| My name is Linda Vollertsen. I am the owner and designer of Mirow. I have been designing jewelry in my studio in Alaska for over twelve years. I have always, as far back as I can remember, felt the need to create. It's part of who I am, and I feel fortunate to be creating beautiful designs for you to wear, to give, to enjoy. The designs I have included in this group have a beautiful, deep, rich earthtone finish. With the contemporary design of the pieces, the contrast is exquisite.
I look forward to entering my studio, and I am excited about creating new designs. When I enter, I center myself and give thanks for the privilege to create. I go into a kind of meditative state as I work with the clay, the stones and the colors.
I put a lot of energy into each piece. (Once I counted how many times I handled one piece of jewelry, it was 107 times!). My first process is drawing the designs. I draw for 4-5 hours, working with many shapes, seeing the clay in my mind, and figuring out how to attach a shape here and the stones there. This brainstorming on paper is creative, fun, and it really energizes me.
After the sketching, I roll the clay into large slabs and work it to the specifications from my drawings. This step is challenging, and it is very satisfying to see my sketches actually coming to life (or sometimes not). I never think of anything being a mistake since I am always learning something new with every piece, even if it doesn't work out…
After the pieces are finished, they are left to dry under a plastic cover. They need to dry very slowly so there is no warping. When dry, I smooth the edges with a sponge. Then they are fired in the kiln. When firing is done and cooled down (approximately 10-12 hours) the designed pieces are ready to be painted.
I wipe each one with a wet cloth to clean the dust off. Then I airbrush seven colors onto each piece, layering color upon color (black, gold, brown, copper, burgundy, green and rust), until each piece has an earthy, richly layered, beautiful depth to it. After the airbrushing, I paint gold accents onto each piece. (Gold represents the sun, masculinity, immortality and wisdom.) At this stage of the process, I embellish the designs with select stones which will best complement each piece. I use pearls in my designs because I am drawn to their energy. They symbolize the feminine, patience, purity and peace. The pearl also is a symbol of the moon and the translucent quality represents tears of joy.
After the stones are attached, I glue the backs on and now they are ready for you to wear for years of enjoyment. I hope you enjoy wearing them as much as I enjoy creating them.
Like my jewelry, this website is a work in progress. I invite you to let me know what you like and dislike in the design and use of mirow.com. If there are items or designs you would like to see, I hope you will share them with me. It is important to me that you are an interactive participant and I appreciate your patronage.
All jewelry comes gift boxed and, if you are interested in purchasing a gift certificate, contact me at linda@mirow.com.
Namaste,
Linda |
