Biography

 

Tamara first became interested in pursuing her artistic capabilities and intrinsic sense of style in her early 20s. She enrolled in the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, and graduated with a major in enameling and sculpture. Following apprenticeships with jeweler Steven Aurthers and renowned enamellist Fay Rooke, her creative journey led her to Vancouver, BC. Fascinated by the structural contingencies of working with metal and the weightlessness of cloisonné techniques, Tamara established a name for herself through the creation of unique jewelery collections, ranging from wearable art limited editions to one-of-a-kind sculptural art pieces. Her handcrafted signature designs are characterized by contrasting precious and semi precious gems with silver, gold, copper and/or bronze accents and can be found in personal collections worldwide.  

 

Artist Statement

 

Tamara’s wearable art designs capture the spontaneous and organic exploration of her surroundings and are inspired by the shapes, textures and divergency inherent to the natural world. She strives to create a certain depth of feeling with some forms being literal interpretations while others abstract or whimsical. Tamara often uses her dreams as a creative intervention during the design process and either sketches out her ideas or works “free form” to allow the materials and stones to influence the direction of each piece. She can often be found in her studio, experimenting with unexpected combinations of materials and new metal working techniques to realize her vision in innovative ways. Tamara also enjoys working closely with clients to produce custom jewelery, including wedding rings that represents a personal statement and/or philosophy with engaging, three dimensional forms and design approaches.