Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeanne C Sanders.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I could not draw a realistic horse. Somehow that lack of realistic rendering skill excluded me from being considered ‘artistic’ back in my youth. In retrospect, that didn’t really stop me…it only slowed me down a bit and truly allowed me to more fully explore my own personal kind of creativity. My formal education in the medical field gave me tools that, rather surprisingly, helped me discover some key elements to my some of my creative adventures
Dallas was a very traditional city when I grew up and raised my family. So, I was a traditional stay-at-home mom for twenty years. In the late 80’s I began to spread my wings and attempt to discover MY media. I knew I was not a painter, in the traditional sense, I had to find something that I could truly make my own. Glass and mirrors gave me the challenge I needed. I did reverse painting on glass, used broken tempered glass as an element of my jewelry and taught myself to ‘antique’ mirrors and glass. I coined the term, ReplicAntique, and my mirror work has been installed in some of the finest homes, both locally and nationally, as well as restaurants, offices and hotels.
Recently, while ‘playing’ in my studio I discovered my newest passion. I have developed and refined a new way to create sculptural jewelry. This started as a search for a substitute that combined the visual impact of hot glass while overcoming the challenges associated with such a heavy and fragile medium. Ultimately this led to working with acrylic in a completely new way. YKAJE sculptures overcome the fragility and weight issues while striving to maintain the remarkable optics of blown glass. Hand painted and thermal formed, these unique pieces are very light weight and easy to wear or use as wall art. I still cannot draw a realistic horse!
Please tell us about your art.
Creativity has driven my life for the past 35 years and has led me on a journey way outside the box. The beautiful way in which the common becomes extraordinary, and the birth of something beautiful and unique out of materials not generally associated with one another continues to intrigue me. Color, texture and how they interplay and dance with one another; these are all driving forces in my work.
There is a common thread that runs throughout my work. I refer to it as ‘jewelry for the environment’. My mirrors reflect and amplify the beauty of the surroundings. A soft reflective surface that plays with light and enhances the work of stunning interiors.
I’m always working to find new ways to express my aesthetic. Jewelry, which has been a love of mine from early childhood, has led me to pursue the use of various unorthodox media as a design element…beads from exotic places, my unique simulated old Roman glass, and my newest exploration, YKAJE, a hand painted thermal formed media that allows for the creation of statement jewelry pieces as well as dynamic wall sculpture.
It’s funny in a way, I keep referring to my ‘work’ and yet, it feels like ‘play’. Sometimes it’s challenging and there are certainly parts that I enjoy less than others but, truth is I wouldn’t want to do anything else. I create because it makes me happy to bring beauty into the environment whether it be jewelry, mirrors, glass or, my latest, YKAJE.
As an artist, how do you define success and what quality or characteristic do you feel is essential to success as an artist?
Success. Wow, that’s an open-ended word. Monetary success means people like my work enough to hire me to create something just for them. It also means I can pay my bills and buy the materials needed to ‘feed my art habit’.
I wish I had some deep esoteric definition of success, however my practical side says I seek a sense of aesthetic accomplishment and compensation. One without the other is either good for the ego or the bank account; I want both. The qualities I find most essential to success as an artist are an insatiable curiosity, and a willingness to play and stay current. I think it keeps me younger than the number of candles on my cake!
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I have a work/live studio in a Dallas Design District warehouse. It’s very bohemian and it suits me perfectly! The majority of my mirror work is site-specific by commission. I work with interior designers, architects and some private clients.
I’ve been part of three group shows for my YKAJE sculpture. Mary Tomas Gallery curated by Charlotte Comer, Texas Talent 2017 at Craighead Green Contemporary and Emerging Artists at The Turner House.
My YKAJE jewelry is currently at the Dallas Museum of Art, Carlyn Galerie, Home on Bishop and The Oklahoma City Museum of Art. I also enjoy working, by appointment, with private clients to create unique pieces of jewelry or wall art sculpture. Collaboration is always an expanding and enlightening experience!
Contact Info:
- Address: Dallas Design District Dallas, Texas 75207
- Website: MirrorArtDesign.com and YKAJE.com
- Phone: 214-244-3827
- Email: jeanne@YKAJE.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/mirrorart2/ and www.instagram.com/ykaje/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/MirrorArtDesign/?ref=br_rs and www.facebook.com/Ykaje/?ref=br_rs
Image Credit:
All images: Jeanne C Sanders
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