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Julie Jerman-Melka - Flying Anvil Designs
Artist Statement
I’ve known ever since I was a child growing up on the shores of Lake Superior, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, that I would always work with my hands. I come from a family of makers. Metal spoke to me at a young age and in 1980 I received my B.F.A from Northern Michigan University, of course with an emphasis in Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design. My first job after graduation took me to Vail, Colorado, where I worked as a goldsmith for 15 years. Always looking for new challenges, I decided to return to school and earn my M.F.A. at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. This also enables me to teach college level metals classes, and share my passion of metalsmithing with others. In addition to Flying Anvil Designs which I started in 1998, I teach part-time at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I remain active in the metals community both through SNAG, the Society of North American Goldsmiths, and COMA, the Colorado Metalsmithing Association. Please browse through my website, flyinganvildesigns.com, and feel free to contact me with any questions you might have about my work.
Inspiration
Nature has, is, and will always be a strong influence in my work. I have lived in Colorado for 25 years, and get daily inspiration. As strong as this is, however, there is an even stronger influence that pervades my work; one that I refer to as the distant shores of my youth. This comes from growing up on the shores of Lake Superior, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. My childhood was spent combing the beaches, playing in the forests, or enjoying the perspective from my father’s boat. Many years have passed, but the sights, the smells, and the treasures collected remain fresh, and have an enormous impact on my work.
I am fortunate to be able to make two trips each year to the playgrounds of my youth, which is where I collect all of the black granite pebbles that are used in my Gentle Current Series. Several days are spent walking miles of beaches, collecting the perfect pebbles. Some of them are cut and drilled; some are left almost as they were found. As I work on each piece in this series, I remember vividly where they were collected. I see the vast dimensions of Lake Superior, some days as smooth as glass, and others sending waves so big to the shore that I can’t see over the tops of them. I can smell the great lake smells, which really can’t be described unless you’ve experienced them, and I can’t wait until my next trip.
There are vast, dense forests in Upper Michigan, and this is where the influence for the pieces in my Flora Fauna Series comes from. The forms don’t reference a particular kind of plant, but they do give a sense of the flora and fauna in a natural setting. I also use granulation to reference the tiny dew drops one might see on plant leaves, while walking through the forest on a cool Upper Michigan morning.
All artists have their own sources of inspiration. I am fortunate that I was raised somewhere that continues to inspire my creativity. I am fortunate that I get to return each year to this wonderful place: the distant shores of my youth.
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