norman morgan

In Alabama, chase and repousse’ artist Norman Morgan captures the natural beauty found in the outdoors in his detailed jewelry designs.

Artist: Morgan grew up in Tarboro, NC. His art career started as a teenager when classmates discovered that he could draw reasonably good rock stars, and they were willing to pay for them.

After high school, he initially studied art and design in Halifax, NC, before entering the Army for 20 years as a soldier and nearly 10 years as an Army Civilian. Through it all, Morgan never strayed far from drawing, wood working and metal work.

In 2014, he and wife retired from government service, settled near Lake Lure, NC, and started jewelry-making classes at The Mountain Metalsmiths School of Jewelry, south of Asheville.

In 2017, they moved to Alabama to be close to family and work.

Company/studio: Normily-A Blended Jewelry is based in Owens Cross Roads, AL, near South Huntsville. The company is named for Norman and his wife Emily Morgan, who assists him in his workshop.

The artist’s studio is just outside his back door, in a converted enclosed porch, which features huge windows in front of his jeweler’s workbench.

Art & materials: Metal, preferable sterling silver, is measured and cut to proper size for the jewelry design. Different stones, such turquoise, agate and jasper, are often included.

What’s popular: Cuffs ($125 to $950). The company also takes commissions for cuffs.

Other favorites: Pendants, earrings and rings ($35 to $425).

Favorite tools: Hammers (he has more than 15). Morgan has hammers from silversmith Liza Nechamkin and Saign Charlestein, a metalsmith and toolmaker.

What is chase & repousse: A metalwork technique used to create a 3-D surface design or texture involving the use of hammers and various chisel/punch-type tools.

The metal is worked in reverse, starting on the back side, by hammering with punches that depress the metal surface.

Chasing is the opposite of repousse, in which the metal is turned over and worked on the front to add details and texture.

Examples of chasing and repousse include the mask of the mummy of Tutankhamun and the body armors of the Bronze Age.

Inspirations:

The outdoors, including flowers and the dogwood trees that lined his family’s driveway in North Carolina.
The Great Horned Owl.
The spirals found in Art Nouveau that are patterned from the curves of plants and flowers.

Fun and special commissions:

Cat and ball cuff links.
A Scorpio horoscope cuff.
For Christmas, a grandmother commissioned four, one-half- inch wide sterling silver cuffs, for her granddaughters. Each cuff had their name in braille (done by chase and repousse), with dogwood flowers on each side.

Recent show: Featured artist for July 2023 at the Artist Incorporated Gallery in Leeds, AL.

What’s new:

Increasing the use of Keum Boo (a Korean gilding technique used to apply thin sheets of gold) in his jewelry designs.
Adding silver or gold rivets to some of his designs.
Inlaying copper, gold and other metals in his designs.

What’s next: Several art shows, including: