Inspiration:
I have been creating jewelry for over 20 years, & started being drawn to jewelry designs and stones at a young age. My grandmother had a beautiful collection of costume jewelry... some pieces from the old Chicago Opera House. I accredit my Jewelry fixation & desire to adorn oneself... from spending many hours going through my grandmother's costume and antique jewelry. I would Literally spend hours every visit, going through her jewelry boxes. As I got older, she would pull out a new jewelry box that I wasn't allowed to see previously. So every year there was always some new bejewelled wonder awaiting my gaze.

I've always known that art was what I wanted to do with my life, and have never not known a time I haven't been creating. Growing up, my Grandparents encouraged me with art classes & hours & hours of craft making with gramma & music with granpa. When I could walk, gramma had me creating holiday ornaments with her for our church bazarre. I had my first sale at that time. Though I barely understood what it meant, other than someone liked what I created & wanted to have it. A memory I've always held dearly. I owe so much to them both. They were literally my guardians in art. Without them my life would not have been so full.

That childhood experience really influenced my desire to create decorations, adornments & wearable art. All my life I've been an artist. From my first decorated Ornaments, to my cartoons & drawings, to Ceramics and Painting, photography, to singing & performing... I could never Not be creating art.

I am still inspired by my first piece of jewelry given to me by my mother... an Art Nouveau Abstract Dragonfly brooch with an Amethyst set in the center, (which connects my Dragonfly obsession and love of Amethyst & the color purple.)

Education:
In the late 80's, while at the School at the Art Institute of Chicago I plunged into Performance Art, Light Metals & Enameling courses. As well as continuing concepts in watercolor, ceramics & sound. I was all over the board because I just Loved Art!

I learned how to use a torch & kiln, opening my eyes for the first time to hand-crafted metal smithing jewelry. Before that I was tearing apart things I had gotten at Junk shops and piecing them with found objects. Luckily, my basic Metal Smithing, Silver Smithing and Enameling skills were gained during that time. I just took it a step further & continued to teach myself, learning through trial and error & pushing my bondaries when I could.

I always thought I was going to be a musician or actor, but jewelry design was always in my blood since the early days of crafting ornaments with Gram. It was only natural that I leaned more toward this path as a career.

Career:
Over the years I've worked for a number of jewelry designers, (My work through one of the designers, ended up in  the Art Institute of Chicago's Museum shop in the early 90's & in the European World Fair.) I've also worked at a bead store, taught jewelry technique to individual students & in classes. I have vended my wares at different shows, festivals and events. Over the years my work has been seen in galleries, shops, Magazines, on television & stage (worn by Comedians, Musicians, Actors & Dancers) in Film & Video {locally & Internationally}... and I am especially proud to have had my Bats in the 'California Academy of Sciences' in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco during their 1999 'Bat Exhibit'. I am quite humbled by the loyal following of my customers & hope to explore more avenues for creative expression in the future.

Sound:
For my whole life I was a singer. I sang so much that when I was younger one of my best friends mothers had to tell me to zip it while we were driving. Singing took me out of myself. It healed my soul, and made me whole. It took away all of the pain & negativity of my childhood.

I remember one moment in the summer when I was around 11, I was listening to some classic soul on the radio outside & was twirling my baton & wailing at the top of my lungs. During a spin & throw I twirled around & was startled by someone walking by on the sidewalk. I abrubtly stopped my twirling & singing, so embarassed. The woman yelled to me, "Don't worry about me, keep on singing".

I played everything from violin, piano tinkerings on an old standup left in our old house, a hammond keyboard, cheesy casio synth, and my small collection of plastic 3 or 2 piece put together recorders. Even then I recorded a lot onto cassette. Wailing, fighting with my cousin over barbies, talking with my granpa... and more, all captured on tape.

In high school I sang second soprano, but switched to first soprano when I felt like it. I picked up an accoustic white fender guitar, but never truly learned how to play, I just make patterns of sound with my fingers. Leading me into the open mic circuit. Unfortunately, I allowed myself to be guilted out of performing or playing my 'dark folk' sounds on guitar, because of one man or another who made me embarassed about my art. Those were dark days.

