Tennessee jeweler and artist Brie Flora creates quirky cool pieces that are packed with personality.
The artist: Born in Atlanta, but grew up in Wisconsin and then Massachusetts. Flora graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MASSART) in 2015, where she double majored in jewelry/metalsmithing and art education.
After graduation, she taught intro/intermediate jewelry workshops at MetalWerx, a school for jewelry and metal arts in Waltham, MA, and Lexington Arts and Crafts Society.
In 2016, seeking a change, Flora moved with friends and her partner to rural Tennessee, where she commuted to Nashville for a job and worked at home doing production jewelry for ABLE, a fashion company. Two years later, she moved to Cookesville, where the artist and educator lives and works.
Company/studio: Brie Flora is based in Cookeville, TN. The artist has a home studio and co-owns the storefront and gallery: The Silver Fern.
Art & materials: Wearable art jewelry using traditional metalsmithing techniques in steel, brass and sterling silver, plus various powder coating processes and illustration to add pops of color and images.
What’s popular: Floral studs and hoops ($65 to $112).
Other favorites: Illustrated pieces, including the cat earrings and Fly Hunt brooches ($200 to $1,000).
Favorite tools: Jewelers’ saw, riveting hammer, and micron pens.
Inspirations:
- Nature
- Fantasy and fiction
- Her travels
Fun requests: Pet portraits, most recently two Schnauzer brooches. To commission a portrait brooch, visit her site.
Recent awards/honors: Outstanding Achievement in Jewelry. Third Ward Arts Festival, Milwaukee, WI, 2019.
Recent projects:
- Made a pair of one-of-a-kind Loon earrings.
- Part of the Plan B Project, a group art project designed to call attention to the current state of a woman’s/and a person’s right to make choices for their own body. Twenty-five percent of proceeds from the sale of each artwork will go to Planned Parenthood.
What’s new: Illustrated powder coated pieces, and beginning to work on small sculptures and wall hangings.
What’s next:
- Instructor exhibition at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN. May 29-Aug. 18.
- Virtual workshop, Metalwerx, April 10 and 17.
- Weeklong workshop at the Appalachian Center for Craft, Smithville, TN, July 31-August 4.
- Weeklong workshop at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME, Aug. 27-Sept. 2.
Where to buy: brieflora.com
Get social:
- Instagram: @brie_flora, @brieflora_art, and @the.silverfern
