Marianne Garrah | Special to the Fitzhugh
What medium do you work in? Is there a reason why you chose that medium?
I primarily work in metal, specifically silver and copper, and mostly jewelry pieces although I have experimented a bit with more sculptural forms and did some course work with artistic welding. I was attracted by the versatility of metal and its ability to take a beating on its way to becoming something simple and delicate, or powerful and complex.
When did you begin working with metal?
I started doing metalwork in 2012, when I realized I’d been neglecting the creative seed in my brain. I started looking at different mediums and taking in the amazing things people were creating in addition to paintings on the wall. I found a metalsmith in Portland, whose work I loved, and she agreed to spend a few days showing me the basics. She reminded me to not get too precious about anything you make. Chances are you’re going to mess up at some point, and your attachment to a particular piece can mean the difference between getting emotionally flattened or shrugging it off and starting again.
Has your practice changed over the years?
When I started, I was very slow and cautious, and only worked with copper, nickel and brass because I was too shy to try anything with the cost of silver. Most of the jewelry I make now is silver, but my style hasn’t really changed – I prefer things that are more down to earth and rustic. I like to see the hammer marks. I’m a bit more experimental now and expanded into other types of work, including belt buckles, copper bowls and mobiles made from copper or upcycled tin. I’ve also learned that when I’m having trouble with ideas, or not able to execute my ideas, I need to stop and just go do something else.
Jasper has a lot of creative people – how do you find ways to showcase your art?
I’m awful at self promotion, so I’m pretty low-key and in the background. I have an idle and dusty Facebook page, and sell jewellery at local craft fairs and in my Etsy shop, but that’s about it. My house is a gallery of Things That Worked and rejected lumps of metal that only my mother could love.
I teach linocut block printing through the Habitat for the Arts, but that’s less about showcasing myself and more about introducing people to a new medium and their own creativity. Most people show up thinking they won’t be good at it. I love their excitement when they print their block and realize they’ve made something unexpected and awesome.
What is the most rewarding part of your practice?
I love it when certain ideas show up that excite me, and if I can put them on paper and move that into metal, then I’m really happy.
What do you dislike the most about your work?
I get frustrated when my technical abilities can’t match what I picture in my head, or I get paralyzed by too many options.
What is your dream project?
If we’re talking dreams here, then I imagine a massive sculpture that is dark and strong but that has space and light fixing through it as well as a sense of movement. I don’t have a clear vision of what that might be, it’s more of a feeling. Something on the opposite side of the spectrum from tiny shiny earrings!
Best piece of advice to give to someone starting out in the arts.
Just go ahead and get started. You’re guaranteed to make some pretty awful stuff, and sometimes feel disappointed in your abilities, but just keep experimenting, try something else, find what you love doing, even if you’re bad at it. If you’re not tied to the end product, you’ll have a lot more space to come up with some great stuff that reminds you of yourself or your connection with the world whenever you look at it.