At some point I locked myself in a room for 3 days with some equipment, determined to find my sound. After being told that I Must Not be into music as much as I say, because I had not created any for the last 2 years. I was tired of the guilt & the feeling that I was letting a male presence, let alone Anyone dictate my neglect for my art in Any medium.
Though at some point I felt so distant from music, that I began my Haunting ethereal dark ambient project as the Dark Muse. Born out of that 3 day excursion into the sound abyss. (Also I had gone to the Big Sur Experimental Music Festival & saw an artist perform called 'Bill Horist'. His amazing Guitar looping made me sit up & listen. I was So inspired...)

It wasn't until the last few years that I began to be able to sing in alto tones as well. Which have been further deepened as a result of a major illness I suffered 2 years ago. When I thought I would never be able to sing again, let alone whisper my ethereal notes. Though I don't have as much time for sounds, Plus I am still having issues with my voice & fear it may never be the same.

I've had less time for my photography, painting & Drawing. It is only in the last year that I have finally made an effort to set aside actual time for creating in other mediums. In an attempt to satisfy myself and not feel that I am lacking in any creative output that I wish to delve into.

Current Work & Techniques:
My work now, is a mixture of many techniques. I am only just beginning again, and feel I have barely scratched  the surface. Finding time to create again, will allow me to grow & hopefully my work will eventually evolve. A bit on the mixed works created... I am basically recycling my work around & around. I take a photograph, or a  painting or drawing, I take a picture of that and put it on the computer & paint it again in photoshop, it is then printed out on different quality & Archival photo papers & canvas, and then repainted over again with  Acrylics & powdered pigments & other various mediums might be added for detail. Then another photograph is taken, then loaded on the computer and the process is begun again. I like the thought of recycling works and multi collaging  digitally and realistically. This 'recycling' is what I have been doing with my sounds and dream work that inspire my sounds & jewelry designs.

As a result of this process, I am introducing a new line of Jewelry in hand painted cameo art. Where I follow the process above, utelizing my photographs, digital prints, paintings, collages, handmade artwork, actual miniature paintings & sometimes classic vintage photos or public domain art that I alter & or paint & collage. The images are printed with Archival Quality paper & inks, some are then hand painted then sealed with either resin or some other glossy glass like sealant finish. Some specialty resin colors are handmade, painting borders or other details onto art creations.  Sometimes embeding stones, findings, glitter or other odd bits into the finished creation.
Each piece is set into either simple metal settings, ornate settings, handmade polymer clay frames, handmade soldered or torched sterling bezel settings or art clay silver handmade frames of pure fine silver. I am finally finding a way to take my painting, photography, digital art & collage into my jewelry designs. The experience so far has really inspired me further into many Altered Art creations. I am able to create my art in new and different mediums and to be able to combine everything that I love. 

Back to Inspiration:
Constantly drawing inspiration from my dreams & playing my sounds as I fall asleep, only to dream of jewelry designs. Though I tend to have a short attention span, it is no wonder that I create & function in this way. Where everything old is new again. It seems a bit hard to describe my process on paper... but it basically entails a bunch of clicks & pops & whirly bits or colors and then an explosion, following a bigger explosion, then another explosion, though not as bg as the last & so on & so forth....

Materials & Committment:
I am Committed to creating Original work using only the best, hand-picked materials. I love to work in Sterling, Semi-Precious stones, Fresh-water Pearls, glass, Copper, Raw Crystals, Clusters, fossils, clay, Precious Metal Clay  (PMC), Art Clay Silver, polymer clay, resin, glazes, paint, enamel, Vintage components & Nouveau / Victorian  Replica silver plated metal stampings & filigree.

Eyescream Jewelry designs are achieved by wiring, torching, firing, sawing sheet, piercing, hammering, antiquing, embellishing, molds, pushing clay, carving, casting, resin setting, painting, printing, photographing, digital art processes, altered art collage . . .

Going Deep:
There is something that I connect with on a deeper level... when my hands form Sterling wire, or I'm torching a piece, or embellishing one of the many early turn of the century replica stampings that are still being  produced & I piece together a blend of colors in Stones and Pearls that satisfy the eye & my mind. I revel in the whole tactile experience, and know I am doing Exactly what I Should be doing in life.

"I really love what I do, & feel that each creation has a destiny of its own. When the right person comes along & connects with one of my pieces... it is so magical. I feel that each piece was created for that One person, even if I've never met them before, they are connected."

Working almost constantly, Eyescream Jewelry is always evolving... Life is a work in progress...

Thank you for visiting my site. I hope you will enjoy my works, as much as I have in creating them for you.

Artist/Designer/Sound Creator/Dark Muse
~ Phyll ~




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