PDX Profile: Gloria Kelman, of Glorious

Gloria Kelman's jewelry is filled with interesting textures and shapes. She makes many of her components from Precious Metal Clay (also known as PMC), which gives her freedom to create so many wonderful designs in silver. Her business is named Glorious, which is very apt!

Be sure to visit Gloria's website for a schedule of her events and classes, and you can see more of her work at her Etsy shop. Or, meet her in person at the Mt. Tabor Art Walk this weekend.

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How did you first get into working with Precious Metal Clay?
I am a person who loves to create art in nearly any media. Craft mediums really work for me best. I've been making jewelry since I was in high school, just regular beading then. While I was in college, the daughter of my parents' friends gave me some sterling wire to play with. I created a huge line of sterling wire jewelry in the 1980's which I sold at over 100 craft galleries and boutiques throughout the country. I then moved into other wire work, combining it with wood for desk organizers and then mobile candleholders. That was in the 90's.

In early 2000's I started making jewelry pendants with paper clay, which I painted. Then I took a tile-making class where I used ceramic clay combined with the texture stamps I had already made to make wall hangings inspired by world architecture. In 2004, my friend's aunt introduced me to Precious Metal Clay, I became certified in 2006 and have been and selling around Portland at holiday sales, Mt. Tabor Art Walk, Portland Open Studios, and at galleries around the country. And I'm teaching monthly at Beads at Dusti Creek and at Bead Happy in Oregon City.

For those who are uninitiated, will you tell us a little about how PMC works? Is it really metal?
"Precious Metal Clay is just about the hottest new craft material of the decade. Imagine a material that you can sculpt and mold like other clay, but the end result, when fired, is pure silver!" - Sharilyn Miller on Amazon.com

PMC is made from microscopic particles of silver mixed with a moist binder to create a fine silver material that has the feel and working properties of modeling clay. Prompted by the need for recycling its by-products of technology, Mitsubishi Materials Corp., in the early 1990's, developed a process for recovering silver from computers, medical instruments and photography supplies.

This material is 99% silver and works like clay. It can be molded, formed, stamped, shaped with fingers or tools. After firing, the pieces are fine silver jewelry. You can create using any design sensibility you enjoy: traditional, modern, Victorian, floral, contemporary, etc. It's loads of fun to work with and can become addictive. The ideas keep flowing and you may just want to play with it more and take more classes!!

What kinds of things inspire your jewelry designs?
Inspiration truly comes from everywhere. I take lots of photos of textures and objects, and I often use these images to inspire shapes and ideas. While I was answering this question, I saw a promo photo of the bar at Doug Fir with its many ends of fir logs. It has a great visual texture and it could inspire me to make a piece that looks like that. I see design everywhere, from kids toys sitting around to exercise equipment to book covers to rugs to office packaging. Of course Nature is one of the most inspiring influences there is. I love images of leaves, flowers and trees. I often like to observe an image that is very unrelated to the type of work I'm doing and see how I can incorporate the feel or sense of design of it into my work.

How do you define the difference between "Art" and "Craft?"
Craft vs. Art is such a longstanding discussion. I'm in favor of it all. It takes craft to make art and of course it takes art to make craft. It takes one's sense of visual and 3-dimensional design while working with one's hands to create anything that Nature hasn't already made for us. The final result is meaningful to each person in an individual way.

What are some of your favorite creative spots in Portland?
My studio is definitely my most favorite creative spot in town. In my one space I create and produce jewelry designs, graphic design, digital photography, wool felting, garden designs, marketing plans, house colors, children's knitted sweaters, healthy food menus, travel guides and more. I do a lot of this work for myself, but I also offer this to others, and my customers always get inspired when they come here. Other favorite creative spots include friends' studios, bead shops, yarn stores. I really love Button Emporium in SW and the Craft section at Powell's Books for Home and Garden.