Twilight Luxe
You find beauty in a weathered flower, the frayed corner of an antique book, or the soft edges of an old time-worn key. Pieces of the past with a story, one you may never know. You're a collector of forgotten relics, a dreamer, an avant garde with an off-beat style. You long to capture that beauty, that feeling, that raw elegance, and wrap it into your modern existence.
Twilight Luxe brings those dusky visions to life through elegant pieces of shimmering adornment.
Katherine Erickson
Artist
BEGINNINGS
As a child of creatives, artists, makers, and craftsmen, art has always been in the foreground of my life.
Paints, brushes, pencils, wood, metal.
Growing up, these things were always around and I was encouraged to draw, make things, use my imagination, and explore.
With both the beach and woods right out the front and back doors, I spent most days outside and developed a profound love for the outdoors and nature. It's there that my imagination ran wild building fairylands, forts, and collecting treasures and trinkets along the way. If I found a discarded bottle adorned with barnacles, I'd bring it home, clean it up, and display it as if it were a precious jewel. Shells, rocks, and rusty objects were at home among stuffed animals in my childlike cabinet of curiosities.
INSPIRATION
This gathering of abandoned beauty continued into adulthood with a love for everything old, weathered, rusted, chipped, peeling, decayed, and tarnished. My infatuation with these aspects spilled over to antique tribal jewelry, vintage objects, and historical ornaments. My cabinet of curiosities continues to overflow with odd relics & artifacts, family mementos, and ephemera from nature minus the stuffed animals.
As my artistry found its way to working with metal, this antiquated inspiration infused itself into my work. Old-world aesthetics, patterns, and motifs quietly provide the inspiration while softly worn edges, eroded surfaces, rich patinas, and faded colors create the mood.
Things haven't changed much since my childhood. I continue to explore, gather, and arrange pieces. Only now, the end results are stunning pieces of wearable adornment.
History
FOUNDATION
In the early 1990s, I began my metalsmithing journey through a local continuing education class. My first piece was a ring. I then immersed myself into the metals program at a community college where there was a studio full of smithing equipment and art jewelers as instructors. It was there that I built my foundation of skills guided by some of the best instructors in the industry.
Through a friend in the local metals community, I heard of and was fortunate enough to land two different gigs assisting art jewelers with their production lines. I learned a lot working those two jobs. Most specifically? I learned I didn't want to create jewelry for a living!
Life takes some amusing twists and turns!
DESTINATION
Eventually, I packed up my smithing tools, discarded my homemade bench, and created a landscape design studio in its place. Then, I unexpectedly started an import business buying and selling vintage tribal jewelry and left landscape design in the dust. And, by the seat of my pants, I learned how to run a business!
After a decade or so, I could no longer ignore the muse. I had to create jewelry again. I dusted off the cob webs by assembling necklaces made from old tribal bits and gemstones. But, I yearned for more. So, I bought a used bench, dug my tools out of storage, and fired up the torch once again. Working with my hands and creating beautiful things always brings me great joy. I hope the jewelry I create brings joy to you, too!
