Dawna Gillespie
Dawna Gillespie
Dawna Gillespie is a metalsmith and jewelry designer from Lubbock, Texas.She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Studies from Texas Tech University. Dawna was only able to take one metalsmith class in her undergraduate studies. However, the first time she picked up a saw she was hooked. She has since found success as a professional artist hand fabricating never-reproduced, statement adornments to defy a world inundated with mass-produced accessories. Raw copper and brass take shape using a jeweler's saw and techniques such as: piercing, etching, forming, forging, patinas, hammering, and stamping. The result is a lightweight wearable artwork that is truly distinctive. Movements, such as Baroque and Art Nouveau, influence the style of her work; while examining the theories of femininity, fertility, domesticity, marriage, and sexuality.
Beginning 2019, Dawna was named the “Winter 2019 ~ Designer Collection” with a 10 page spread in the national publication of Belle Armoire Jewelry. In March, "Dissection" was juried into the national exhibition, Hidden Treasures: Enveloped Metalwork, juried by Don Friedlich, at the Craft Alliance Center for Art + Design in St. Louis, Missouri. Most recently, two of her adornments were juried into Celebrating American Craft: Southern Style; opening in September at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.
When surveying society, there is a realization of the excessive need in identical and mass-produced accessories. Transcending the allure of simply adorning the body, my artwork consciously explores the illumination of personal presentation and facilitates an individual expression.
As a metalsmith, I hand fabricate never-reproduced adornments to defy a world inundated with mass-produced accessories. Furthermore, I use symbolism to share details of my soul through: the intensity of colors and texture, hand drawn designs and motifs, significance of scale, and rarity of the piece itself. These lightweight and wearable artworks are hand fabricated from raw copper and brass using a jeweler's saw and techniques such as: piercing, patina, oxidation, etching, hammering, forming, forging, stamping, and cold-connecting.
I truly believe that my pieces "connect" with the wearer and whenever a person places a piece of my art on their body, or in their home, our souls are forever joined through the energies of shared space and time.
With an unwavering purpose to restore and reunite: individuality, reverence to craftsmanship, and the world's intrinsic beauty; I am connecting never-reproduced adornments and beautiful souls together, one at a time.
