Tamra Carboni
I am a jewelry and mixed media artist, living in New Orleans. My jewelry is predominantly fine silver derived from metal clay, a material consisting of miniscule particles of .999 silver suspended in a clay matrix. I carve, shape, incise and otherwise manipulate the clay. The uniqueness of the material is that the heat of the kiln burns off the clay binder and leaves only the fine silver, exactly as formed and ready for finishing and embellishment. My design inspiration is rooted in the textures, patterns and shapes I observe every day, both natural and manufactured. Using a clay product to render those textures and shapes onto silver is an act of metamorphosis.
My mixed media work consists of painting with watercolor, acrylics, pastels and alcohol inks and often involves collage and gelli plate printing. It is largely inspired by nature, most often by flowers, fish, insects and birds often shown in abstract.
