Jun 5, 2024
What you’ll learn in thisepisode:
- Jennifer’s unique process of layering acrylic andart images, and how she discovered her signature technique.
- Why the most important thing a young artist can dois find their voice.
- Why Jennifer rarely uses images her customersrequest in her jewelry.
- How Jennifer’s work ties into the history of popand op art.
- Why Jennifer sees other art jewelers asinspiration, not competition.
About Jennifer Merchant:
Jennifer Merchant is a studio t based in Minneapolis,MN. She graduated with a BFA in Metals and Jewelry from theSavannah College of Art and Design. She is a full-time artistshowcasing her work in galleries, museums and exhibitions. Her workhas been published in several national magazines such as AmericanCraft, Ornament and Delta Sky Magazine.
Merchant is best known for her innovative layeredacrylic process in which images and prints are layered betweensolid acrylic. Her work is graphic with clean lines and modernaesthetic. Pieces confound viewers, appearing transparent from oneangle of view while showcasing bold patterns and colors fromanother.
Photos available onTheJewelryJourney.com
Additional resources:
Transcript:
Like the op and pop art that inspires it,Jennifer Merchant’s jewelry challenges your eye. Clear from someangles and bold and colorful from others, the jewelry is created bylayering acrylic with images from art books. Jennifer joined theJewelry Journey Podcast to talk about how she developed hertechnique; how she chooses the images in her jewelry; and why artjewelers need to work together to push the discipline forward. Readthe episode transcript here.
Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome tothe Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the first part of a two-partepisode. Please make sure you subscribe so you can hear part two assoon as it's released later this week.
Today, my guest is Jennifer Merchant. Jennifer wasalso a guest several years ago. She thought she would be ametalsmith but segued to acrylic jewelry, which is what she hasbecome known for: creative and innovative acrylic jewelry such asnecklaces, bracelets, earrings and brooches. They have eye-catchinggraphics embedded in them. I was also surprised to learn that handcarving is sometimes involved.
Jennifer exhibits all over the country. She's been anactive member of SNAG, the Society of North American Goldsmiths.She is also a member of other major jewelry organizations. Jenniferis going to tell us all about why she has chosen this route and herprocess in general. Jennifer, welcome to the program.
Jennifer: Thank you so much forhaving me, Sharon.
Sharon: I'm glad to have you. Whydid you start working with acrylics?
Jennifer: I actually started workingwith acrylic while I was still in college at the Savannah Collegeof Art and Design studying metalsmithing and jewelry. Our professorgave us little chunks of acrylic one day, probably with the thoughtof using it for die forms. But I decided, “Hey, you can cut andsculpt this very similarly to working with waxes for lost waxcasting.” I liked the immediacy of the acrylic, that once youcarved it and sculpted it and polished it, it was a finished piece.It had a lot of really cool optical properties. So, I always keptit on the back burner as an interesting material.
Then when I graduated from college and I moved backto my hometown of Minneapolis, I didn't have the tools andequipment to keep working with metal. So, I kind of fell into,“Hey, there was that acrylic I worked with a couple of times inschool. It was very interesting. Let's see what we can do withthat,” because it was cheap, and I could cut it with simple tools.I started experimenting with it from there.
Sharon: And you make all sorts ofjewelry with it. Do you know when you start out that you'll bemaking a necklace or a bracelet with the pieces you have, or dothey talk to you as you put them together?
Jennifer: I make pieces both ways.Sometimes I'll design a piece very specifically and have an ideaand a picture in my mind of what I'm making. But then there's othertimes, especially when I'm working with the scraps that are leftover from pieces that I've made in the past. A lot of those scrapsare still very interesting, and they'll be in weird shapes. Thosewill speak to me, and I'll create something new and different withsome of those. I kind of work both ways.
Sharon: I know you're in a lot ofstores and galleries. Do stores tell you what to do, or do you justsay, “Here it is, do you like it”?
