Five jewelry designers were commissioned to create pieces for the Sage Paul Fall/Winter 2012 collection “Synaptic City.” Featured as a part of the collection these artists’ works will be available for purchase.
Aimee Rochard
Aimee is a first generation Canadian born to Trinidadian parents of Carib /Kalinago descent. She loves to keep her life full and varied and is a self-employed graphic designer, photographer, a jewelry maker, a singer, and Wonder Woman (shhh).
You can see more of her work at facebook.com/pages/SIX-FOOT-Photography-Design/26607456847
If you wish to inquire about commissioning or purchasing a piece from Aimee Rochard, please contact her at aimeerochard@gmail.com
Barb Nahwegahbow
Barb Nahwegahbow is an Ojibway woman, born and raised on the Whitefish River First Nation, Manitoulin Island. She is currently living in Toronto.
She started designing jewelry a few years ago and is largely self-taught. Barb loves bold and unique pieces that contain unexpected components. In her designs, she uses semi-precious and precious gemstones and combines them with wood, nuts and seeds, or porcelain and felted accent pieces. She also uses gold, silver, brass and copper, as well as vintage finds from antique markets. The artistry in her use of materials results in unique pieces that are wearable art.
Barb is also a writer and recently finished her first book, a collection of stories about Native women.
You can see more of her work at bnahwegahbow.introtowp.com
If you wish to inquire about commissioning or purchasing a piece from Barb Nahwegahbow, please contact her at barbran@sympatico.ca
Erin Marie Konsmo
Erin Marie Konsmo is a Métis /Cree Indigenous Feminist from Innisfail, Alberta. She works as a community-based artist providing pieces that support and enhance the beauty of grassroots work. As a friend once described the process, “It takes many people to bring birth to an art piece, just like how it takes many midwifes to be part of bringing life into this world.” Erin focuses on art forms that incorporate Indigenous knowledge while telling stories of struggle, resistance, self-determination, land, identity and sexual and reproductive justice. One of the most prominent mediums within her work is the incorporation of birch bark. As an Indigenous material, she uses the layers of birch bark to bridge the spaces between land, bodies and art – making all three connected. Erin is currently an Intern for the Native Youth Sexual Health Network, and the Alberta Representative on the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network National Indigenous Youth Council on HIV and AIDS.
You can see her work at erinkonsmo.blogspot.com
If you wish to inquire about commissioning or purchasing a piece from Erin Konsmo, please contact her at erin.konsmo@gmail.com
Louise Solomon
Louise Solomon (Ojibwe) is a multi-disciplinary artist who graduated from the University of Guelph, specializing in sculpture and extended media. In 2009 Louise was accepted into the Jewelry Methods program at George Brown College for goldsmithing. As a goldsmith Louise is able to bring her large-scale sculptures down into wearable forms of art while working with precious materials such as sterling silver and gold. Many of Louise’s artistic expressions stem from her love of Mother Earth and the quick pace of city living. Her work is contemporary and mainstream but still embodies the spiritual and cultural values of her Ojibwe traditions.
If you wish to inquire about commissioning or purchasing a piece from Louise Solomon, please contact her at info@handofsolomon.com. Hand of Solomon on Facebook
Trip Phoenix
Trip Phoenix aka Paul C. (Mestizo/Métis) was born in Montréal, Québec. Over his early years he was playing with rock bands at school shows and later in clubs in Montréal . He eventually put together his own band (Medicine Men) and went to New York City to sign a record contract with the major American label Savage/BMG.
In July of 2009, Trip suffered a stroke which left him without speech and use of the right side of his body. Over the next year he attended many different rehabilitation programs and has fought hard to regain his life. He started volunteering at The Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival and started to learn about the history of the Americas. Meanwhile, he started making jewelry and learning to paint with artist Joseph Sagaj. In 2010 Trip studied film at LIFT (Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto), improvisation acting at Second City, and this year continued his clowning studies at The Centre of Gravity in Toronto and with Helen Donnelly. He’s also continuing to work on his jewelry, making a short film, painting and performance arts.
You can see his work at canardblanc.wordpress.com
If you wish to inquire about commissioning or purchasing a piece from Trip Phoenix, please contact him at paulcarlos11@yahoo.ca