If her work is anything to go by, inside Jaime Jo Fisher’s head is a swirling mass of elipses, bubbles and textures.

Monochromatic assemblages of darkened silver are punctuated by glass beads, vintage velvet and found objects. Textures and details abound; I can feel my eyes move around and quietly investigate each little nook and cranny, discovering fancy bezels, vine-like wire, fuzzy felt, and other tactile protrusions. It’s like overload without the overload – the muted grey of the whole and the graceful  and gentle curves subdue the pieces and allow me to investigate them slowly, carefully, in my own good time.

 

 

 

Jaime Jo describes her work, “While my work falls in the category of jewelry I prefer to think of these pieces as wearable collages. In my designs some traditional mineral stones are used as well as a variety of found, recycled and re-purposed materials. I enjoy using materials that are ordinary and often overlooked. Many things I think are useful can be found on the ground, in the kitchen junk drawer, and also at the local thrift store. These found materials can be anything from seeds, shells, fragments of found plastic, a mass of dryer lint, and even a plastic poncho from my favorite thrift store.”

She uses traditional jewellery and silversmithing techniques to construct her pieces – sawing, forming, soldering, drilling, hammering, filing – and depending on the piece, often leaves the texture until last. Sometimes she uses textile techniques to finish the work, such as needle felting or seed beading.

 

 

 

 

Growing up in a small town in southern Illinois, Jaime Jo received her BFA from Southern Illinois University in 1999, and currently works out of her studio in Austin, Texas.

“My hope is through a variety of techniques and applied concepts my jewelry and sculptural boxes will contain something for the individual to discover. By using these ordinary materials with more revered mineral stones I encourage the viewer to reconsider their definition of beauty. Which material is more beautiful? Is it the precious opal or the hand sewn pillow made from a rain poncho?”

You can find more of Jaime Jo’s work in her Etsy shop here, and on her own site, www.jaimejofisher.com.