Wisteria Fancy Earrings

Gloria Nilsson is a professional teaching artist. She received her degree in Graphic Design from Pratt Institute. After working as a graphic designer for several years, Gloria turned her concentration to the fine arts, exploring pastels, oils, watercolor, and acrylics.

Nilsson is currently painting on silk, where she applies a variety of techniques to fine art paintings and scarves. In 2015, Gloria’s silk painted illustration, Chapter 11: Spellcheck, created for the serialized storybook for young readers, The Mystery of the Great Connecticut Caper, was published by Connecticut Humanities/Connecticut Center for the Book.

Gloria also developed her own unique artisan crafted jewelry line. Her designs are created with woven, sculpted, and wrapped wire techniques, semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals, polymer clay, precious metals, art glass and pearls. Nilsson teaches the Fashion Illustration program for Summer Fashion Weeks, and she also provides a variety of fine art and mixed media lessons for the Nature Camp program, both at the Arts Center Killingworth. Gloria’s recent work is featured at Spectrum Gallery, Centerbrook, CT, and other indoor/outdoor venues.

Swarovski Flower Lattice Bracelet

Heather has been a beader for about 8 years. She and her husband went on vacation to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. There she discovered a bead store and from then on she was hooked. She spent so much time in that bead store that the owner gave her a set of tools for free. She started off just stringing and then broadened her creativity with stitching. She loves them all: peyote, spiral, ndebele, and many others. She loves being able to play with the colors and different sizes and shapes of the beads. Recently she started to experiment with bead embroidery making her first collar this past year for her mother for Christmas. It was very stressful at first, but she found she loved manipulating the beads in different directions and being able to control the sizes of the beads. She is a Registered Nurse and loves people and animals. Heather feels very fortunate that she could find a hobby she loves, and that helps her relieve the stress of her job

Glistening Water, fused glass, 1 1/4in h x 1in w

My name is Jacklyn Koromhas and I grew up and lived in NJ until 2011 when I moved to Connecticut. I graduated college in 2006 with a major in music and business management. I found a love for making jewelry when I was very young but I found a passion for fused glass jewelry after I attended a blues festival a few years ago and became fascinated in the art, beauty and process of creating fused glass jewelry. I bought a kiln and the glass cutting tools to start. I took classes in fused glass at the Arts Center Killingworth and participated in their Autumn Arts Festival in 2013.

I’ve been making jewelry and other various glass creations such melted wine bottles and decorative center pieces, glass bowls and ornaments. I currently work full-time as a licensed insurance producer and part time gardener. I’m striving to make jewelry as a full time way to make a living. Being creative and working with different colors of glass to make something beautiful for someone to enjoy, besides of being a stress relief, makes me happy making people happy which is my ultimate goal.

Lava Flow Necklace

Jessica Dickens is an artist whose passion for creating original handmade jewelry spans over two decades. With an eye for bold and unique designs, Jessica draws inspiration from abstract and organic elements, infusing each piece with a distinctive touch. Many designs feature wire crochet and are inspired by its fluidity, reflecting a free-spirited aesthetic that resonates with those seeking individuality. Recently, she has embraced the versatility of polymer clay and marries the two motifs yielding captivating results.

Her work has been featured on fashion show runways, Jewelry Television (JTV) Jewel School and in publications including Belle Armoire Jewelry Magazine. For 15 years, she sold her work at jazz and arts and crafts festivals on the east coast and continues to sell her work online and her work is currently exhibited at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, Connecticut.

She added “author” to her list of accolades with the publication of her book, “The Lone Wolf Jewelry Designer’s Guide to Business Art and Life,” offering insights into her creative journey.

Along with creating jewelry designs, Jessica has added abstract art and watercolor to her practice.

Jill O’Brien was raised in Connecticut by a very creative and industrious mother and father a fine craftsman. Jill’s family times together always involved creativity in some form whether it be sewing, painting, knitting, foraging the local forests for materials to decorate their home, cooking, or building new spaces.

O’Brien attended Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, with major studies being two-dimensional design and materials, minoring in French Literature. Her studies continued in Provence where she was exposed to new cultures and environments. O’Brien’s professional career started as a theater painter and set designer, advertising, and photography, leading to a 25-year career working as corporate communications show and event designer and producer.

Jill is currently creating wearable art that respects the past by repurposing vintage elements: fine antique fabrics, buttons, laces, findings and passementerie all dictate what she designs and makes by hand. Jill’s hope is that these new creations will resonate with people who appreciate fine craftsmanship, originality, and beauty. O’Brien’s work is currently exhibited at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, Connecticut.

Good Morning Moon Necklace

Joanna Biskupski earned an MFA in graphic design from the Institute of Fine Arts, Krakow, Poland and was awarded a Fellowship from the Polish Association of Artists; and a grant from the Polish Ministry of Art and Culture. She has worked as a book designer and illustrator and has executed designs and illustration projects for numerous organizations, including the Hartford Courant.

She has participated, over the years, in art shows organized by the New Britain Museum of American Art and Hillside Museum and several Open Studio Hartford exhibits. Joanna currently creates unique pieces, big bold designs with surprising elements: fringed tassels, pieces of lamp, door knockers, leather straps, carved animal faces.

