Vibe Spring2025 - Flipbook - Page 32
Nick Thompson photo
“When you hold a mug made by hand, you’re connected to the person who made it.
I like to think there is that sensibility in my jewelry. More and more I think about the arts being
lost to computers and AI, with no hands involved. We’re losing touch with how things are made.
But art is a piece of you that you’re sharing. It makes that human connection.”
demonstration, tapping with a rawhide
hammer and progressing through the
process to describe her many hammers
(chasing, riveting, planishing, raising),
each designed to form metal in a different
way. “You can Zen out doing this. I love to
work with my hands and let my hands do
the work more than relying on machines.
There is something very empowering and
satisfying about moving metal, something
that you can’t just move with your fingers.
To be able to bend it and transform it.”
Karen Eisenberg’s jewelry is most
recognizable for its surface patterns
and textures. She uses a lot of silver clay,
a material that is actually fine silver
powder suspended in an organic clay
matter. When fired in the kiln, the organic
material burns away, leaving nothing
behind but the pure silver. The resulting
porous nature of this metal creates a
wonderful bright white matte finish that
beautifully lends itself to Karen’s textures
and patterns. She sometimes enhances
the contrast of these textures with an ancient Korean technique called Keum Boo,
in which 24k gold foil is heat-bonded to
the silver. Other times she uses a patina
to blacken the silver, or simply burnishes
the top surfaces to make them gleam.
Many of her designs include circle
themes that she calls “mandalas,” and abstract leaf textures that have a somewhat
tribal sensibility. Her work also has some
Japanese influence, retaining an understated delicacy even in its boldness, along
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with her decisions to leave some spontaneity—some evidence of a moment, just
as her teacher had once encouraged.
There are subtleties of Karen’s work
that point directly back to her roots in
ceramics. Just as a good piece of pottery
has the right weight and feel in the hand,
each element of her jewelry has similarly
been thoughtfully considered. Often her
finishing process takes longer than the
actual building of a piece. To be worn on
the body, it needs to be smooth, comfortable, durable, and fully functional. She is
also very much interested in the philosophy of hand-crafted work.
Similarly, Karen enjoys making custom-jewelry pieces for people. She loves the
community connection that draws people
to find her and her work, and the personal
connection that develops throughout the
design process for a set of custom wedding
bands, or a necklace commissioned to mark
a special occasion. The jewelry becomes
more meaningful because the connection is
also shared with the maker.
“Jewelry has to have a spark. I try
to make it mine, not to imitate someone
else’s. It’s difficult not to be influenced
by your surroundings. Sometimes in the
design process, I just let my hands do what
they do. It is like your unique fingerprint.
Everyone’s hands move in a different way.”
We are all connected and touch each
other in an infinite number of ways. Even
if you haven’t met Karen Eisenberg in
person, you’ve probably been in close
proximity with her, or her beautiful jewelry, here in our small town. And similarly,
Karen’s contribution and influence as an
art teacher has touched the lives of hundreds of creative people in our community.
Karen Eisenberg’s work can be
found at the League of NH Craftsmen
Gallery, 2526 White Mountain
Highway, North Conway Village.
www.nhcraftsmen.com
(603) 356-2441
www.kareneisenberg.com
Karissa Masse is owner and curator of the
historical League of NH Craftsmen Fine
Craft Gallery in North Conway Village,
representing over 250 NH artists and
craftsmen in the non-profit organization.
She is also an artist in her own right, with
a BFA in ceramics and sculpture from
RIT. In addition to making pottery and
managing the gallery, Karissa developed
the craft education program there, and
teaches alongside numerous pottery and
craft educators in the community-based
Creative Studios. Karissa’s work at the
North Conway League of NH Craftsmen
Gallery continues to provide economic
support to hundreds of New Hampshire’s
craftsmen, and enriches the Mt. Washington Valley community with art,
culture, and craft education.
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