Bio

Catherine Davies Paetz loves to create wearable art that brings people joy. Her original jewelry designs, made from silver metal clay and/or silver wire, explore playful line work or surface texture and may be accented with gold, enamel, beads, or pearls.

Catherine has been designing and creating jewelry for more than 30 years and has a BFA in Metals. Since 2000, she has been working extensively in Precious Metal Clay. As a Certified PMC Artisan, she frequently teaches classes and workshops, has written several articles on metal clay techniques and presented at conferences. Examples of her PMC work have been published in books and magazines and included in various presentations. Her book on water etching and enamel for metal clay is now available here. She creates one-of-a-kind, custom designs and production jewelry. Catherine's work is sold in galleries and at fine craft shows.

Artist's Statement

It's all about joy... to share the expression of positive energy. Influenced by the world around us, I feel compelled to translate this energy into joyful objects.

Making art is exciting to me, it's an electric feeling. I always look forward to seeing what the art-making will bring.... as if I'm a conduit for creative energy, open-minded and eager, awaiting the next inspiration. As a child my life was enriched by the art experiences provided by my parents and grandparents. And I'll admit that I get a "buzz" from making people happy. When someone says "these are my favorite earrings," I actually hear "I feel good (happy, joyful) when I wear these." We all want to feel that way - it's all about joy.

News/Publications

Author of Metal ClayArtist Magazine articles: Studio Tricks: Showing up and Playing (Vol. 1, Issue 2); Color on Copper Clay: Achieving Enamel Transparency (Vol. 1, Issue 4); Art Jewelry Magazine articles: Five Ways to Inlay Bronze and Copper Clays (Nov. 2009); Water Works-water etching (September 2006); Studio PMC articles: Mold Magic (Fall 2003); The Art of Teaching (Spring 2007)

Published images of work: Making Metal Clay Beads by Barbara Becker Simon; Pure SIlver Metal Clay Beads by Linda Kaye-Moses; Magical Metal Clay Jewelry by Sue Heaser; Enameling on Metal Clay by Pam East; New Directions in Metal Clay by CeCe Wire; PMC Decade by Tim McCreight; PMC Guild Annual - Exceptional Work in Precious Metal Clay edited by Jeanette Landenwitch: 2007, 2008, 2009 (acted as juror-images on juror pages), 2010; Metal Clay Artist Magazine; Art Jewelry Magazine; Studio PMC.

 

The Little Book of Water Etching and Enameling for Metal Clay is available. It was a joy to write this little book and I hope it helps many artists discover water etching and how well it can be enhanced by vitreous enamel. It was reviewed in Glass on Metal (Dec. 2008). Tom Ellis called it "... the difinitive text on creating one of a kind surface designs on metal clay and transforming them with brilliant color."

 

© catherine davies paetz, 2010 • all rights reserved • updated 01/15/2010