Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaime Foley.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I’ve been an artist my entire life. I started out drawing as soon as I was able. My parents always nurtured that in me. In high school, I was blessed with the best art teacher. He encouraged me to try all mediums, taught me many techniques, let me try whatever I wanted and went above and beyond providing me with materials non-specific to class. He helped me apply for shows, taught me how to present my work, guided me through building my portfolio, and most importantly always provided a safe space. He actually showed me my first metalsmithing techniques and gave me my first tools which I still own today.
Through that time I also attended the high school programs through Cooper Union in NYC. When it came to college, I had the option to stay local for community college and have school paid for so I chose that and started working on a fine arts degree. I spent a lot of time figure drawing and painting in oils which I loved so much. I loved it but I also realized that having a job in the fine art field doesn’t usually involve just your own original work and so I decided to change paths.
I finished a degree in baking and pastry arts and worked in the field for less than a year before getting caught up in designing costume style clothing. I started a business in 2013 called Whirl & Dirvish through which I made handmade hula hoops and costumes geared toward the festival culture.
Originally from NY I moved to Austin about a year and a half ago and told myself when I got down here I would check out some metalsmithing classes and sewing classes as I was self-taught and wanted to improve on my skills. Well, I tried a silversmithing class first and immediately fell in love. I signed up for a number of classes and have been doing that ever since. I had been thinking about no longer making hoops since it wasn’t the most creatively fulfilling craft and when I started with jewelry, I knew I had to stop.
Soon after that, I sold my materials. I took some research I had done about electroforming and purchased a setup. I continued with my classes in silversmithing and started renting studio space at the school I was taking classes at. Silversmithing was always something I was interested in from a much younger age but never had the resources or place to take it up. Now I feel like I’ve found my craft really and truly. I feel challenged and wide open. Reverie Fabrications is the name under which I create all my jewelry work. I still love to sew and create some new work or do custom orders but jewelry is where my brain is most of the time, day and night!
Please tell us about your art.
Mostly I create because creating is my way of being. I’m constantly driven to be making something. Honestly, there’s just not enough time in the day to create or learn all the things, but I do my best. Right now most of what I make is copper electroformed and Silver fabricated jewelry. I’ve just started working a bit in gold as well!
Electroforming is a bit of a science experiment where you manipulate the metal into growing on the ‘bones’ of the piece. This technique gives a very organic look and allows for each piece to be unique in its own way. When I fabricate my work, like I do in silver and gold, I cut and form and file and melt each little aspect of the piece. Fabricating is where my heart is at. It challenges me, there is always more to learn and always ways to refine techniques I’m already using. The actual act of building something and seeing it come together throughout the process is so fulfilling and so satisfying.
Almost all my work features stones which are a huge aspect of what inspires me. Most times I start with the stones and design around them, creating something that honors and frames the magic of these incredible formations that this earth gifts to us. I am endlessly enthralled with the processes of nature and how all things are connected. Namely, it is the connections through life and death that grab me the most and so you will also find many bones and teeth in my work as well. In the contemporary human world, there is life and there is death. In the heart of nature there is life and then there is life from death. As humans, we live and we die and then the ones we loved, try to preserve us as we were in life. In nature afterlife, the matter that life was made up of is, in one way or another, brought back to the earth and from earth, all things grow. The gems you see in a ring may have grown being fed by minerals carried to the earth from the body of a decaying animal.
I find these stories and processes and connections beautiful in so many ways. While for some people teeth and bones might be extremely strange and uncomfortable I see a beautiful story to be encapsulated. I like to take things people find disgusting and turn them into something beautiful, that someone might be able to see what I see and appreciate the story, the journey, and the gifts the life it once held has given back to the earth.
I find that Antique jewelry and mementos often encapsulate these feelings and thoughts. Bones, teeth, hair, and fur were commonly used in keep-safes and gifts. Simpler and harder times where life and death were constantly in question and most people experienced the connections between them in their everyday survival. I have always been drawn to older things, I admire the craftsmanship and the stories they tell, the blood sweat and tears that went into creating them and so I tend to channel this in my work, giving it an edwardian/victorian feel at times. I hope that my work encourages people to look for beauty in places they might not usually see it and to appreciate the power in the natural cycles of existence.
*All animal products used in my work are either found in nature or purchased from a company that ethically sources cruelty-free products. No living creature is ever harmed.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
The biggest challenge facing artists today, in my opinion, is marketing. In today’s culture you have to show up each and every day on social media, ideally on multiple platforms, just to say ‘hey I’m here don’t forget me!’. Peoples need for immediate gratification and constant new content can be debilitating as an artist. Art is not immediate. It is a process- a process which includes taking time to get into the flow of your craft. Stopping in that flow to take a photo, edit that photo, and write a post isn’t part of the creative process. In fact, it takes away from the process, removes you from that flow state which is where the best work comes from. Getting into that flow can take hours and as much as artists want to share their work, have people appreciate it, and ultimately have people want to purchase it, the ways in which society demands we show up for them can actually negatively affect our productivity and quality of work.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My work can always be viewed and supported online through my Instagram (this is my most updated and current feed!), Facebook, and website. All available work can be viewed by appointment as well! I can be contacted through any of the above channels. Signing up for my email list is a great way to get updated on any upcoming shows or a new line of work.
Contact Info:
- Website: Reveriefabrications.com
- Email: reveriefabrications@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/reveriefabrications
- Facebook: Facebook.com/reveriefabrications
Image Credit:
Artist Photo Credit : Stan Martin Photography
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