artisan direct ~ Martha Seely Jewelry

Martha Seely was born in Syracuse New York, but has been a New England resident since early childhood living outside of Boston for the last 25 years. She lived abroad for a number of years and travels whenever possible.

She studied under well-known artists and designers: Jill Pottle, Lunenburg, MA; Richard Lagasse, Arlington, MA; Cletus Anderson, Carnegie- Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA; and Maureen McCabe, Connecticut College, New London, CT,

For much of her career, Ms Seely was a costume designer and a stylist in the television and film business. A graduate of the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University, Seely has now applied her talents to jewelry making and the art seen on this website. “Making art and creating beauty has been my life and it continues to move me forward,” Seely said. Color, light, energy, and subtle grace mark the quality of her creations.

Since she began to show her artwork in 2007, it has been well received, taking a First Place in a local show and selling in local galleries.

Art comes not from my brain, but from my heart.

And much of my heart and soul is filled with color, texture, style and beauty.

Creating jewelry allows me to play and experiment. It makes me happy. I use the style and fashion sense that I developed over the many years spent as a costume designer and stylist. There is a wonderful combination of design and process.

With each new piece I begin with metal and gemstones. As I work, I contrast the textures of the metals and stones, and interweave the materials so that what is ultimately created is wearable beauty. The colors and energy of the gemstones are what capture me initially. They can be intense or soft; they are made by nature, but like flowers, many of their colors seem not to be from the earth at all. I confess, what really inspires me is their sparkle. It is the sparkle that brings out the girly-girl inside me. When I was in graduate school we had a saying — “in the heart of every (costume) designer, there is a sequin.” I don’t use sequins very much any more but I think that statement still is true and is what keeps me enthralled with my chosen materials.
Artisan Direct, a division of the Artisan Gallery. 82 Callingham Road, Pittsford, NY 14534. Telephone 585-586-3535, Fax 585-586-8555, e-mail: artisan dash direct at the dash artisan dash gallery dot com