Datura Seeds Posey Water Lilies
Inspired by Nature
“ We wanted to get out of the city, so I started a business growing and selling cut flowers to florists,” Amy said.“ It was so cool to be in nature every day. I could feel the seasons changing. I was spending so much time on my hands and knees in the dirt that I started paying attention to the details and really started connecting with the beauty of nature.”
The flowers that didn’ t sell were hung to dry. One day Amy tried making a wreath out of them.
“ That was when we opened our first store,” she said.“ It was a garden-themed store. It was so much fun, but we had a lot to learn.”
When searching for jewelry to sell in the store, a local jewelry artist invited Amy to attend a wire wrapping workshop.
“ A light bulb went off immediately for me,” Amy said.“ It was like,‘ Oh, this is how I connect all of the dots.’ Sometimes when you aren’ t looking, life smacks you in the face.”
She enrolled in metalsmithing classes at Indiana University and began designing and crafting her first line of jewelry.
“ Time spent among trees always teaches and inspires.”
In 1998, Amy began selling her first line of jewelry at her store. Her inspiration came from her years spent in the dirt with the flowers, and from her childhood spent enjoying nature.
“ Time spent among trees always teaches and inspires. These lovely, woody perennial plants with their elongated stems or trunks … play host to a myriad of forest creatures,” Amy describes on her website.“ As a metalsmith, my mind wanders to the challenge of translating these forms into wearable art that will share this peaceful experience with the wearer.”
Her expertise and customer following have grown every year since. One of her proudest moments was being juried into the Indiana Artisan Program.
“ It changed the way I looked at my work because all of a sudden
there was a much larger group of people looking at my work,” she said.“ I started expanding my thought process. It was like the wildest design I could think of would be exactly what somebody was looking for.”
The artisan program also allowed her to expand her sales territory. Today, Amy’ s jewelry is sold in more than 30 stores across the country.
“ It’ s really cool. I love being able to build relationships with customers at other stores,” she said.“ It’ s just been trial and error, and taking classes, and pushing boundaries since the day I started. There is always something new to learn and to be inspired by.”
And while she could likely make jewelry anywhere in the world, Amy said she is proud to call Brown County home.
“ The richness and beauty of this place is remarkable. I am still sometimes amazed that this is my back yard. It’ s just so beautiful and there is such a supportive and welcoming arts community. This place is special.”•
Jan./ Feb. 2018 • Our Brown County 17