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Featured Indie Artist Interview with Camille of Camille Handcrafted

Posted by admin in artfire, indie, interview, tags: artfire, artists, handmade, indie, interview, jewelry

I’m going to be out of town the rest of the week (without internet access…gasp), but didn’t want to miss my favorite part of the week….meeting our featured artist.

Let’s meet today’s featured indie artist, Camille of Camille Handcrafted.

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SI: Please tell us a little about yourself.
Camille: My studio is in Tucson, Arizona, in a magnificent patch of desert. The light here is incredible, and the quiet is priceless. I first came here to be with my husband, Thomas. Thomas has since left the world but not before planting in me a deep respect for and absolute love for his precious desert. The only thing more beautiful than the Sonoran sunrise is the Sonoran sunset! This is where I first started making jewelry, having taken a few classes at a local bead shop. I didn’t really stick with that, though, and I was away from it for a long time. When I started up again I tried wrapping with wire and found that I truly enjoyed the freedoms that those techniques opened up.

SI: What is the name of your business? and what do you create?
Camille: My business is called Camille Handcrafted. This was suggested by my son in law who felt that “Camille” was a perfect name that could not be improved upon. Do you think perhaps he was sucking up to his mother in law? Very possible, in my estimation, but it was done with so much earnestness that I acceded. I’ve been experimenting with my art, crafting everything from sparkling strings of beads to hang from potted plants and wind chimes with beautiful musical bells to sterling wrapped gemstone necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.

SI: What inspires you? Camille: Tough question, that. My first instinct is to answer: “everything.” I’ve been spending more time walking in the desert here in Tucson and paying close attention to that natural landscape. I have several pieces now in process that are definitely directly influenced by those observations. I recently donated a piece for auction to the Seattle Midwifery School, a bracelet called “A Little Bit of Tucson” and it was exactly that. SI: What is the best thing about what you do? and the worst? Camille: Ah, it’s all the best. I particularly enjoy at times starting out with one idea, then that idea seems to wander off in it’s own direction and take me someplace completely different – and much better than where I had at first chosen to go! Of course, sometimes the route chosen by the piece isn’t something that I can completely accomplish, and that is the worst.

SI: When not creating, what do you like to do? Camille: I don’t know that there is a time when I am not creating. The process doesn’t have a discernible beginning or ending, so it’s all part of my life. I’m a musician as well as a jewelry artist. There are times that I feel that the jewelry I design is nothing more than an extension of my music; a song in three dimensions. SI: Any future plans you care to share with us? Camille: I believe I will be tending more toward “free sculpting” in the future. Wire is such a simple and complex medium. It seems the possibilities are endless. I would also like to learn more about making my own beads, and metallurgy. I’d definitely love to try casting some pieces. So many ideas, so little time!

Many thanks to Camille for sharing so graciously of herself and her art. Please take a few minutes to visit Camille Handcrafted.