Janet Campbell-Bradley expands her craft
As she recently moved to a south-side facing studio on the fourth floor of Chattanooga Workspace, Janet Campbell-Bradley is exploring a new view with a new medium and a new last name.
Known for her elegant, intricately handmade jewelry, newlywed Janet is learning printmaking while teaching others her instinctive craft of metalsmithing.
“Doing printmaking takes me out of the field of jewelry, but I love metalsmithing,” she explains. So she is experimenting with mixed media that still includes metal but incorporates softer materials such as sumi ink, Masa paper, and wax. From collaborations with the Chattanooga Zoo and the Hunter Museum, she has several completed prints on display and for sale.
“I feel good at the smaller stuff but I want to take my work even larger, which is tough to do with metals, so my goals are to create more 2D prints and teach more workshops,” she says. As she previously set defined dates for these workshops, this year she has opted for by appointment only so as to create fewer restrictions for herself and her students.
Janet taught her first class in 2017. With more than 20 years of experience in soldering, stone setting and jewelry making, she’s eager to show others how to create with metal in a hands-on workshop that ranges from a one-and-done class to a more in-depth skills-building series.
Her one-and-done, three-hour “Make And Take” class provides the participant an overview of basic skills. Each student leaves with a finished, one-of-a-kind piece. These single-session classes are more fun with more people, so Janet encourages at least three and up to six in one workshop.
Copper-silver pendant, hammered wire bangle, and silver earrings are a few projects that are available, but feel free to contact Janet and discuss what options you have as a novice jewelry designer.
“I can customize these classes so one can choose from a variety of already made elements, then take those pieces and build one creation from that,” Janet says as she walks me over to a felt display tray that contains handmade, trinket-sized copper circles, silver squares, and gold rectangles. “It would still be very hands-on but allows the student not to be so overwhelmed with design and spend more time on the fabrication.”
For someone who is interested in learning how to solder with a torch or set stones, her fundamentals series includes multiple classes over about the span of a month that educate the student in detail on a specific skill. This more intensive workshop would be better with a one-on-one approach, though Janet says she could host up to three sets of hands.
She is a self-taught metalsmith who attended the Appalachian Center for Crafts and her first interest was in design—specifically, women’s apparel and bridal gowns.
“I sew very well and also create patterns from scratch; however, I sort of hated the process of sewing during college, so I never explored clothing design seriously and found myself having more patience with metals,” she explains. “Learning and feeling, moving the flame.”
Because she loves to travel, Janet has frequented many art shows including the RiverArtsFest in Memphis, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, and Prairie Village in Kansas City. She’s traveled as far as the ArtFest Fort Myers in Florida.
“Chattanooga is a great location for artists, as it is centrally located for great art shows,” she says. “Including the 4 Bridges Arts Festival, I did the art show circuit full time until about 2008, then I went back to work full time.” She worked as a project manager in an e-commerce environment but her degree in fashion merchandising called her back in 2014.
Because she has ample inventory of her jewelry, Janet has been pursuing the art of printmaking for the past couple years and is enamored with all the different processes.
“Etching, collagraphs, drypoint, and stencils just to name a few,” Janet notes. “My main technique is called a monotype.”
You can see her style of adornment in these print pieces that showcase her ability to use organic shapes and subtle finishes to create a peaceful ambiance. From her jewelry to her prints, there is a robust beauty with asymmetrical balance that looks and feels immediately familiar, yet entirely unique.
You may purchase her pieces at Plum Nelly or at her Chattanooga Workspace studio 4E. February will launch the Chattanooga Workspace’s First Friday of 2019, so make plans to stop in and more of her work will be available.
If you don’t have the chance to chat with her then, and you want to get more details on participating in a workshop, contact her through theJanet Campbell Jewelry Facebook page or email jmcmetals@gmail.com