Jennifer: I'm more of a, “Here'swhat I've been making. Let me know which ones you like.” I thinksometimes it's important to follow your own inspirations. Peopletend to be drawn to the things that I'm most excited to make.
That being said, some galleries have differentclientele bases with different price points, so they’ll tell me,“Hey, these pieces were working really well.” I'll take somefeedback. But ultimately, I focus on making the things that I'mdrawn to.
Sharon: Do you have a studio insideyour home or do you have a place that you go?
Jennifer: For years I did have astudio outside of my home that I really loved, but a few years agomy husband and I bought a home, and I decided to move my jewelrypractice into my home. So, now I work from home. But who knows,maybe in the future I'll expand a little bit and have another spacein addition outside the home. It can be kind of a challenge workingat home sometimes, but I've done both. I like working both ways, sowe'll see what the future has for me.
Sharon: Do you have assistants whowork with you?
Jennifer: I've had assistants in thepast. I don't anymore. I scaled my business way back during COVIDand took a breather to reevaluate what I'm doing and where mymotivations are. I'm only just beginning to build it back. At thispoint, I don't work with anyone, but hopefully in the future I canfind someone to help out with some of the production.
It's a little challenging to find an assistantbecause my process is very unique. It's not something that peopleknow how to do, so there's a lot of training involved. When I dowork with people, it takes quite a while to get somebody that canhelp finish pieces to the quality standards that my galleries andclients expect.
Sharon: When you were reevaluatingthings, what did you decide? Did your method change duringCOVID?
Jennifer: I think things just slowedway down during COVID. 2020, honestly, it was going to be my year.I had a couple of really big events planned, one of which I got todo because it was in February, but the rest all moved online. Therewas such a lull in events and things to participate in. I hadstarted questioning what my motivations are, because you reallyhave to love what you're doing in order to be an artist as aprofession. We had bought a house and were settling in. I've justbeen taking the last few years to figure out life so I can bring myA-game to my business again.
Sharon: Did you stop productionbecause you were doing it yourself during COVID?
Jennifer: I did slow way down onproduction. If I had a client that was interested in something, orif I had an online event or that kind of thing, that would motivateme to produce some new pieces. But there were just fewer thingsgoing on to spark that creation.
I have a harder time making things just because. Ilike to have an outside influence, like a show that's coming up orevents that are going to happen and people are going to see mypieces. When I don't know when those things are going on, I have alittle bit of a harder time. I think that is why during COVID,everything slowed down for me especially.
But it also gave me a lot of time to think about whatI want out of my business and where I want to go. And in May, I'llbe launching my first web shop where you can actually buy my piecesdirectly from me.
Sharon: Wow. I know that's aHerculean task.
Jennifer: For me personally, the webshop is an extra big step because all of my pieces, even myproduction work, is one of a kind because of the images I'm usingwithin my jewelry. They're all found images from art books andother sources. So, even if it's the same shape, like the marqueehoop earring, no two are going to be the exact same. So, every timeI list a piece online for sale, I have to photograph each and everysingle one of them.
It's taken a long time to get some of those thingsdown where I could do it quickly enough and efficiently enough tobe able to post all of these pieces with the right listings. It's alot more work than having a design where you can put a picture ofit and sell 25 of them. It's been a daunting thing to tackle.
Sharon: Did you have to wait untilyou were efficient at photographing and making them so you couldjust churn them out?
Jennifer: My work is very difficultto photograph because it is clear and transparent from some angles,and then it's bright and colorful from others. It's also veryreflective. So, trying to photograph it cleanly and communicate thepiece in a single image is very difficult. My work tends toresonate more from multiple angles. It has taken years to figureout the best way to represent these pieces in an image or two.
Sharon: The online shop, do youthink it's your most valuable social media outlet? Is there one?What do you think that is?
