Amplify Artist Statements

Object of Empathy #1 and #2

paper pulp, bronze, brass, crushed Jet

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Amulets, while believed to carry special powers, are also placeholders for our desires and remind us of our shared belonging. These twin pieces investigate aspects of our humanity, particularly empathy. I am interested in empathy and what bonds us to one another. These neckpieces carry our fragile sense of self and our relationship with one other, reminding and empowering the wearer.

Tools for Loss

Sterling Silver, Found Objects

 

Katie Rearick received her BFA with an emphasis in Metal/Jewelry from Western Michigan University, and her MFA from SUNY New Paltz. Supplemental to her formal education, she has studied at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and Penland School of Crafts.

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Be in love with

Be devoted to

Be passionate about

Oxidized sterling silver

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Be in love with your partner. Be enamored with yourself. Be devoted to your family. Be devoted to your friends. Be passionate about the things you enjoy.  Life is best lived with passion and joy. These talismans combine the symbol of the heart with the anatomy of a heart to allow me to envelop myself, my family and my community with an abundance of love, intensity and laughter. 

Non-noble

Silver, titanium, steel / 2023

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I don’t generally prescribe to the notion that objects are imbued with good luck or protection. For this exhibition, I have created an anti-amulet that explores impermanence and counterintuitive methodologies by combining mild steel, silver, and titanium. Excluding noble metals, such as gold, refined metals are inherently unstable and in a constant state of flux. This instability and penchant to revert to a natural state, especially when dissimilar metals are in contact with one another, is what drives the process of corrosion. Utilizing welding as a nontraditional approach to “marriage of metal,” I challenge materiality and relinquish my control as a maker by fusing together dissimilar metals that have corrosive properties with one another. When this object is worn, the wearer can take solace in knowing that they are stronger than the bonds that hold the sum of its parts together, which will degrade over time and potentially fall to pieces.

Untitled

sterling silver, 14kt gold, copper, coral, freshwater pearls

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This talisman was created to provide comfort and strength. I likened it to worry beads. I purposefully created lots of textures that you could run fingers over like braille, to give solace during times of trouble. Yet I also tried to make it beautifully fierce, as the coral is, to give protection if you will to the wearer.

Nothing Left To Say

Poplar, Milk Paint, Sterling Silver, Gold Wax Finish

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Strength and comfort can be found in simple everyday objects. The ones we never notice and take for granted often provide the most relief. Within the familiarity of the most mundane and essential items of our home, we find protection, solace, and lasting imprints.

Rupert's Glass Eye Pin - Courage

artificial eye, gallery wire, brass, ostrich occular bone, wasp nests, quartz crystals, copper, glass beads, mica, coins, magnets, gold leaf, found box

My father lost his eye as a kid when he fell on a corn stalk while running in a field. He recently turned 94 years old and continues to inspire me and give me courage every day.

 

Big Al Cardinal Ring - Protection

cardinal head, silver, brass, nest, gold leaf, quail egg shell, glass beads, micro beads, magnets, chain, wooden plugs, nail polish, paint, resin, found box

My father-in-law died 2 years ago and we miss him to this day. Whenever we see a cardinal, we know he is watching over us.

Human Presence Brooch 

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My talisman has always been nature. Returning to nature revitalizes me and inspires me. These brooches contain rocks found while beach combing along the coast of Maine, an activity that can engross me for hours.

ee i, ii, iii

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I made a few versions of the traditional Evil Eye talisman in enamel and steel. I have started noticing this motif everywhere, from jewelry seen on the street to wall hangings in restaurants, and I was inspired to create decorative versions as brooches.

Twilight

sterling silver, citrine, onyx

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Standing outside watching fireflies float and glow around my yard. I am inspired to take a moment to slow down, ground myself, and appreciate all that surrounds me. Reminded, it's the small and simple things in life that matter most.

Luck or Lemons

14K GF Sheet/ Wire/ Tube + Sterling Silver Sheet/ Wire/ Tube + Purple Cord

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This is my 13 years in business as a jewelry designer, so there are 13 handcrafted charms of Luck, one for each year. Some years felt lucky, but then weren't and others didn't feel lucky, but then a silver lining. This piece represent the House of CAT LUCK and all the Luck Surrounding it, and the dualities. What's lucky to some are unlucky to others. Ones luck is another's misfortune, or perhaps when the world gives you lemons make lemonade.

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Eat, Cat, Love

Copper, Steel Mesh, Powder coat

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When designing this piece, I thought about what grounds me when I am in need of support. My family and friends are my greatest advocates, guiding and believing in me through this adventure of life. Food is the ultimate comfort for almost all of my worries, there is not much a gluten free dino nug could not mend. My cats protect my home, providing a sense peace and warmth. 

Mother's Word's

Sterling silver, copper and paper/ 2023

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If everyone took a piece of paper, wrote their problems down, crumpled the paper and threw them all in a pile; you would run back and grab your own.” My mother’s words to teach kindness and respect to all. This saying has stayed with me into adulthood and was the inspiration for this piece.

Ephemera, Finding Center

Pearls, silk, silver

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Ephemera, Finding Center is an object of adornment through which I have come to process growth, grief/loss, as well as a cross-country move from my previous home, a luscious Floridian landscape. I collect and cast plantlife from physical, geographic locations that hold personal significance. This practice allows me to immortalize the ephemeral moments I experience.