Joanna is inspired by Native American art, as well as Tibetan, African and Mexican art. Her work could be easily called wearable miniature sculpture. Each piece is unique, and she doesn’t want to repeat anything. Joanna additionally is a docent for the Museum of American Art in New Britain. Biskupski’s work is currently exhibited at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, Connecticut.

Spring Necklace

Joan Wenzel has been a crafter since she was a little girl – she learned to sew when she was 8 years old and is still sewing – but now sewing with beads, beads, beads.

As a jewelry designer she works with Japanese seed beads, Czech glass, semi-precious stones, crystals and handmade lamp work beads (which she and other local artisans have made) sterling silver and other metals.

She has worked at the Bead Hive (the state’s premier bead store/studio) in Guilford for 18 years and teaches classes there.
Some of her creations can be found at the store and at many local craft fairs. Her work can also be seen at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, CT.
Joan is inspired by nature, color, emotions, and there is a tiny bit of gypsy in her soul.

Collage in Blues Earrings, polymer clay, resin, gold-filled earwires

Kristie’s interest in art started at a young age. Looming led to experimenting with bead-weaving.  Bead-weaving was the first art form Kristie taught to others, regularly for over 20 years.  She is certified as a PMC instructor and an Art Clay instructor, and taught classes in this medium for several years.  Then, around 2009, a friend invited her to go to an introductory class on polymer.  The colors, and the ability to manipulate that product to represent almost anything, hooked her right way.  She’s been a polymer enthusiast ever since.  She has been recognized in Cynthia Tinapple’s Polymer Clay Daily online community, and in Sage Bray’s Daily Polymer Arts Blog.

Kristie worked in the public education field as a special education teacher, staff development specialist and eventually, a technology coordinator for a K-12 school system for 38 years.

Her work is currently available at the Westerly Arts Gallery, Spectrum Gallery, the Slater Memorial Museum, and the Converse Art Gallery Gift Shop at the Norwich Free Academy.  She is a member of the Southern Connecticut Polymer Guild and the New England Polymer Artists.

Teal Spring Earrings

Kristin Hinkle Trainor is the artist behind 10-ton goldfish designs, a bespoke jewelry and wearable art studio in Newington, CT. Classically trained under renowned artist Leonard Urso at the prestigious School for American Craftsmen at RIT, and Pierre Schlevogt at the Fachhochschule fur Gestaltung in Schwaebisch Gmuend, Germany – Kristin creates “fun & funky jewelry for EVERY body”.  From simple explorations in line and form out of Sterling Silver and 14k gf, to playful explosions of color and contrast with non-traditional materials like recycled glass, anodized aluminum and hard enameled wire, there truly is something for everyone in her many collections. Her work can currently be found in boutiques, galleries, and shops around New England and the front range in Colorado.

Venus Necklace

Lauren Mullaney’s pieces are unique, handmade and custom-designed jewelry featuring various sizes and styles of chain, silk and cotton threadwork, leather cord, pearls, quartz, Swarovski crystals, gold & silver beads, and other mixed media. All pieces are hand-crafted by Lauren Mullaney using a variety of techniques including wire-wrapping, braiding, crocheting, weaving and chain-making. Many are one of a kind colorways and/or designs in a constant effort to develop unique multilayer pieces with variations in depth and texture.

All products are handmade using nickel-free silver, gold and gunmetal plated brass chains. All threadwork is hand waxed before weaving for added durability.

Blue Lagoon Bracelet

Leigh has always played with fiber since childhood. Her grandmothers taught her knitting, crocheting, embroidery and sewing.  She lives on a farm in Western Connecticut with a horse, donkey, chickens, dogs and a little Soay sheep which provides wool to spin, weave, and knit.

When Leigh’s daughter was born she embarked on a quilting journey which has been about 30 years, discovering color and shape, (although the math involved in quilting could be a little easier for the math challenged like her), if you can sew a straight line you can quilt. She has exhibited some pieces and sold small quilts for charity.

About 4 years ago Leigh was visiting her lifelong friend of 50 plus years and went to a bead show. She came home with a lot less money in her pocket and more ideas in her head than she has time to create.

Leigh immersed herself in bead embroidery and bead weaving. Bead embroidery allows her to use sewing skills to create unique pieces of jewelry. She loves color and texture, which she uses to enhance the stones and cabochons in her pieces. Leigh incorporates glass seed beads, metal beads, metal findings, stones and sometimes recycled parts of old jewelry. She does not repeat any designs as she wants the buyer to have a unique piece of wearable art! All of her embroidered pieces are backed with ultra suede for a soft feel.

Leigh exhibited and won first place at the Eastern States Exposition for the past two years. She is currently one of the artists at the Fine Line Art Gallery in Woodbury, Connecticut.

Chandelierings Earrings, Argentium sterling silver and multi-color tourmaline

Lina Wilder focuses on hypoallergenic materials, clean lines, and natural shapes. Once upon a time, she was an opera singer; currently, she teaches courses in Shakespeare and Renaissance literature at Connecticut College. Idle Gauds is named for a line from _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_: “My love to Hermia, / Melted as the snow, seems to me now / As the remembrance of an idle gaud / Which in my childhood I did dote upon.”