Jennifer: For me, I'm not huge onsocial media. Instagram, I think, is the most fun. It's very imageforward, which is something I really enjoy. Definitely, as I launchmy website, I will be on social media a lot more to market. I thinkup until now I've mostly worked with galleries and shops or donespecific events, so I haven't cultivated my online audience asmuch. I'm excited to explore that new chapter and get more into itand see what I can do from my home. That way in the future, whensomething happens where in-person events may not be happening asmuch, I can still have a connection to my audience.
I've been getting asked for years, “Where can I findyour pieces?” Because everything is one of a kind, if it's at agallery in California, someone in Georgia is going to have a hardtime getting their hands on it. I think it'll be really nice havingmy own shop so that people can have one destination to go, as wellas all of the others, to be able to have that access.
Sharon: How did you start gettinggalleries and stores interested in you?
Jennifer: I have been contacted bymost of the places that I work with. Earlier in my career, I did alot more events and shows and I was able to meet gallery owners.Also, early on in my career, I met some of the people that work forthe American Craft Council, which is based in Minneapolis. Whenthey saw a local Minneapolis artist at a show in Chicago and met meand thought my work was cool, they were like, “You're in our city.Let's invite her to some events.” They really took me under theirwing and wrote about my work and got me out there. I got a lot ofcontacts just from people seeing the articles that they hadposted.
For me, it's been a lot of just doing what I do, andbecause my work is so unique and different, people that itresonates with will remember and contact me, like, “Hey, we'venever seen anything like this. Let's try it out at our gallery.”I've been very fortunate in that way, where I haven't really had togo out on my own, cold calling and trying to get appointments andthat sort of thing. I just try to make really interesting work, getit out there as much as I can, and then hope that it snowballs fromthere. So far, that's been working for me.
Sharon: Wow. I think it's great thatyou didn't have to cold call and that people were interested inyour stuff, which is very unusual. I don't know anybody who doesanything like that. So, you’re very lucky.
Jennifer: I'm very lucky that itworked out for me because I can be a little socially awkward withthe cold calling and things like that. That was never my favoritepart of the business. I am fortunate that my work speaks foritself. It's kind of a love it or hate it thing, which can be itsown challenge, but it's definitely unique enough where when peoplesee it, if they're interested, they will hunt me down and ask meabout it. That's been very nice.
Sharon: If an outlet wants more thanone, maybe they want five bracelets, do you tell them right awaythat you can make the five bracelets, but they’ll all havedifferent graphics?
Jennifer: Yeah. I did a couplewholesale shows a while ago where it was that challenge of, “Well,here's a design, but they're all going to be different, and you'renot really going to know until you get them.” I think most peoplethat are interested in my work like that one-of-a-kind nature ofit. That's part of the interest, so they trust me. If they getpieces that maybe that imagery doesn't speak to them or theirclientele, we'll talk about it and I can swap it out, get them someprints and patterns that they like better. It's kind of aback-and-forth process. And the longer I work with a gallery or aperson, the more I get to know what works there. Then I can tailormy offerings to them for what works.
Sharon: Where do you find yourimages and the pictures that you put in your jewelry?
Jennifer: When I first started, Iwas using magazines because they were readily available, fairlyinexpensive, and that's how I started this whole process of layeredacrylic. But the paper in those is not very good quality and thepictures fade. It's also a challenge to find enough usablecontent.
So, then I started purchasing art books. I wouldbecome interested in a specific artist and start collecting booksabout their work, and those books always had a lot of reallyamazing images. They're printed on really nice paper with goodquality inks, and they're much more successful layering thanmagazines. Now I exclusively use books. I've become somewhat of arare and vintage book collector. It's a really fun part of my job,hunting down these different books, figuring out artists thatinspire me to start collecting things about their work and thenfinding really cool images.
If there's a particular book that has a lot of reallygreat images that I like, I will start looking for other copies ofit. There are certain books about Roy Lichtenstein's work. There’sone about posters that has a catalog in the back with all thesesmaller thumbnail images, and they're so great for making earrings,things like that. I must've bought that book like 10 times. So,that's where I get my images. It's all purchased materials likebooks that I then rip up and cut up and put in between theacrylic.
