Christi Anderson Jewelry Design Gallery

Christi Anderson has no formal training in jewelry. She was in fact a fine art photographer for 11 years. Her husband turned out to be somewhat of a nomad, and moved her around the country several times in the course of ten years, winding up in Iowa in 2005 when she came across metal clay in a magazine. She had been creating modest bits of jewelry, and thought metal clay would be great fun! She grew up with a family of ceramic artists so the sculpting and clay building wasn't entirely foreign. Christi studied Illustration in college and found this was a new way to create stories. Doing things her own way, as usual, she ordered a kiln and a couple of packs of clay. Through trial and error she found her own way to work with this new medium – though she claims there was more error than trial! It was almost 6 months before there was anything worthy of selling. As her skills grew and the sketch books filled with ideas the pieces evolved. Windows, doors, keys and locks have always been widely used in Christi's art. With the possibility of adding her own images, this became an obsession. Christi works 7 days a week, 16 hours a day. After almost 6 years at the bench her work has won awards and has been featured in many magazines. She has won 2008 Best of Show in Oro Valley Art Show, 2008 Best Jewelry in SAACA Art competition, 2009 and 2010 Bead Dreams first place metal clay, and was a finalist of Saul Bell 2010 in metal clay. In 2008, Beadwork published an article featuring Christi's work. Shortly to follow was Belle Amoire Jewelry, Stringing, Easy wire, and coming up this fall, Art Jewelry Magazine. Her work is also found in Mixed Metals by Daniel Fox. As of 2011 she has begun designing work for private jewelers as well!

Christi works in a studio full of birds, literally - real ones. The indoor aviaries bewitch and amuse! Much of Christi's work is nature and architectural in style. Inspiration also comes when her kids pop in movies in mom's studio and the stories seep in. Much of her recent work reflects on images seen in these movies. Most of her art incorporates the use of her original images, glass crystals, windows, and poetry works, many of which were written by her daughter. There is a collage feel to her boxes and books. The details in her pieces recall an antique print etching. Christi has to this day never taken any classes and had no metal clay certifications. She simply doesn't want her work to be influenced by the instructors, although she has taught a handful of classes and those students' work resemble Christi's style.