I went into the corporate world and spending a decade as banker at the Harris Trust & Savings Bank, now known as BMO Harris Bank. Credit Investigation, Electronic Funds Transfer Systems- the world of ATMs, Home Banking and Point of Sale – I was the first Section Manager for this Hi-Tech industry and I still love it, but it didn’t sing to me. I wasn’t fulfilled as before.
This is when I bought my first piece of art – “Cosmic Consciousness” by Leonardo Nierman. Oh, it just hummed to me of fantasy, ethereal beauty, and alternate worlds of the universe. It wasn’t enough, I bought another piece – “Eclipse” also by Leonardo Nierman. Finally, again, I felt joy and exhilaration as I took in the viewing of these pieces. I still have these pieces and they still bring me joy.
A few years later, I began working with my hands. Tiffany Stained Glass pieces. I was great a soldering the pieces together – the finishing and my cut work was good too. I moved to the Southwest and I wasn’t moved to work on stained glass in a hot garage, since I lost my basement work space from the Midwest. I learned all about volunteerism for several years, experienced the beauty of the desert and began to see paintings and ceramic art (Jim Sudal ’98) of the plants of the desert.
Another love of mine has been crystals. I loved wearing them – part of my cosmic metaphysical core that sings to me. A friend took me out to Quartzite and introduced me to a Wire Wrap Master Jeweler, Seth Blansette. I was in “wrapped” attention …but could I ever take command of this art form? It’s been 17 years but I am now known in jewelry circles as the Wiresmith.
Once I went into business doing wire wrapped jewelry, I had to create an Artist Statement and a resume. I had thought of myself as a business person, but as I wrote it out, no, I am and always have been an artist. It was when I became a Celebration of Fine Art artist that my appreciation and taste for different mediums of art grew exponentially.
Jewelry by Ann Turpin Thayer
These last two years away from Celebration gave me the time to step to the next level, learning new techniques, blending modalities, allowing my creativity to rise up through my mind and hands to form my new “art”. That is what Celebration does for, or is it to, the artists, gently nudging them to expand their field of expertise and sometimes moving into new ones.
My most recent art revelation came when my husband and I downsized our home. We took possession of our new home and as we moved from one house to the other was the dilemma of what pieces of art to take, which ones we had to find homes for. They were hard choices. Unpacking and organizing the house came first but it didn’t feel like home, and I didn’t relax until our art was up on the walls. Art colors my life and soul.
Ann Turpin Thayer – August, 2014
