Cynthia Chuang & Erh-Ping Tsai
About the Artist:

“Our first collaborations were in sculpture. We used metal, clay whatever was in the studio.” says Cynthia. The jewelry that Cynthia Chuang and Erh-Ping Tsai create is as intricate and detailed as anything an emperor ever wore: rich with metals, semi-precious stones, paint, and above all, porcelain worked with colored clay inlays, underglazing, overglazing, and millefiore techniques. Their pieces invoke tradition in depicting the insects, butterflies, and fish that have appeared in Chinese art for centuries.

But there the similarities stop. Cynthia and ErhPing, a husband and wife who came to this country from their native Taiwan, have re-imagined and reinterpreted the subject matter to make it their own. One of their pieces was chosen for the poster representing the 1989 Lincoln Center Crafts Show in New York City, and the couple won the 1990 Niche Award for outstanding design in wearable mixed media.

Cynthia and Erh-Ping met when they were sculpture students at the National Taiwan Academy of Art from 1974 to 1978. They moved to New York and continued their studies at the Parsons School of Design, earning masters of fine arts degrees in sculpture in 1984. The “creatures,” as Erh-Ping and Cynthia call them, have become their main jewelry line. Important as the creatures are to Cynthia and Erh-Ping now, they may be only the first step in a long aesthetic exploration of nature and its forms. Erh-Ping has a greenhouse, collects different varieties of maple trees, and makes his own bonsai.

Rona Fisher Jewelry
About the Artist:

“I view both the creating and the wearing of jewelry as a form of personal and spiritual expression. Spontaneity is a strong factor early in the design process, allowing for a free flow of ideas.”

Rona Fisher is a self-taught jeweler. She earned a B.F.A. in painting from the Philadelphia College of Art in 1980. She discovered crafts as a valid artistic medium while living in San Francisco in the early 1980s. In 1983 she moved to Munich, Germany, where she resided until 1990.

In Munich she worked as a free- lance jewelry designer, selling her original creations to the public and various galleries. Also, she carved wax models for Isar Schmuck, GMbH, a fine jewelry manufacturer. As an assistant teacher at Gallerie Lafayette in Munich, Rona instructed adults in basic jewelry techniques including sawing, forming, soldering, polishing and fundamental stone setting.

When Rona returned to the States, she worked as a jeweler for several local shops while taking a number of jewelry courses at Tyler School of Arts in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. In 1992 Rona opened Rona Fisher Jewelry Design in Philadelphia. As sole proprietor and designer, she directs her staff of professional jewelers while creating original works of art jewelry that appear in various galleries throughout the country.

Rona Fisher Jewelry Design specializes in exquisitely crafted rings, pendants, earrings and bracelets in mixed metals, primarily sterling silver and 14 karat gold. Simple, sensuous elegance and an evocative combination of ancient and contemporary elements characterize each piece.

“I take a childlike joy in handling and arranging the raw materials, allowing them to speak to me. This surge of artistic freedom is tempered by the goldsmith's discipline; thus allowing those who wear my pieces to share in my sense of fine design.”

Information provided by the artist

Carruth Studio
George & Deborah Carruth

About the Artist:
"Do what makes you happy"

George Carruth is the quiet force behind Carruth Studio. Since 1983 he has been creating wonderful cast images in stone from completely original designs carved from limestone and clay.

Initially, George's work was 2 dimensional, in the form of illustrations for advertising. This was not his career of choice as the dream was always to sculpt for a living. That's where Deb came into the picture, who encouraged George to follow his love of carving stone.

For more than 2 years, they fed themselves by selling hand carved originals at juried shows and to fine galleries. When asked to put images into David Kay's catalogue, the first cast piece was born. George's cat birdbath landed on the cover and Carruth Studio made its debut. Mind you, Deb was the packing, shipping, marketing, and billing department... all from their garage and basement.

There are now over 40 employees at Carruth, each dedicated to providing the best service possible. George is now both a sculptor and art director as they have added sculptors to their team. They have a wonderful time bouncing ideas back and forth and learning from one another. With some 200 original designs and over 3,500 shops nationally, they consider themselves extremely fortunate.

George has explained his motivation for casting his work as a way to take an original carving that is well crafted and make it available to thousands of people. Letters come from all over the world telling them that George's work makes them smile, which means they are sharing just a small part of the joy he feels when creating it. The medium has to carry only one message, that the process was a lot of fun and the final piece represents the best of him.

Commissions from the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., an ornament for the White House Christmas Tree, pieces in permanent collections across the country all indicate George's prolific nature.

Information provided by the artists
NICHE-Spring 2000