Judy Morgan Jewelry Designer

Judy Morgan delights in the asymmetry of the universe. This stunning asymmetrical necklace also highlights her love for circles and natural materials. Photo courtesy Judy Morgan.   Judy Morgan finds her inspiration from the asymmetrical harmony in nature. Her vivid imagination transforms everyday objects into inspiration for her harmonious jewelry creations. I enjoyed the opportunity to ask Judy some questions about her process and inspiration. I believe you will find her answers as compelling and enjoyable as I did.

An Interview with Judy Morgan

Which aspects of life attract you to asymmetry?

I grew up in the beautiful Pacific Northwest on Puget Sound. My father was a fish and wildlife biologist and we spent so much time in nature...in the woods hiking and on the beach as a family. He was always pointing out things I might not have noticed on my own, like moss growing on only one side of a tree, wild flowers and berries, trees growing toward the sun, sea life at low tide, and the irregularities of so many things on the beach. He also spent summer nights teaching me about the stars and constellations. I think my mind, at any early age, was trained to see asymmetry as balance, order, and harmony. It just seemed natural to me to view it as my normal.

I can see you are drawn to circles. What do they represent to you? Why do they inspire you so deeply?

I also love the mid-century modern era, and I find geometric shapes soothing and complete.  I use circles to manipulate and complete a piece, yet keep the asymmetrical balance in my work with classic simplicity.  Circles represent softness in a geometric shape, energy and tranquility, and a completeness to me. The circular shapes in nature and space always inspire my work.  Planets, stars, flowers, my cats eyes and toe pads, age rings on a tree stump are just a few of my circular inspirations.

Which artists inspire you the most and why?

Definitely Picasso and Alexander Calder are huge inspirations to me. Their designs are perfectly balanced in color and asymmetry. Calder’s jewelry and mobiles are an amazing examples of perfect balance visually and mechanically. I especially love how Calder started his exploration into jewelry design by using bits and pieces of found wire and objects, hammering and manipulating them into wearable art. I am inspired how Picasso wasn’t afraid to experiment with different styles and drastically re-invent his self throughout his career. I find, for myself, that exploring new designs and techniques keeps my artistic mind fresh and current. I am also very inspired by the beautiful designs of Frank Lloyd Wright. His sparse simplicity is amazing, beautiful.

Which of your jewels is your favorite? Tell me its story.

My favorite piece is a necklace “Roman Holiday” I created in collaboration with bead artist Lori Bergmann for an exhibit in 2014, 2x3 Redux Exhibition at Facèré Jewelry Art Gallery in Seattle, WA. Lori and talked over our concept for the piece, and she created a fantastic green glass bead antiqued with gold leaf that had a feeling of ancient Roman glass. The piece also uses oxidized sterling silver, fresh water pearls, and 18k gold/silver bi-metal. I choose to prong set the glass bead on hammered oxidized sterling silver in keeping with the ancient feeling of the piece. We created 3 necklaces, one for display at the exhibit to be for sale, one for the bead artist and one for me, the jewelry artist. It is one of the few pieces I kept for myself and get much joy out of wearing. Plus Lori and I have remained friends for the past 6 years which has been a big bonus! “Roman Holiday” is a very personal, indulgent piece for me.  I wanted to create something I would love and want to wear. Also, it was my first piece collaborating with another artist which I found to be a great experience.  I have a passion for sea glass and ancient Roman glass and even though this bead is a recreation of something from history the feeling of “where did this glass come from?, what was it originally?, who touched it?” is still invoked in this piece.  I find sea glass and ancient glass very magical. What was once tossed away as garbage and useless, over time in the earth or water has become a beautiful gem worthy of being featured in an amazing piece of jewelry.

Which collection is your favorite?

My favorite collection is my Galaxy Collection featuring the Northern Starr Necklace. This is a tribute to the evenings spent in my youth star gazing with my dad as he pointed out stars and constellations. I always spell star with 2 r’s in remembrance of my beloved Somali cat Starr. You can see my inspiration from astronomy in my current cat names....Orion, Soleil, and Quasar.

What are your favorite creativity rituals?

A lot of my ideas and designs come to me in the shower. I actually have waterproof paper and pencil attached to the shower wall for quick sketches. My other ritual is to lay out miscellaneous metal pieces, shapes, bits of wire, stones, and sea glass on my bench where I study them before I start a new design. Sometimes just a small piece of wire will inspire a whole new collection in my mind. As I study the different shapes, metal, wire, and stones, I start to group items together and lay out designs. Then the process of fabricating and solder take place. I am always open to change and improvisation when it comes to fabrication. I often have happy “mistakes”. You can see more Judy Morgan designs on her website and read about her process on her blog. ~Angela Magnotti Andrews