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Gualala Arts
Promoting public interest and participation in the arts since 1961.
Local ArtistJoan Rhine - Jewelry
Color and texture in her jewelry first appeared in her artworks; jewelry concepts have entered her wall pieces in her uses of wire, gold leaf and beads. In one of her earliest series, she miniaturized her handmade paper art, and created frames for it in silver, copper and brass. She has continued to explore the qualities of jewelry materials, enjoying playing with the versatility of metal and how it can be perceived to be both hard and soft.
Besides traditional fabrication techniques she has been weaving, looping and knitting metal strips and wire. "Metalworking has seemingly endless paths to explore, and I was intrigued to follow one that combined two of my interests, fiber techniques and metal." She carefully designs jewelry that is light, comfortable to wear and flatters the wearer.
Biographical NoteJOAN RHINE grew up in New York City, where she first graduated with a BFA in Art and Design from The Cooper Union, then received an MFA degree from Pratt Institute in Painting and Printmaking. She received training in jewelry from Charlene Modena at Academy of Art College, San Francisco, and has continued to learn at every opportunity.
Joan shows her work in juried exhibits locally in the North Coast area, in competitive national exhibits such as American Craft Council's Baltimore and San Francisco Craft Shows, and her jewelry can be seen at Mendocino Gems in Mendocino. Her mixed media wall artworks were exhibited in "Expressions in Handmade Paper 3: The Deckle Edge," at the Morris Graves Museum in Eureka, California in 2007 and "New Directions in Handmade Paper: The Deckle Edge" at Gualala Arts in 2008.
© copyright 2010 - all rights to the images are retained by the artist |
JOAN RHINE, widely known for her abstract wall pieces in mixed media, has also been creating jewelry for twenty years. During this time, there has been a reciprocal exchange of ideas and materials between her bodies of work.
All of Joan's jewelry is handmade in series, small editions and one of a kind. Her materials are traditional silver, gold and semi-precious stones and beads and chemical patinas, plus her unique use of handmade paper. Her tools are files, shears, hammers, jewelers' saw, soldering torch, drill press, burnisher and sandpapers.
Contemporary stylized organic and geometric designs define Joan Rhine's jewelry. "Living in coastal Mendocino County gives me many opportunities to find inspiration in nature. I love walking on the beach or in the forest, where I pick up souvenirs of seaweed, rocks and leaves to study for their forms, textures and colors. Landscapes, skies and manmade structures seen while driving along the coast and through the countryside also stimulate my imagination."
She has worked as a graphic designer, art instructor, fine artist and jeweler. She moved to San Francisco, and in 1984, with Jim Meilander, established Submarine Paperworks in Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. She relocated home and studio to Gualala in 2000.
