BARBARA KLAR // Clear Metals, Inc.
When I created my first piece of jewelry 23 years ago, I had no idea of the journey that lay before me. The entire process of making jewelry intrigued me: from the challenge of developing a vocabulary of skills to my participation in the entire history and tradition of metalsmithing.
I love the fact that jewelry is such an intimate art form. Not only physically, but emotionally. What one feels about a piece of jewelry gives it importance and meaning. That emotional attachment to the jewelry takes on an entirely new element in the creative process when a client wears it. The jewelry becomes theirs and their own personal symbolism now becomes part of the piece.
My work is symbolic and personal as I incorporate a wide range of design influences from Celtic, Egyptian, & American Indian to contemporary street graffiti. After 20 years, I closed my store in NYC and relocated to Ulster County in June of 2001. Here I find the peace and inspiration in nature to create my new work.
