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The Howling Artist
jewelry as unique as you are

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About Me

Ancient Arts is here to create unique jewelry that is wearable and beautiful. I strive to produce well-designed and affordable pieces to express your personal style. With many years of experience, I can create a variety of styles, from big and beautiful to small and dainty. I am often inspired by designs from past times, but recreated with a modern flair. I look forward to working with you to create your special pieces. Please review my picture gallery of recent works for some examples of my latest creations! (The picture gallery contains some larger images and may take a bit longer to load.)

Designer: Cairenn Day, the Howling Artist

The love of minerals introduced me to jewelry making

Cairenn, wearing a handmade jacket with quilted and embroidered shell detailing

when I was still in elementary school. I even sold my work to classmates! Since that time, I have explored a variety of other art forms, and researched historical jewelry-making techniques. I have a love of history, science, the natural world, anthropology, even architecture. And all these interests provide new ideas and inspirations for my work.

A few years ago, I was introduced to bead weaving and I fell in love with it. My pieces are often sculptural and always

Undine, blue-green seed bead bracelet rippling as if underwater. $90.

wearable. I often use my beadwork to tell a story or to evoke a special feeling. I consider it "painting" with beads. I rarely work with set patterns, preferring a more free-form approach. I often incorporate gemstones, pearls, and Austrian crystals, along with various sizes of seed beads. I want my beadwork to be a modern tribute to an art form that dates to the time of the Pharaohs.

I have also always enjoyed working with wire and forming and forging it. I have now started to incorporate bead weaving with my formed and forged wire pieces. This provides a more solid and colorful structure.

I rarely use commercial clasps, as I feel that the clasp should be an integral part of the design, not just a way of fastening the item. I will make a clasp from wire, beads or even a button, whatever best completes the work.

"Garden", a bracelet of green seed beads studded with multi-colored flowers and butterflies. $90.

I also make copper enamel beads, carve amber and other soft stones, scrimshaw bone, and make ceramic focal pieces. All of these techniques may also show up in my work, if they fit my vision of the piece.

I am now planning to add fabric, fiber, paper, clay and felt to my jewelry. I feel that there are many non-traditional items that can be utilized in jewelry. I am not attempting to produce ‘found art’, but rather am interested in utilizing these items as others use stones and glass.

I am primarily self-taught, by preference. It seems that often a teacher ‘imprints’ his or her style upon the student. I enjoy the learning process as much as I do the making. To me this is the way to understand your materials, so you can utilize them better. I have taught classes through the Dallas County Community College district and through other groups, and I have always encouraged my students to use their own inspirations for their work.

In summary, my work is always changing. I love learning new techniques and I want to include all of them in my work. So my work becomes a reflection of my interests and skills.

I am always chasing rainbows - come see what I have caught!