Melissa Stiles worked as an architect before becoming a jewelry designer. I am drawn to industrial materials, simple geometrics and the expression of connections. I like to be able to reuse materials in unexpected ways and to make something extraordinary out of something ordinary. My work is built from a framework of industrial metals which is filled with hand pigmented resin or covered wth a powder coat finish. Each piece is built individually.

I was able to spend a month this summer in Brooklyn, New York. It was a month away from my studio so I had to improvise and use materials I found around me. My daughters and I would collect a few pieces of auto glass on the sidewalk along our route to the subway each day. I adhered these fragmented pieces to the surface of the Mask. I like the jewel-like quality the glass gives with fragmented light across the surface which brings the tactile quality of the street and memory of our trip to this project.

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