Sharon: Well, you answered thequestion. I was going to ask you if you cut the books up or whatyou do. You also mentioned that magazines got you going withlayered acrylic. Can you tell us about that?
Jennifer: When I was younger, Isubscribed to all kinds of fashion magazines and fun things, and Iwould keep them after reading them. I had shelves and shelves ofmagazines. When I first started working with acrylic, I had thisidea that acrylic has pretty cool visual properties, opticalproperties, and when you put images underneath it, it looks sointeresting. That's when I started going through my fashionmagazines, lots of issues of Vogue. I would see cool prints ondresses and things like that, and I would rip those pages out andtry to fit the prints and things that were in there within myjewelry designs. That's how I got started with the whole thing. Itwas just cheap materials I already had.
Sharon: What are your salespolicies? Do you accept returns? If I'm a client and you give mesomething and I say, “No, that's not what I want,” do you acceptreturns? What do you do?
Jennifer: Yeah, I do accept returns.I think it depends. If it's a piece that already existed and theybuy it and it just didn't work out, or it doesn't fit quite rightor it wasn't what they were expecting, absolutely. It becomes alittle more of a gray area when it's a custom piece, when someonewants specific imagery and this and that. That tends to be a littlemore delicate. That being said, I want people to keep my jewelrybecause they love it, not because they're trapped. So, even acustom order, if it doesn't come out quite as they were expecting,I try to work with people to either make it right or try somethingnew.
Some of the events that I do, it's a museum showwhere they're handling the sales and they're getting a commission,I'm getting a commission from the sale. Even though I'm selling tothe customer directly, because it goes through the museum, usuallyit's an all-sales-are-final type situation, just because of thenature of the commissions and if they've already paid me and thenthe person changes their mind. It depends on the venue throughwhich I'm selling the work.
I would say most times, yes, returns are acceptablewithin a certain time frame, but there are certain instances wherethey are final sale. But even in that situation—I had a client comea couple of years later to a show, and she had this ring. Idecided, “You know what? It's a really cool ring. Let's swap itout.” She wanted a pendant. I like to be a little flexible. Like Isaid, I want people to have my jewelry because they love it, notbecause they're forced to keep it.
Sharon: I'm curious; in your studio,do you have pets that keep you company?
Jennifer: I do. I've got a dog and acat. My cat, Shackleton, likes to work with me. I have twoworkspaces in my home. Downstairs is the shop, the studio, and thenupstairs I have an office where I do the bonding and the imagegathering and looking through layouts. The cat, Shackleton, likesto hang out upstairs in the office and sit on all my papers and bein the way, but be very cute. Then my dog, her name's Sophia. Shetends to stay out of the studio because it's loud and dusty. She'llcome in the office and hang out, too, sometimes. But I don't know.She kind of does her own thing. She lets me work.
Sharon: Well, it sounds like nicecompany. Do you make more than one piece at a time? All the piecesand extras, let's say, do you put them in a closet and then pullthem out if somebody wants them? What do you do?
Jennifer: I definitely always havesome inventory on hand. I think as far as when I'm making pieces,as I was saying earlier, I tend to make when I have an event or I'mpreparing for something coming up. Then I'll usually go above andbeyond and make extra just to have. Also, because my pieces are oneof a kind and the imagery is different on each earring, each ring,each bracelet, I will make more than I know I'm going to need orsell at a specific time, mostly to have options for my clients,because all the pieces are different and have different images. Younever know what someone's going to be drawn to.
It's especially difficult with things that have asize, like a ring or a bracelet. Then I make tons of them becauseyou have to have lots of options. With those kinds of things, I'lltake a lot more custom orders because someone will see something inperson that they love, but it's not their size. I do my best torecreate things for people. I don't generally remake things withthe exact same images because usually it's impossible, but I willdo my best to get something with a similar aesthetic or feeling forpeople.
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