Kristi Hyde

Artist's Statement

Growing up in North Alabama, I spent much of my childhood playing outside, running around in the hardwoods, making believe of all sorts of fantastic things. The Tennessee River was my sanctuary. The cotton fields were pure magic.  I would squint my eyes and imagine them to be fields of snow in their white, fluffy bloom.  The lotus pods, the cypress trees, the occasional fox or deer running through our yard... This was the world my creative spirit was born and raised and instinctively inspired my love and respect for nature.  It is inevitable that nature, by nature, is a force within my work.  

However, just as my jewelry designs are a celebration of nature, they are also influenced by the pulse of urban life, my love and appreciation for anything old having a story to tell- antique jewelry and textiles, a degree in fine art and taste for fine things. Therefore, I'd describe the style of my jewelry to be a bit modern heirloom infused with an organic design philosophy having a fairytale aesthetic.  

There is a balance in asymmetry within my designs- metaphors that honor the perfect imperfections of our natural world that we can identify with through human spirit and connection.. a broken twig, the skeleton of a leaf starting to reveal itself... a flower bud.

I carefully select botanical elements, then sculpt with a PMC emulsion, polish, patina and set gemstones and pearls.  The shape, movement and form of these pieces determine how I will feature them in a design.  No two pieces are ever exactly alike.  My pieces embrace the feminine and wild spirit, are sensual, elegant, sculptural, beautifully uncommon and always one of a Kind.

 

 

BFA Illustration- Savannah College of Art and Design, 1994-1998

Carolina Designer Craftsmen Guild Member

American Craft Council Member

Acknowledgments- (Cover Photo Necklace shown with a Zac Posen gown)

-        Little Black Dress Exhibit - Mona Bismarck American Center for Art & Culture, Paris

Curated by Andrè Leon Talley -  July 3 – September 22, 2014