Gallery of Kelly Potts Martinez

I am an English jewelry sculptor living on the edge of haunting, mystical Dartmoor, Devon. I was born and raised in Lancashire, a landscape infused with dark folklore, Victorian gothica and full of Pre-Raphaelite art. I served an apprenticeship in fine jewelry design, master-pattern making for the jewelry industry, and antique jewelry reproduction working on such projects as ecclesiastical jewelry and ritual object restoration, and reproducing pieces for historic private collections and exhibitions. As my skills grew I developed my own style, influenced by my passions for mythology, ancient history, folklore, Art Nouveau, Pre-Raphaelite art and my respect for the ancient smiths whose skills I honor in my work. These enamelled, bejeweled pieces are highly sculptural, often with hidden symbolism and abundant with texture, color and story, talismanic, somewhat magical. One of the aspects of my work that I consider most precious is working to commission absorbing a clients story, their ideas for a piece, the symbols or elements they want to see in the sculpture that are intimately precious to them and holding that dream while using my skills to create a narrative in silver. As a sculptor of folkloric character pieces I take my inspiration from faerie and folktales, myth and legend, and a little influence from classic Czech stop motion animated films. I use mix of media in these pieces, often working branches, feathers and roots into the pieces. My anthropomorphic taxidermy pieces are collected Europe-wide, and include Very Well Dressed Mice, and the Realm of the Rats, along with found wild creatures that are sometimes fused with sculpture to create mythic inspired pieces. I have also created designs for UK independent films, TV & theatre and I also teach sculpture and jewellery making to small groups in Andalucia, Spain. www.kellymartinez.co.uk