Melodie Owen
"Springtime in the Garden"
First Place Winner in the Spring 2010 New Beginnings Challenge.
"Springtime inspired this fused glass piece with a soft pastel palette. The textures and colors of the garden represent hope and a new beginnings."
Melodie grew up in a family of artists in the Southwest and has been influenced by them and many teachers as she has developed her remarkable style.
Her passion for jewelry began at a young age when she started working in a fine jewelry store in her home town of Farmington, NM. By the time she left to go to college she still owed the store money!
She studied commercial art in College before pursuing her MBA but has always kept involved in some form of art. Her studio is in Albuquerque, NM.
She works with various materials but her favorite medium is silver splashed with the color of gems, crystals, fused glass, titanium and objects found in nature. Her work portrays the eccentric side of both the artist and the wearer as she creates pieces that synthesize excitement with elegance.
Melodie is PMC certified and a member of the PMC Guild and the Art Clay Society. She has received extensive training through Rio Grande and has completed numerous classes with instructors throughout the country. In addition to metal clay, she is trained in traditional metalsmithing, beading, glass work and other jewelry techniques. She enjoys the creative freedom of drawing on the various methods that will best accomplish a design. “It just makes you a better artist all around if you have an understanding of these various methods.”
She loves to learn from online exchanges and magazines. “I was thrilled when the new Metal Clay Today magazine came out. Such a wonderful resource for the metal clay community!”
Her work has appeared in the 2010 "Art and Design of Metal Clay Jewelry" calendar by Gage Designs and the Art Clay Society Quarterly www.artclayworld.com. She was recently the featured artist of Sia Corrina.com of Athens, Greece.
Melodie is pleased to have won the New Beginnings design competition sponsored by Metal Clay Today. Her work can be seen at MelodieOwen.com.