Meet Marisa Cawthorne

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marisa Cawthorne.

Marisa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born in Mexico City to an American mother and a Mexican father. In Mexico I saw artisans and artists everywhere, I would try to figure out how they did their beautiful work, I also have an uncle who lived in Paris and was a painter, every time he came to visit he would talk about his art and we would go to museums. I studied graphic design in Mexico City, but maintaining a special interest in art, I self-taught and kept trying new techniques, dabbling in pottery, drawing, and painting. I visited in Ohio and Arizona my aunt Alice, a very talented painter, who also gave me painting lessons and also took temple painting lessons in Mexico City with Virgilio Ruiz.

A few years ago, I began to experiment with sculpture and realized this three dimensional art was my true artistic calling. I studied silver jewelry techniques in Mexico City with Moises Alvarado. Later moved to Austin, Texas, where I joined The Creative Side of Jewelry. Then came to Denver and fell in love with the mountains, the nature and beautiful stones that are part of Colorado and decided to make it my permanent home. Here I joined the Artgym and met Randy Burns an incredible metalsmith artist that taught me so many things. I am also a proud member of the Stapleton artist organization that has welcomed me with all the incredible artists that belong to it. I have started to cut and polish my own stones growing my passion for jewelry art. I am always trying new things, because you can never stop learning. So, all this and growing up in an artistic, multi-cultural family, made me gain rich experiences that shaped who I am as an artist.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In 1990 I got married, and then had two sons and a daughter, everything was good for a while, but then things changed, and I had a very difficult divorce, it is so hard for women to have a voice and a fair trial in Mexico. We were left without a house, a car and money. It was when I started to take painting lessons, to help me go through those tough times, the best therapy I could have taken! I started to make bead jewelry and started to sell them in Mexico City, it is when I decided to take metalsmithing classes to go deeper into jewelry.

Not only you need to be good at designing and making your art, my challenge now is trying to sell online, this is a little difficult for me, because I didn’t grow with computers, I have to photograph my own jewelry and it isn’t as easy as it seems, I also have been taking photoshop tutorials and trying to figure out this way to do business. All this takes time that keeps me away from doing my jewelry, but that is the way it is now a days. There are always ups and downs on your life, the important thing is not to see them as obstacles, instead learn from them and have goals, something to look forward and never stop dreaming.

Please tell us about your business.
I create art to honor nature with its magnificent animals, plants, and minerals. While holding a stone in my hand it speaks to my soul. My creations come from the harmony that I feel with nature. Each unique piece resonates with my connection to the environment. Every piece is handmade and one of a kind, many of them are miniature sculptures. I examine a stone meticulously and imagine what it might be best paired with; depending on shape and color. If it looks like a glacier chunk of ice, I imagine a whale or polar bear; a red stone perhaps an igneous frog, a brown stone home for a bird. I then sculpt ideas with Sculpey clay to check angles, size and see how it will look with the stone. I then choose the one I like best or maybe all and sculpt them in wax, have it cast in silver and then mount it on the stone. Some of my chains I make out of sterling silver wire, adding small stones or other elements. Other embellishments might be patinated or have some gold foil. The metals I use are responsibly sourced and traced and I always use natural stones.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Every summer, my sister and I would go to Michigan to visit our American family and would go to summer camp, that connected me with Mother Nature, I loved being in the woods, swimming in lakes, learning about the wild animals and the incredible plants, we also did art and crafts with things we collected from our daily walks.

Pricing:

• Sterling silver Bee necklace with fossil stone $170.00
• Sterling silver Horse necklace with petrified wood stone $170.00
• Sterling silver Butterfly bracelet with variquoise stone $300.00
• Sterling silver Octopus necklace with black agate stone $420.00
• Sterling silver Humpback Whale necklace with Black/grey agate stone $400.00
• Sterling silver Hummingbird necklace with garnet stone $425.00
• Sterling silver Butterfly necklace with jade stones $380.00
• Sterling silver Rose choker with howlite stones $350.00

Contact Info:

• Website: marisacawthorne.art
• Phone: 720-919-5019
• Email: marisamcawthorne@gmail.com
• Instagram: marisacawthorne

Image Credit:
Photo of me by Joy Sol

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