featured a bright blue background covered with tropical birds, flowers, branches and foliage. Arthur took note and secretly returned to the shop to buy the luncheon set for her.
After Cecilia passed away, my mother gave the set to me and I displayed the plates on a wall in my home. When one accidentally fell to the floor my heart shattered too. I gathered the plate fragments and kept them tucked away in a small box. Recently I took the box out and held one of the pieces in my hands. Locked in a pattern of subtle crazing crisscrossing the hundred year old surface, still vibrant with colorful birds and flowers, are the smoky traces of the horrific housefire in 1968. Each lovely jagged fragment represents my grandmother's essence: beauty and strength, personal tragedy and resilience. Barbara Klar is a dear friend and gifted artist who, with silver and bronze, has captured a precious fragment of Cecilia's life: an exquisite, sublime testament to a woman of great courage who taught me the meaning of unconditional love.
