I
grew up in the sultry heat of the South, where I received training in
fine arts at Lander University. After relocating to the rainy Northwest,
I earned an M.F.A. in metalsmithing at the University of Oregon. I currently
reside in Los Angeles and have launched my line of handcrafted jewelry,
deKoeyer designs. My live-work studio is located in downtown Los Angeles,
at the intersection of the Jewelry and Fashion Districts.
deKoeyer designs jewelry reflects the complex patterns displayed by living
organisms. Illustrations from botany, etymology,
and cellular biology textbooks merge with my direct observation of coral
in the seas, lichens in the forests, and aphids in the fields. Nodules,
branches, stems, and clusters are recurring motifs. In contrast to the
chaos of pure abstraction, deKoeyer designs jewelry appears to grow using
iterative rules, simpler elements combining and evolving into more intricate
assemblages. The lost-wax casting technique imparts a sense of intimacy
to each piece. As with individuals of a species, each piece is one-of-a-kind
with lines never quite straight, and slight imperfections become apparent
in the magnified world of the microscopic.
In deKoeyer designs jewelry, the metal takes center stage rather than
gems. Ingots sprout, select polished nodules sparkle in beds of matte
fine silver, large clusters present a blobular multifacetism, and the
regal opulence of gems and tiaras is transformed into a symbolic language
of metal. When you wear a deKoeyer designs
piece, what you will find is something that is both strangely familiar
and strikingly unique.
jennifer deKoeyer
