Karin Worden
I came so late to an appreciation of nature, having grown up in concrete high-rises in downtown Boston, that lately I have an almost childlike wonder when I’m outdoors. What first started me really looking at flowers and leaves was an investigation of decorative antique hollowware during graduate studies. Now that I live in Southern California, where I can hike nature trails all year long, I’ve come full circle in my appreciation of botanical imagery. These days, rather than be inspired by metalwork to look at my surroundings, I am inspired by my surroundings to make jewelry.
Many of my pieces are fun translations of the things I see on hikes and walks. In the studio, I tend to mix influence from the sources of my inspiration with enthusiasm for my materials, and I let my imagination run wild. Mental images of my surroundings often meld with other visual influences, such as those from literature, art, and memories – including those of the geometry and clean lines of Boston’s urban landscape.