Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Charles Pinckney - Stories in Jewelry



“My work in metal is a form of oral history, where memories from my life come alive in my designs.”


Featured in the current issue of Ornament magazine is Georgia native, Charles Pinckney. Designating Pinckney as just a jeweler would be putting it lightly. As a self-taught artist, he is known for his storytelling and for embedding in his jewelry the “non-tangible essence of emotional and personal human connections.” Each piece is unique and evokes stories from his southern childhood. His studio now resides in the old Clarke County Jail, which was built in 1876, and as Ashley Callahan (author of the article and former curator of decorative arts at GMOA) puts it, “Pinckney welcomes visitors to this retreat with an open heart and a ready hug.” His designs are remarkably personal, and commissioned work is known to bring tears to patrons’ eyes. This intimate connection to his work is what Pinckney is known for.


Pinckney has been awarded two grants from the Georgia Council for the Arts and a grant from Tula Foundation Gallery; he has also been showcased on HGTV as well as in Southern Living magazine. Last summer, artists had the rare opportunity to take a workshop from Pinckney in various studios up and down the East Coast.

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