Sometimes jewelry captures the eye because of its complexity; other times minimalism dazzles with its deceptive simplicity and use of negative space. ven when most “wacky,” my statement pieces are grounded in simplicity and I use scale rather than detail as my modus oparendi. I love the mobiles of Alexander Calder and the ground-breaking geometric jewelry of Ed Wiener, Art Smith, Paul Lobel and other masters of the 1950s. I also love suspension bridges, scaffolding, armature and even the ole’ George Washington that spans the Hudson with its clean, perfect cabling.

So I was thrilled to learn about the mixed-media jewelry of Tia Kramer, a sculptor and installation artist who lives and works in Seattle. Her delicate paper and recycled sterling pieces are small mobiles that interact with the body and the environment, and, she says “emerged first as miniature three-dimensional models for a large permanent sculpture installed at Macalester College in 2003.” I haven’t had the pleasure of holding one of Tia’s kinetic earrings, for example, but I can imagine it fluttering around my neck. The forms interact with the body and create a dialogue, delivered in whispers. Similarly, her layered necklaces evoke a feeling of delicacy shot through with exciting color - like the sun piercing a canopy of tree branches.

 
Tia’s background is in fiber arts and she makes the vibrant, durable paper that forms the “wings” of her pieces by hand out of Philippine plant fibers that are treated so they do not fade. The look is elegant and sophisticated and airy and ludic. It reminds me of the phonoaesthetic phrase “cellar door” that melds sound with meaning and has been celebrated as one of the most beautiful phrases in the English language. But I digress...

 

Inspiring and eloquent is the artist’s description of her creative process. Tia writes: “I look closely at our everyday environments: telephone wires suspended amidst tall evergreens, the negative space stretching between neighboring skyscrapers. Using cold-form fabrication, I build organic and geometric wire jewelry structures that pare down these environments to simple line modules. I then wrap translucent handmade paper around sections of each form. [They] become taut kites of color that highlight ephemeral negative space...Each non-soldered jewelry structure moves independent of the others, dancing on the ears, neck and wrists of the wearer. Like leaves on a tree limb, my adornments punctuate the wearer’s movement and expression. Just as a door or window makes a room useful, it is the wearer that awakens the spacious structures and playful movement of my work.”

I could not - cannot - say it better myself. It’s no small surprise that Tia’s pieces are featured in museums across the country, including the SF MOMA, Seattle Art Museum and Museum of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Fly on, Tia.