What is the source of inspiration for your work as a handmade jewelry artist?
I have a foot in two worlds. One is the ancient world of the alchemist, and the way the world was viewed and communicated. People did amazing things with the materials that were around them. Technology was limited, but they created delicate, intricate works that still amaze us with their beauty.
The other foot is in this high tech world of laser welding, social networking, and iPhones. I remember taking a tour of the US Enterprise, the first space shuttle at the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
I was just a child, but it was looking like we were headed into a world of Star Trek. And, in a way, we have. Cell phones, social networking, and I can get on a plane and be anywhere in the country for less than $200. We haven’t moved into deep space exploration, but we do have a space station with about a dozen scientists from all over the world up there.
The symbology of the imagery in my works first came from folklores, mythologies, and fables. There is this idea that many of these ancient ideas had secrets to alchemy hidden within. Rumplestilskin wove straw into gold. Frogs turn into princes. Mars, iron, planet, god; there is a whole language for alchemy in Greek mythology, for stones and metals.
And, my creative process relies as much on interactions with others on social media, such as facebook and twitter, not in as much marketing but in generating ideas and continuing the story of the work. So, I try to pull in and collaborate with others through the network and cell phones.
So, there is the symbology, the network, and also (last but not least) the love story. Beautiful women have always been my ultimate inspiration. I really left the painting studio and returned to making jewelry when I met her. So, much of our story is also imbedded into the works as well.
Are there any jewelry designers or handmade jewelry artist that you particularly like and admire?
My father was a master jeweler and jewelry store owner. He taught me the skills of repair and fabrication of jewelry.
But, at the time, a jeweler was seen as merely someone who created settings for gemstones that were seen as merely bling and investments, financial investments and investments in relationships. But, he also played with making gold nuggets and such, but mostly I admired his setting skills.
Then, when I returned to jewelry, I was moved by the works of Harrold O’Connor, Bryan McCurtain, and Andy Cooperman. When I saw their works, I knew that it was possible to do something new with jewelry as an art form. I was also inspired to experiment with cutting different stones and playing with the folklores of these stones from the works of Jessica Dow and Mark Anderson.
Do you follow a particular process when you are designing? Can you please describe it.
I sketch, I then make sheets and wire of metal to use in making the piece, I cut the stones, and then make the metal part or parts. The sketching is where the magic is formulated, and my materials start out as ingots and gravel, so that I have total control over my designs. Sketch, sketch, sketch.
What are some of your favorite materials to work with as a handmade jewelry artist?
If money wasn’t an issue, I would work with a lot more gold than I do at the moment, but with the amount of manipulation and time that goes into each one of my works and gold already being astronomically high in cost, it would make the prices of my work unobtainable for all but the wealthiest. But, I really love all of the metals, sterling silver, pure silver, copper, bronze, and gold. They all have different characteristics and present different challenges.
My favorite stones are the ones that create illusions with light, such as opals, labradorite, and various others. I’m on a boulder opal kick at the moment. I just love the way the opal and matrix creates pictures in color and light in the Koroits and Yowahs boulders.
You consider yourself a free thinker? How do you think your philosophical views influence your work?
I don’t make things because I like it. I make things because I have to. Making things and exercising the creative process is my communion with the Great Creator. And, as described in my influences above, it seeps through into my ideas as well.
As a handmade jewelry artist, Michel Johnson brings a sense of alchemy and power into his work. To read more about handmade jewelry artist Michael Johnson and view more of his work visit Cosmic Folklore Studios...
