I’ve had a passion for creating jewelry for quite some time now. Besides finding absolute joy in designing and constructing art with my hands, I have encountered a residual effect of my dear hobby, and that is meeting other people who appreciate my work and are inspired by it. Certain people have connected with me because my art has resonated with them in some way.
These people have encouraged me and have supported my deep love and this has actually fostered relationships built on their appreciation of my soul’s fire. These people have supported my passion and they have also validated my work. In times of insecurity, their support has inspired me to continue creating.
Jenny was one of these people. From the moment we met, we found we had similar tastes. She shared her favorite artists with me, and I shared mine with hers. She was never afraid to admit distaste of anything she didn’t like, so I knew she wasn’t ingratiating me when she complimented a piece of my work. I also trusted her opinion because she had an eye and it was easy to see this by walking into her home, adorned top to bottom in eclectic, unique paintings and sculptures. She had a severely interesting collection of jewelry and loved to wear it as she was a proponent of aesthetic beauty.
Jenny also had a strong connection with mother nature, another artist, of course. I work with bones, feathers, insects, stones, and other natural elements quite often in my jewelry. A while back I began utilizing Butterfly wings. Fascinated by butterflies, I created earrings and necklaces with lamination and resin. Much like the butterfly, Jenny was constantly reinventing herself as she met challenges in her life. She would sit on something, analyze it to death, process her deep emotions, all the while growing. Seeing her ultimately happy near the end of her life was like seeing a butterfly fully emerge from its cocoon. Her wings were beautiful.
Jenny died after emerging from her chrysalis, much like butterflies do quickly after they can fly and boast their new bodies. She had finally found some peace after some tragic events in her life and was beginning a new chapter in her work life, focusing on marketing where she could showcase her own skills. She was walking down a road after a fun night of making new friends and trying out her new happiness like a new shirt on a night out. She was hit and killed by a drunk driver and it broke my heart.
Jenny owned three pairs of my butterfly earrings and switched and wore them almost every single day. I loved seeing her wear something I had created. It is a kind of joy I recommend.
That is why I have decided to name my butterfly line, The Jenny Line. Everyone deserves someone like Jenny in their life at some point, although no one could ever replace her. I was lucky to have her in my life. I feel doubly lucky I was able to see her beautiful wings and see her settling into that thing called happiness.
A large portion of the proceeds from these earrings will be donated in her name to a scholarship program for young artists.
Enjoy the earrings and flaunt their beauty like Jenny would flaunt her favorite art.
(Here is our very own Jenny modeling her favorite pair of butterfly earrings...)