Joan North
Metalsmith/jewelry
Stevens Point, WI
About the artist
I have always looked for the creative path. I remember as a young girl carving my initials into my parents headboard (no applause for that one), being kidded for mixing odd spices, infusing new life into organizations with entrepreneurial left turns, and sometimes just thinking on a different plane. I have manipulated words, paints, plants, fiber, glass, beads, and metal. This “art in my heart” keeps tickling me at odd times to mix the ordinary with the odd.
Since 2000 I have worked with stones, fabric and glass to create unusual jewelry, ultimately discovering my love of metal. Torn between hard and soft, I combine metal smithing with kumihimo braiding and wire weaving to invent the unexpected. I love contrast in form and similarity in color. I dream of new designs, smiling in my sleep.
I appreciate my many customers whose admiration makes me blush. My work is available in regional Galleries, selected art shows, my home studio in Stevens Point, WI, my web site and on Facebook.
Who am I? Where am I from? What have I done? Born in St. Louis and raised in waterfront Fairhope, Alabama, my 43-year career as an administrator in colleges and universities scooted me around the country—Tuscaloosa, Erie, DC, Davenport, and Stevens Point, WI.
A basket full of degrees (BS, MS, Ph.D.) attests to my love of being a student. I have learned about art, form and metal from masters across the country and annually seek out teachers who unlock new mysteries. Learning new things keeps one humble.
I moved to the Stevens Point area in 1985 when I became Dean of the College of Professional Studies at UW-Stevens Point, the greatest job of my life. Retiring in 2010, I am now a full time fine jewelry artist trying to make a business out of this bubbling passion.
When I can loosen the tie that binds me to the studio, I play tennis with giddy abandon, deal bridge with my laughing friends, read a Kindle while I walk downstairs, bask in a well chosen word that pops up, and waive an eco flag over all I do.
My work is in over a dozen regional galleries, and a growing number of galleries around the country.
Since 2000 I have worked with stones, fabric and glass to create unusual jewelry, ultimately discovering my love of metal. Torn between hard and soft, I combine metal smithing with kumihimo braiding and wire weaving to invent the unexpected. I love contrast in form and similarity in color. I dream of new designs, smiling in my sleep.
I appreciate my many customers whose admiration makes me blush. My work is available in regional Galleries, selected art shows, my home studio in Stevens Point, WI, my web site and on Facebook.
Who am I? Where am I from? What have I done? Born in St. Louis and raised in waterfront Fairhope, Alabama, my 43-year career as an administrator in colleges and universities scooted me around the country—Tuscaloosa, Erie, DC, Davenport, and Stevens Point, WI.
A basket full of degrees (BS, MS, Ph.D.) attests to my love of being a student. I have learned about art, form and metal from masters across the country and annually seek out teachers who unlock new mysteries. Learning new things keeps one humble.
I moved to the Stevens Point area in 1985 when I became Dean of the College of Professional Studies at UW-Stevens Point, the greatest job of my life. Retiring in 2010, I am now a full time fine jewelry artist trying to make a business out of this bubbling passion.
When I can loosen the tie that binds me to the studio, I play tennis with giddy abandon, deal bridge with my laughing friends, read a Kindle while I walk downstairs, bask in a well chosen word that pops up, and waive an eco flag over all I do.
My work is in over a dozen regional galleries, and a growing number of galleries around the country.
