Gibson’s is well known for their extensive assortment of unique collectables and gifts. On July 21 and 22 artist Jeni Benos will be visiting Gibson’s with her collection of hand crafted sterling silver jewelry. Jeni creates her designs through the lost wax casting process and/ or fabrication.
As a true artist, Jeni carves her cast deigns by hand in wax initially taking as much as 100 hours on a complex model. Many of the carving tools she uses are tools she created herself, typically in response to a project that requires an unusual shape or some very fine detail work. Once the wax model is complete she can make a mold from it; this mold can then be injected with more wax. Each production piece is investment cast in sterling silver and polished by hand for a flawless finish.
Nature, horses, and country living inspire much of Jeni’s work. Her recent series explores the subtlety of nature with various creatures hiding in their environments. Like many artists, Jeni works in a number of mediums. Wildlife photography is one of her favorite endeavors. Time spent in swamps photographing birds from a kayak inspired “Treasures of the Marsh.” Cranes, herons, egrets, and other various birds love to hide in the tall grass outlining the swamps edge. Motivated to design a piece about her experiences in the marsh, Jeni created the elegant necklace featuring the graceful silhouette of a crane amid the flora. Soon she expanded on this concept further by developing more designs graced by sly foxes, tranquil turtles, lurking gators and other assorted critters. Each carved scene tells its own unique story while capturing the distinct personality of the creature carved within.
Jeni strives to utilize innovative concepts and processes in her work. Her first hollow seamless filigree form, Guinevere, won a major award for innovation. The proprietary technique used to create seamless hollow forms is quite rare in cast work and immensely difficult but well worth the effort as the results are striking. She has since pushed this process further to include complex undercuts and other unusual shapes. These pieces can be worn on either side, some offering a different design option on the back.
Gibson’s is pleased to announce that Jeni will be here to showcase many her designs over the weekend of July 21 and 22. She will have a broad array of her jewelry to choose from. She will also be bringing some waxes and a few tools to provide a look into the process of developing a design.
