Ever since childhood I have been fascinated by the shape, form, and structure of things. Such as in Nature, the Human Form, Animals, Sea Life, and movement- Dance, Sports etc… observing the dynamics of the human body or Animals in motion. With the desire to express myself I wanted to make Life Forms into Jewelry. My desire for adventure & imagination has taken me many places. Lush forests, Scuba diving in coral reefs, watching dance, from folk to Ballet.
I started learning the art of Wax carving for jewelry making from Steve Hanna, owner of Accents Jewelry store on Main street in Santa Monica. In 92’ Steve suggested I take his Tuesday night wax Carving class. So I started going. it took me a while to get the “feel” & timing of the Jeweler’s Wax. I practiced every day at home experimenting with the wax and tools learning the Art. Steve was an excellent teacher & mentor. He teaches each individual how to learn best according to their personality.
After a few years of jewelry making I wanted to work on a larger scale so I took up “Form Sculpting” from Master Sculptor Robert Cunningham. Jewelry making & sculpting are similar in some ways, different in other ways. With jewelry you can see the whole piece you are working on, while with sculpting one has to keep moving around the sculpture to take it all in. My first 5 yrs of sculpting I did sculptures of jewelry pieces. Such as my TRIBAL DANCE series which started out as Rings and Bracelets. Then evolved into Bronze & Stone sculptures. I have a video of this evolution “Tribal Dance”.
My most extensive line is Sea Life, where I have made Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, Octopuses, Sharks, Sea Horses etc… as Rings (many Adjustable), Pendants, Ear Rings, Bracelets. My Sea Life collection is growing the fastest. Just completed “Sea Dragon Pendant” & “Coral Ring” they should be up on the site in a few weeks.
My Animal series also keeps growing or I should say land Dwelling Animals, – Cats, domestic & wild, Lions & Cougars. Dogs & Elephants, My Symbols section is diversified from Egyptian Scarabs, to Easter Island Idles, Crosses and ancient icons.
I have a Fantasy/Mythology section with Mermaids and Dragons, Pegasus etc.. My Art is an ongoing adventure and a passion to create something of beauty,. People have a personal connection to the stimuli around them. Happy, Sad, Warm, Cold, Comedy, Tragedy or indifference. My ambition is to keep creating designs that will make people happy to wear.
Sincerely,
David Rasnick