Comfort and Wisdom

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I find strength from comfort and wisdom and this necklace is a balances of both. Cat whiskers represent the comfort I feel not only from my two cats but also from my home surroundings. The book on the opposite side of the whiskers is comprised of pages from Hermann Hesse’s book Siddhartha. The end of the book focuses on listening and being present. Reading these words helps me focus these simple yet profound elements of life.

Hypnagogia

silver, copper, 24k, vitreous enamel

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Hypnagogia is the magical in-between theta brain wave state of consciousness that is experienced as we shift from wakefulness into sleep. These are sublime moments as we transition into an alternate state of timeless dreamtime. As a regression hypnosis practitioner, my clients are held in trance in this very same brain wave state for quite a while. Implementing gentle humor and reverence for the human condition through the intuitive use of vintage and antique imagery and 1950's comic book word bubbles, this talisman supports me in holding sacred space for whatever may come up with my clients in a non-judgemental way, creating an energetic container of encouragement, curiosity and unconditional love.

My love is my own

sterling silver, 18k gold, 2023

 

Now that I know love
I look for it in every thing
I find it in the morning rain
In the flowers by the stream

I keep it with me
It protects me

All of the love in the world protects me

All Eyes On Me

Enameled Copper, brass, and glass eye cabochons

 

I am drawn to ancient symbols. One of the oldest symbol is the eye. In some cultures, it is referred to as the “evil eye”. It’s not evil at all, but repels evil as a protective amulet. As a gay, BIPOC person, I have had to overcome a lot of adversity in my life; my brooch is a talisman to protect my safety, especially as I become more visible as an emerging artist.

Go for broke

brass, garnet

 

We are unable to know the governing forces of luck. Only catching glimpses in shadows, and even when it reveals its shape, it is formless. We scry, ponder, and yearn to grasp a nebula. With a spin, one can peer through the keyhole in a locked door.

Lucky Shoes, Lucky You

copper mesh, leather, string, rope, brass

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Many symbols have been considered a totem of good fortune throughout history; among them is the lucky horseshoe. Early Western Europeans believed that iron had magical powers and could drive away evil spirits of mischievous fairies and mystical creatures. Horseshoes, being made of iron, naturally became protective talisman. This piece is a pop art style horseshoe, made of copper metal mesh that has been hand woven. I use copper metal mesh to weave the horseshoe shape as a reference to the mythical power of iron, which propelled the horseshoe to the level of talisman.

Echinacea Body

Copper, Brass, Enamel, Patina, Graphite

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It is exhausting existing in a marginalized body. I created this talisman of my fat, queer, trans, disabled body nd adorned it in Echinacea flowers. Echinacea symbolize healing, strength, and well-being.

Dance Partners

Silver, steel, maple, cherry, mahogany, walnut, fabric, leather, thread

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My daughter once said, “I love that you dance with me”. So, I made a piece about my dance partners. Each connection represents my relationships, with my community, friends, and family. Because they are my foundation, my solace, and my navigation. I hold them close.

Material Blessings

Floss, 1 3/8” diameter, oxidized sterling silver, embroidery floss Pattern & Stone, 1 3/8” diameter, etched and inlaid sterling silver, chrome diopside Leaves, 1 3/8” diameter, oxidized sterling silver Paste Paper, 1 3/8” diameter, hand-painted paste paper, oxidized sterling silver, embroidery floss, gold thread, brass screws

 

For 57 years, my father carried a silver dollar in his trouser pocket that my mother gave him on their wedding day; it was his good luck charm. My Material Blessings series of pocket tokens pays homage to his coin as a talisman. Each coin is made from familiar and comforting materials that I have worked with over my thirty-plus years as an artist. These materials are the paintbox for inspiring creativity, providing income, and expressing my internal world.

Dissolve

Ploylactide, texture coating

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Adornment can be a form of masking or covering. This piece exists in two forms; it draws attention but also provides a barrier.

Golden Boy

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Golden Boy is an imaginary being, among many other hairy specters from the afterlife. When worn his curvy figure emits queer light through a joyful, legless, contrapposto pose. His power lies in the in between space of material and immaterial being. He lends his power to the wearer, by disguising the spectral self under a layer of fur. A ghost with skin and hair may not be a ghost at all.

ho

cast aluminum rope and basketball netting

 

With a nod to hip hop-glam necklaces, this work is a mash up of influences. The basketball net collar with the "ho" text allows the wearer to self identify in contrast to Hawthorne's Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter (italics please) who was shackled with her label. Using both actual rope and cast rope, the work amplifies the misogyny present in American sports culture.

Pyrophile

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My work is a celebration of biodiversity that explores themes of perseverance and fragility through life cycles and relationships within ecosystems. Nature’s oddities inspire me to create statement jewelry which aims to empower the wearer. Pyrophile references plants that require fire to complete their life cycles; specifically seed pods with thin, dry outer layers that act as tinder in this case. These earrings act as a symbol of strength and a reminder for the wearer to be as resilient as a pyrophyte.

Shield for Comfort

Brass, cotton fabric, embroidery floss, polyester stuffing, velvet ribbon

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Shield for Comfort serves as my personal talisman, offering symbolic protection for my heart. The inner side of the shield provides warmth, with hand-stitched images representing good luck and protection resting against my chest when worn. Its outer brass plate guards against pain and wickedness while holding goodness close to me.

Comfort

Brass, thread, fur

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​I take comfort in knowing who came before me, this medal acts as a reminder of those who have been, who are and who will be.