Whether a piece of jewelry represents a significant life happening, or it soaks up experiences lived by someone who wears or once wore it, jewelry holds stories. These stories are the core of Katelin's jewelry-making practice. When she was studying at Rhode Island School of Design, with a focus on figure drawing, she took an elective class in Jewelry and Metalsmithing, instantly fell in love with the tools and the process, and dedicated the rest of her studies to learning the craft. She realizes now that a through line between her drawing and her metalsmithing is the human body, and the warmth and intimacy found there.
Looking back over the last 15 years of making jewelry, while specific sources of inspiration have shifted for her, all her inspirations have been tied to the human experience. Earlier work was primarily inspired by the architecture of buildings of devotion and the people who made them - people believing so wholeheartedly in something, to spend lifetimes and immeasurable detailed attention to honor it. She’s also been inspired by antique gold jewelry, and the intricate processes that were achieved with limited tools and techniques to convey specific meaning. Today, Katelin’s work is inspired by her experience as a mother, a profound shift in life perspective, as well as by relationship dynamics, and the search for balance through life cycles. While she used to thrive on intricate details, Katelin is now inspired to focus on overall form in an attempt to capture these life experiences.
Katelin lives in Topanga Canyon with her daughter Grey, in a tiny house that she and Grey’s dad built together. She finds her calm by running to the top of a mountain or jumping in the ocean, and she is energized by the culture and friends in the city nearby.
