[Jewelry making - Article 00449] - Re: [Orchid] A one question interview

[Poppy Vincent]

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    I've always been an artist and I've always been a salesman (That's a
    plus).  Apparently I used to sell people pretty rocks out of their
    own driveways when I was a little girl! :)  I was an art major in
    the mid 70's at our Community College.  I was doing everything from
    painting and drawing to calligraphy.  I took a ceramics class and a
    jewelry class.  In my mind I was sure pottery was the way I was
    headed.  I wasn't sure about the jewelry though.  Turned out I never
    could throw a pot and I went into business with the jewelry. 
    Another example of how you never know sometimes where your talents
    lie. So you should always try different things.  I loved making
    jewelry and the instructor just gave me the key to the studio and
    I'd sometimes be casting at 2:00 in the morning.  After that class I
    never really had any formal training.  I picked peoples brains, read
    a ton of books, screwed up a lot of things and got pretty darn good.
     In 1988 I took a jewelry class at The Springfield Art Association. 
    I realized that I already knew most everything he was teaching.  I
    approached the Director and suggested that they separate the jewelry
    students and have a beginning class.  He said, "That's great but who
    would teach it?"  "How about me?"  I said.  And so I not only taught
    that class but I taught design, fabrication and lost wax casting for
    the next 10 years!  In 1991 I took a GIA class on diamond setting. 
    Over the years I've taken numerous workshops to keep up my skills
    and add to them.  I've taken enameling and recently granulation
    among many others.  I officially started my business in 1990.  I do
    a lot of custom work as well as some art fairs.  I'm in some
    galleries and I have a website.  I quit teaching in 1999 to focus on
    my own work.  Although I do miss it, the Orchid has kind of filled
    the void.  Then 2 years ago October I made the big move and had a
    log cabin mobile home custom made for my studio and set it out
    behind our house.  It's 12' x 20' and I already wish I'd made it
    bigger.  After almost 27 years I am now looking at a lake instead of
    a brick wall in the basement.  To say it's awesome is putting it
    mildly.  I really wish I had done it years ago.  I was so afraid I
    couldn't pay for it.  But I'm so much more inspired now, I've been
    much more productive and I'm proud to say I even paid it off a year
    early.  It was the best thing I ever did.  It just seemed to make me
    much more credible.  It's amazing how I can almost see the wheels
    turning in people's heads.  It's like they're saying, "Wow you
    really DO make this stuff"!  Same equipment that was in my basement
    but now you don't have to look around my laundry to see it.  I
    really want to get a picture in the archive.  Hopefully it won't be
    long. 

God Bless you
~Poppy~
www.jewelrybypoppy.com

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