This article was featured in the march Anitgravity Magazine - Way to go Maria!
THE GOODS YA BETTA’ SUPA DON’T!
Local jewelry designer Maria Fomich creates funky and unique pieces that appeal to a wide range of personal styles. She crafts everything from fabulous cuff bracelets made from acrylic and recycled fabrics to adorable hummingbird earrings to quirky yet functional bike reflectors. One of my favorite pieces is her Louisiana "Love It" necklace, made from handcut silver with bronze detailing. I caught up with Maria to find out more about how she got started and what goes into her creating her one of a kind work.
Miss Malaprop: How did you get started making things?
Maria Fomich: I think making is just a part of my family history. My mother juggled four daughters, all under the age of 6 with me being the youngest, and still managed to fit in the cookie baking and craft making. When my oldest sister took an interest in art, I of course wanted to be at her side. She would set up a small picnic table in our hot garage with a large fan running and we’d sit endlessly creating papier-mache creatures. My favorite one is in my living room today.
MM: Can you tell us a little bit about what goes in to making your jewelry?
MF: My metalwork is made with various techniques, from riveting to soldering, all depending on the piece itself. The cuff bracelets seem to be the mystery for people, so here you go! Firstly, I try to use as much recycled material and scraps as I can. Of course, the best scraps come from my sister’s upholstery shop in Baltimore, MD. Even the plastic I try to buy as scrap. The cuff bracelets are made from a fusing process. With heat and pressure I turn a plastic and fabric (or what ever I can get my hands on) sand wich into a one of a kind, made with love cuff bracelet. Then they go through a rigorous cleaning process of sanding and buffing that usually leaves me laid out on the floor, yet with a feeling of accomplishment at the end of the night. My process and endurance I can credit to the Cleveland Institute of Art, where I studied Jewelry/Metal Arts, and the mastering of sleepless nights. I am lucky enough to have the "every artist’s dream" studio in my apartment, because whoever lived here before me built it. The workbench extends the entire room’s length and is complete with outlets every few feet, coupled with a shelving unit. Thank you, you’re awesome, whoever you are!
MM: When and how did you make the transition from hobbyist to selling your work?
MF: During school I took a production class, where I learned all about making and selling jewelry. Problem was, at the time I wasn’t really making jewelry, I was making one of a kind artwork, so it was an interesting experience. One of the requirements was to sell my work at our student holiday sale. So I changed the way I worked and made some sellable jewelry. I had so much fun watching people interact with my work that I started searching for markets outside of school. I learn more with every market I do.
MM: Are there things you enjoy making just for personal use or gifts, and not to sell?
MF: Yes! Those items are my most important, and usually the most fun to make. When you really know someone and can make them something you know they’ll cherish, there’s no better feeling. It’s love, and I make it!
MM: What’s your favorite thing you’ve ever made?
MF: A vessel. I had just learned to work with pewter, a beautiful material which rebels against the usual properties of metal because it softens as you work with it. My sister was pregnant, and it was her sonogram picture that inspired the determination to make something unlike I’d ever made before. I worked nonstop and melted holes in the piece repeatedly. In the end I had a closed bulbous form, constructed on thirteen segments of sheet metal that rocked. I really don’t know how it came together, but it’s beautiful.
MM: What do you do when you’re not creating?
MF: I work for a jewelry artist by day, and by night I watch a lot of film, read feminist literature, drink beer with friends and, of course, disappear to my studio. I want to travel (who doesn’t), and plan to someday.
MM: Where can people find your work?
MF: Come say hello at the Freret Street Market & Bywater Art Market. My work can also be purchased at Lucky 13 (Decatur Street), Magazine Metals (2036 Magazine Street), and Funrock’n (1128 Decatur Street & 3109 Magazine Street). And there’s always my website,
www.yabettasupadont.etsy.com, cause ya betta’ don’t, ya betta’ supa don’t. Holla y’all!
A great time was had by all when some members of the the New Orleans Etsy Street Team stepped up their trashion recycling skills and took the Worn Again Fashion show by storm.
Mallory of Dismantled designs renovated a shabby parka into this fabulous spats ensemble.You can check out her shop at http://www.dismantled.etsy.com/
Christeen of Avantgarb, the winner of last year's competition, came as little bopeep. Check out her mad bloomer making skills at http://www.avantgarb.etsy.com/.
