About Kelly M Noonan

and

5 Oaks Studio

Kelly M Noonan Bio

Kelly M Noonan is Texas based independent artist primarily in jewelry. She is inspired by and respectful of nature. Growing up in east Texas and preferring to be outdoors rather than in, instilled a deep love for nature and the patience to watch her unfold. Ever making something whether it be jewelry, painting, sculpture, photography, pottery, weaving, instrumental music, vocal music, or woodwork, creating has always been her lifeblood. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from University of North Texas. Her degree focused in Crafts with a concentration in Jewelry Making and Metalworking studying with acclaimed metalsmith and enamellist Harlan Butt. Her first position was apprenticing under Cynthia Thomas, a master goldsmith, from California. As a goldsmith Kelly was part of creating large statement jewelry in gold and gems, Fabergé replicas, and the go-to jeweler for intricate wax carving, casting and enameling. Kelly practiced jewelry making for a decade. After that she pursued higher education receiving an MBA and a MS in Marketing Research from The University of Texas at Arlington. Following a decade of corporate work she gleefully returned to her passion, creating works of art. Kelly founded 5 Oaks Studio in 2013 with the mission to create heartfelt and unique jewelry in silver and gold, reflecting her love of nature. There are one- of-a-kind jewelry pieces available through 5oaksstudio.com, as well as original design production pieces, custom jewelry, and the latest addition from the artist is what Kelly calls Wearable Sculpture. Statement jewelry designed with a custom display so that the wearable art can be sculpturally shown at all times or removed and worn. The piece “Inner Space”, one in the Wearable Sculpture series, won second place at the Craft Hilton Head 2016 National Juried Fine Art Craft Guild Exhibition Presented by the Art League of Hilton Head NC. Additional awards all from the Arlington Gem and Mineral Club show 2016 include: First Place Best of Jewelry with “Inner Space”; First Place Advanced Silver Smithing with “Cleaved Geometry”; First Place Casting with “Caribbean Sea”; First Place Advanced Metal Smithing with “Cubist Blue”. Finally, in 2014 Kelly was a top 10 finalist in the national competition 9 th Annual Business Grant Competition by Halstead Inc. Kelly is a member of the American Craft Council, Texas Artists Coalition, and is a teaching member of the Arlington Gem and Mineral Club.

Kelly’s “Artist Statement”

I am so completely fascinated by our natural world. The subtle color changes of a flower, the story a rock can tell of earth’s history, a tree that is home to creatures and the living history of a place. Nature cannot be improved upon, but I can capture a sense of her astonishing beauty and grandeur. My designs are a statement that I am in love with the natural world. Nature’s ability to produce amazing patterns is appealing to me. I find a sense of calm in these patterns. The scalloped surface of windblown sand, the stunning geometry of a honeycomb, or the eternal layering of earth in a cliff’s face provide me the visual imagery and inspiration to design pieces that reproduce that calming pattern. I want to make jewelry that is a reflection of who I am. My work is meant to reflect a respect for our earth and her progeny, a prayer for our natural world, and a meditation of the elemental. I’m truly grateful that I can represent this respect and fascination through art and share it in a public way as I believe that jewelry is the most public of art forms. Jewelry has for the breadth of human history been an outward expression of inner being. I’ve always considered jewelry miniature sculpture, a delightful object that can be examined in the hand or adorn a body. I call this series Wearable Sculpture, with emphasis on wearable. This idea came about from a desire to have my pieces on display rather than hidden in a box. I create a piece of wearable statement jewelry and a meaningful and complementary display for the piece. The piece is a miniature sculpture within a small sculpture. The large stones that are at the center of the design are selected because they evoked a palpable recollection in me, like water I’ve swum in, a cliff face I’ve gazed at, or a science lesson that captured my imagination. They are the inspiration for the story of the piece. I will leave the stone as natural as I can while enhancing the innate beauty by selective polishing. The rawness of edges or the natural cavity in a stone is compelling to me. I build a sterling silver mounting for the stone that furthers the story. Acquiring the final form is something of a working meditation to me, very contemplative, and fully engaging. I love the focus required for hours, the intensity is mesmerizing. The metalworking technique may be lost wax casting, cuttlebone casting, or directly in the metal through a fabrication process. This is where so many of my hand tools come in like hammers, files, punches, and soldering. I get to play with tools, very exciting. This Wearable Sculpture Series is on display or can be worn so that the piece is always telling its story. My hope is that others find in the designs something that can help them express themselves.

What’s In A Name, 5 Oaks Studio?

The naming of 5 Oaks Studio was a natural as I have for many years called my home 5 Oaks. Five great Oaks, each standing over 75 feet, live in the back yard. They are close to 100 years old. These five great oaks were here well before me and here well before my home was built in their midst. I am mindful of my sharing life with these trees. I am perhaps a steward of the trees. That calls me to a responsibility to them to keep their environment as alive as they are so that they may thrive. The trees do a wondrous thing for their environment in refreshing the air, providing me shade in the summer months, nourishment back to the ground in the fall, and are literal homes for squirrels, birds, lizards, and countless insects. These trees are an integral part of my life both when I am home and away. They are life giving and life calling. The art of jewelry creation is equally life giving and life calling. 5 Oaks Studio is therefore an appropriate name. Come on in…enjoy the beauty!

Special Thanks

Firstly, I’d like to thank my wife Rachael Sandifer for her patience and understanding. She has been totally supportive of my artistic endevers giving space, time, love , and much needed smiles. We recently added a room to our home to more than double the size of my studio. This space is mostly windows looking out into our back yard under our 5 majestic oaks. Next, many thanks to William Carlisle for helping me learn my web design software and construct this website. Billy has an amazing talent with computers and is able to help non-tech people make better sense of them. Please visit his website at www.ourcomputertutor.org — he can help you do more with your technology, too! A very talented woman I’d like to thank is Pam Brocato. She has a gift for graphic design and I am grateful for her work on my logo and other graphic elements of this business. Pam is available for many design and development needs. Vist her website at www.pambrocato.com. Thanks also to the gifted David Mehl for sharing his amazing talent in the video arts. He has great ideas, great passion and the skill to match. His business is Affinity Pictures, LLC; visit his website at www.affinitypictures.net to see his outstanding portfolio.

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