Today we’d like to introduce you to Terrie Marcoe.
Hi Terrie , so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
From my earliest childhood memories, I acted as an artist, designer and entrepreneur. From sketching of gowns fit for royalty, and drafting floor plans for everything from cabins to castles, I felt an obsession with presenting my personal vision to the world. My first business idea(at the age of twelve) was for “Dog Cabins,” an order by mail kit for dog houses that were miniature log cabins.
Though I only got through initial planning stages with that venture, I had already discovered that I had a knack for concept development. By the time I was twenty-five, I’d move from rural Wisconsin to the heart of the fashion industry in New York City, and began working as an accessories designer.
After more than a decade developing handbag collections for importers, I left the industry and launched my first version of Talisman Studios, a line of hair accessories featuring antique sewing buttons.
I sent a presentation to the Accessories Buyer of Henri Bendel and was invited to present my product directly to shoppers in the Fifth Avenue store during their famous trunk shows, which showcased emerging designers.
Simultaneously I began creating decorative arts for the home in stained glass. My design aesthetic incorporated the ethos of the Arts & Crafts era, where functionality was the primary purpose of the objects.
A few years passed and I began turning my focus toward the artisan craft of Lapidary; the cutting and polishing of rocks.
After developing my skills as a lapidary artist, I took on the challenge of metalsmithing and began teaching myself to work with Sterling Silver. This is my current phase in my process of creativity.
Retaining the belief that design should be purpose-based, my pieces place emphasis on the intrinsic nature of the cabochons I create and use in my work. The metalsmithing aspect acts as support to the inherent beauty of the stone.
I work primarily with American mined Picture Jaspers, partly due to the nature of the mineral extraction process. These rocks are almost exclusively pulled from the ground by a miner working their own claim. Sometimes I am the second person to put hands on the stone. I like the fact that the future holders of the jewelry I create can have such a close connection with the rock, where it laid in its natural state through years measured in geological time.
Tres Piedras, New Mexico, has been my home for the last year, and I still spend the winter months wandering the southwest, as I have each year since 2010. I’m living off-grid in a small cabin, with an unobstructed view of the beautiful Sangre de Cristo mountains to my east.
As always, nature and thoughts of life in simpler times continues to be my muse.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Living off-grid does offer an opportunity to work through challenges that many modern artists and artisans might not be subjected to.
Everything takes longer when working without the convenience of hard-wired electricity and a connection to a municipal water supply.
This also sets a rhythm; a slower tempo to the day. Productivity is measured differently when there’s no possibility of working hours past sunset to finish a piece. Patience becomes an unavoidable part of the process.
Would I be unique in saying that the biggest challenge I face as a designer and artist is in the marketing my work? I dont think so! Yet, the continual pressure to seek opportunities, make contacts, follow leads, develop professional presentations is never far from tge front of my mind.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
What gives my work its specialness is the high quality of my cabochons. I have a natural ability to see patterns and compositions, which allows me to select balanced designs when I cut them.
I’ve also come to realize that I have a true talent in shaping and polishing the stones. From the start, as I was learning the trade, people would compliment me on a job well done.
As I began selling in shows, the compliments became so frequent, that I was, in some ways, forced to acknowledge my level of skill.
Like many woman, I had become susceptible to the belief that “greatness” was a mans purview. It came as a shock to me that I’d fallen into that mindset. It still feels a bit uncomfortable, but I’m now aware that it may be much easier for a man to express pride in their work, but that doesn’t diminish my own efforts and abilities.
When I design settings for my stones, I want to create in the way that a quality frame compliments, but doesn’t distract from, a work of art. My settings do have embellishment, but the eye first goes to the stone. My metalsmithing plays a supporting role. That said, the settings I create do make a statement of their own; one of quiet strength, I believe.
My jewelry collection is available under the Talisman Studios label, and I also offer the cabochons I create under Talisman Too. Both shops are under the umbrella of Talisman Shops.
What does success mean to you?
I consider myself successful every moment in which I am present in my mind and body, aware that I am a creative person offering my work to the public.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://TalismanShops.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/TalismanToo
- Other: https://TalismanStudios.Etsy.com
