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Wildhorse Gallery |
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Artist ProfileCate Potyen |
 Moonstones and Gold Vermeil Set Jewelry |
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I come from a family of jewelry lovers and have been making beaded jewelry since college. I have always loved making things and have explored drawing, sculpture, writing, and jewelry as art forms. For the last twenty years I have been making my living practicing psychotherapy in San Francisco and most recently in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. In the summer of 2001, my jazz musician husband and I moved from San Francisco to Steamboat Springs to live in the off-grid, solar straw-bale house we built on our summer vacations. Our life is more simple now and I have more time to indulge my passion for beads and jewelry. Over the twenty years of working with people as a counselor, primarily women, I have developed a strong interest in the role of adornment in self-esteem and creative expression. We adorn what we value, and choose pieces of art that express something deep about who we are. My creative process involves gathering beads that I love and putting them together intuitively into forms that please me. For me it is a meditative process which I hope is reflected in my work. I use gemstones, tribal silver and gold vermeil, (22K gold plate over sterling silver) to create pieces that are unique, eclectic, and elegant. Photography by Gary Kattge and Tim Murphy |
