Kinghorn

JUDITH KINGHORN

Bio:

Judith Kinghorn is a Minneapolis jewelry designer who works primarily in high karat gold, sterling silver and precious stones. Judith is the recipient of many honors, including juried "Excellence in Jewelry" awards at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, the Smithsonian Craft Show, and the American Craft Council show. Most recently, she won Best of Show at the Smithsonian Craft2Wear Show and Excellence in Jewelry at the Smithsonian Craft Show. She has been awarded commissions for commemorative pieces to mark the opening of the Frank Gehry designed Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis and recognition pieces for the National Association of Women Judges.

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Artist Statement:

I am drawn to forms and shapes arising from both the natural and man-made worlds and store them as an internal inventory. My work is about transforming these visual impressions into objects of beauty in high karat gold, silver and gemstones. My process is essentially intuitive and I fabricate directly in the metals without sketches. Then I work responsively to form pieces from an array of the metals and stones. Many of my pieces are made by using a mouth torch to fuse heavy layers of 24 karat gold and sterling silver. One piece informs the next.

Invariably, the pieces evolve into greater complexity from the original idea. My artistic satisfaction lies in the capture of often-contradictory relationships combined with my love of hand making. The pieces, in turn, take on lives of their own as I name them and speak about them to clients and those interested in my work. Of great significance is the collaboration between maker and wearer; I don’t consider my work finished until it finds a home with the wearer.

Judith Kinghorn, Large Chrysanthemum Pin Pendant, 2020 (design 2004), gold and oxidized sterling silver, 3x3x.875 inches, collection of the artist
Judith Kinghorn, Silver Poppy Pin Pendant, 2019 (design 2006), gold and oxidized sterling silver, 3.125x3.125x.75 inches, collection of the artist
Judith Kinghorn, Spoonflower Pin Pendant, 2020 (design 2016), gold and oxidized sterling silver, 3.5x3.5x.75 inches, collection of the artist