A glimpse Inside My Studio

my workbench

My Journey
I am Nancy Pace, an artist. I call myself a multi-media artist. I love expressing myself with a paint brush or metal and stone. I am a happy, free spirited person with an insatiable love of beautiful things. I love all nature, the outdoors and anything shiny. I have been creating since I can remember. I have dabbled in lots of mediums, painting, sewing, sand art, clay and floral arrangement. I enjoy everything artsy!
I was always obsessed with vintage jewelry and I have always picked up stones. I never have enough of either one.
My Aha! Jewelry moment came while in a hardware store and I saw some shiny copper wire. Something kept drawing me back to the isle where that copper wire was. I had no idea what I would do with it, but my hubby bought me a few feet of that pretty copper wire and I was hooked. I couldn't wait to play with it.
It guess it was natural that I combine my passions for stones and vintage jewelry with wire. And use it as an art form.
My husband(my most valuable gem) gave me a few old tools, a hammer, some pliers, just odds and ends, little did he know what he was in for! I started to hunt for material and gather things to use as tools. I am still using most of these same “make-do” tools 3 years later.
Just when I thought I was content with my wire and stones ,my husband brought a beautiful copper fireplace screen in to use for a table top. As luck would have it he set that copper right in front of my makeshift work table. I asked for and got a torch, and he never did get to make the table! I have been using that copper screen for jewelry for almost two years now. It is perfect for etching another new venture for me to explore.
I believe my journey as an artist has no end. I am always learning, changing, growing. I love being different .I strive to follow my own path I will never be a carbon copy of anyone, I am me, and my art is me, a part of my heart.

When I design a piece of jewelry or do a painting I see a story in my head, the story influences the gemstones I pick or any other material I use.  I am fond of saying I use my stones and wire like paint on a canvas.
I recently shared my design story when I shared the piece of art jewelry I created. I realized it made the piece come to life for my audience, they could better "see" my art because they could see the story. I have a current story example on y other blog about  The Buffalo Stone. I probably won't go back and write out all the story's but from now on I will try. It makes my vision come to life.
I have found my own special niche. My place as an artist, a jewelry artist. And I have a voice.

I hope if you are a new artist you will find the courage to jump off the beaten path and follow your own heart. It is an incredible journey. My studio is about a 10'x10' and it has lots going on in a small space,but it works.

 If you know my work you will recognize the focal's here, they have all gone in designs

 The blue canvas is now "Flow" the blue fish. The other became "When the Willow Weeps" I paint in this corner of my studio, I am thankful for the two windows:)

 I had to show you the surprise my hubby got me, a beautiful colored pendulum light over my drafting table!

The desk I am using to research and blog is next to my drafting table

I laugh when I think of my first work table and how I started working on my jewelry. There was not enough light, it was uncomfortable and I never had the right tool. That was 3 years ago. I finally have a real studio, it needs a few finishing touches but it is workable and I enjoy it very much.
I have two shops on Handmade now, one for art jewelry  Nancy’s WildWire and Art By Nancy Pace for my paintings and other art.Stop by and check out my story vision and see what happens when an artist finds a voice.