Catie Sellers spent several months in Guatemala teaching jewelry techniques to women in rural communities to help them create a line of fair trade jewelry and her time there sparked a collection of jewelry and wall sculptures of her own. I am particularly moved by the story behind her Window Bars Collection.

Window Bar Bracelets and Rings, steel, sterling silver

Window Bar Earrings

Window Bar Earrings in progress

“I draw upon patterns from window bars and wall tiles, made for the purpose of securing houses and businesses in a city where robbery is epidemic. It intrigues me that such beautiful and intricate work is dedicated to such an ugly purpose with potentially violent implications.” Caitie Sellers

Transistor Brooch

Sellers say of the place she fell in love with: “I am interested in highlighting the overlooked beauty of urban Guatemala. All the gritty, rusted, and stubborn signs of humanity that get overlooked by the tourist and taken for granted by the resident are my curiosities. I find this city beautiful for its inhabitants and the way they shape my memory. Each piece in this series memorializes a place, a person, or a feeling that I still carry with me years later.”

Window Bar Wall Panels

Window Bar Wall Panels, detail

Doña Mileda’s Flowers, earrings with stand, sterling silver, steel
6.5”x6”x2.5”

Doña Mileda’s Flowers, detail

Across the Street, brooch and stand, sterling silver, steel

I also enjoy the way she incorporates removable jewelry into her wire wall sculptures. To really get a sense of the depth in the wall sculptures take a look at all of Sellers’ videos here.

 

Detail of Backstreets, wall sculpture with removable brooch
steel, sterling silver
8” x 10” x 5”

Work in progress

“The jewelry I make uses Spanish colonial patterns in miniature form. These pieces are delicate, but the sheer number of connections and mass of pattern makes them sturdy both physically and visually. I think of my jewelry in this line as protection of the delicate systems of our psyches, as their large-scale counterparts are physical protection from the threats of a dangerous street.”

 

Caitie Sellers’ website

You can purchase some of her one-of-a-kind pieces through Society For Contemporary Craft

 

Last Chance!

Registration for this class ends today.  The virtual classroom and support forum are now setup and they look great! It’s going to be a full class and there are only a few seats left – if you have been thinking about registering now is the time to do it – I don’t know when I will offer the class again (though you can always purchase the {DIY} Self-Study version of the class).