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by KINZEY POLITES
Intern Lifestyles Reporter
Riveting, hammering, soldering, round nose and needle nose pliers and crimpers are tools and techniques junior studio art major Anna B. Johnson uses daily.
Johnson instantly fell in love with jewelry making after visiting her first bead shop in elementary school.
“The woman who owned the shop began giving me lessons,” Johnson said. “I learned the basics of beading jewelry and then couldn’t stop.”
With the help of an old co-worker, Johnson gained confidence to go to school for art.
Besides beadwork, she works with wire wrapping, fabricating metals, mixing metals and adding texture to pieces by using techniques like hammering.
By fabricating
metals, Johnson gives the metal an organic and soft feel she loves. She
pulls colors from nature and incorporates them into her work.
“Earthy
and naturally bright colors, like coral, are colors I tend to be drawn
to,” Johnson said. “These tend to be popular in the community.”
Famous artists and defining eras inspire many artists, but not Johnson.
“My
influence comes from me, the girls I work with at The BeadBox, and my
teachers,” Johnson said. “Working at The BeadBox has been really
beneficial because we each have our own different styles and we rub off
on each other.”
Johnson also sells and makes jewelry for customers.
Madison
B. Smith, junior philosophy major and manager at The BeadBox, said
Johnson has natural talent and brings something new to the game.
“Her
style of jewelry is very marketable,” Smith said. “She is very
personable and supportive to customers. She engages them by giving them
ideas to work with rather than letting them run around without ideas.”
Johnson finds insight of what is popular for different age groups by helping customers.
She has made countless number of original pieces, but the reward is always the same.
“It gives me great satisfaction to see people wear my jewelry,” Johnson said. “It shows my art has brought happiness to others.”
Lauren B. Strumpf, junior apparel and textiles major, has grown found of Johnson’s work.
“I love
the beads she uses and the detailing of her wraps,” Strumpf said. “Her
work isn’t flashy and you can wear it on every occasion, which is an
added bonus.”
Johnson once worked on a project that took a month to complete.
“With every project comes different problems,” Johnson said. “You have to be a great problem solver to get things done.”
Her vision for the future is to open up her own store where she can sell her jewelry and the work of other artists.
“At the
end of the day,” Johnson said, “I am ecstatic that my love and passion
for jewelry making has turned into something more than just a hobby.
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