| Jessica DeGruyter |
Since the beginning of memory I have collected the ephemeral—those things that are bright against blue sky, dark earth; and perhaps a fragment of sparkly stone, a moth wing for its soft luminescence will find itself tucked into the enlarging collection. It is only recently then that I have begun to string these collections together. My maternal grandparents were teeth-makers by trade and jewelers by hobby; my paternal grandfather was a watchmaker, so perhaps this is in my blood, this desire to create. Or perhaps it is that the collection has finally taken on a life of its own as the inanimate sometimes does. So I have done what I must; I have finally begun to untuck these odds and ends from their dark boxes.
Much of my jewelry features found natural elements, such as withered leaves and seeds, molted bird feathers, insect wings and other ephemera, displayed in upcycled plexiglass. It also incorporates uncut stones found around New Mexico, including Luna druzies, Pecos diamonds, and Sandia granite. As with all art, my work defies easy description. It is sometimes architectural and reminiscent of specimens in a museum, with ephemera pressed between plexiglass angles and fettered together by nuts and bolts; but at other times is raw and elemental, with darkened and textured metal embracing uncut stones.
With my work, I attempt to recreate a moment in time—the way the sun seeps through a crack in the wall, the way the rain wets a leaf, the color of dawn, that perfect momentary moment; with my work, I attempt to preserve the specimens of New Mexico as strange and lovely heirloom jewelry.
Original work by Jessica DeGruyter is available exclusively in Santa Fe, NM at POP Gallery. Contact us today to add this prolific young artist to your collection.
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