About Karen Krieger

My current work is inspired by the Moorish architecture of southern Spain, the floral imagery of William Morris, French and English formal garden design, and the lyricism of Asian art and calligraphy. Choosing patterns from many cultures, I try to blend these influences into quiet and spiritual objects that reflect my fascination with botanical forms, ruins, sacred places and hidden doorways.

My jewelry is made of sterling silver and 14k gold. I begin by hand-sawing small "frames" from sheet silver, then I saw and file etched pieces of patterned silver sheet to fill the voids in the frames, and then solder the components together onto a back piece of silver. The process is analogous to marquetry or inlay but I'm using metal instead of wood.

My pewter "tabletop" work— coasters, trivets, candlesticks, napkin rings, etc—are cast from molds of our hand-made prototypes. My aluminum wall pieces—clocks, mirrors, and decorative panels—are built in a manner similar to the jewelry, though woodworking tools are necessary to fabricate those pieces.

A Pittsburgh native, I majored in architecture at Yale. I wasn't a very good designer of buildings; I was a much better critic (and still am!), but the training stayed with me and has found its expression in my metal work.

I later worked as an art teacher and athletic coach at a prep school in Connecticut, and eventually earned a Master's degree in regional planning at U. Mass Amherst. That led me to a job with the Arts Extension Service at UMass, helping communities plan for cultural development, teaching arts management skills, and helping all the towns administer a local arts granting program. In the process I also met my husband, though it would be fifteen years before we started dating.

The seeds for a career as a craftsperson were sown when I became business manager for (what was at that time) a small art glass studio called Josh Simpson Contemporary Glass. At Josh's I was responsible for everything, and learned to wear all the hats at once and how to quickly put the correct one closest to my head. After five years I decided I could work just as hard for myself, making and marketing my own work. Classes at Penland and Haystack Mountain taught me just enough metalworking to get started, and one of the first products I designed, the Change of Heart picture frame, was a complete and unexpected hit. Its success subsidized my jewelry business and gave me time to improve my metalworking skills. When a cheap copy of my frame showed up at Target stores, I knew I had a good product, but I also knew my frame business was over.

The Garden Wall Series, which is how I refer to all my patterned work, began with a piece of Sterling silver pattern sheet which had been sitting on my workbench for five years. At last I combined it with a small silver tree, later replaced with a gold leaf, and a frame around the whole. The leaf and the pattern has become my signature look, and I'm extremely proud that my work doesn't look like anyone else's, and that it seems to be appreciated for this quality.

In my few hours outside the studio, I am currently the President of the Board of Directors for the Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF), a charitable organization which provides direct financial and educational assistance to craft artists.

I live in an Arts & Crafts bungalow in southern Vermont with my husband David Montgomery, (a craft artist, and also a professional modelmaker), our daughter Janet, cats, and a growing collection of children's books and tea sets. I love playing tennis, and despite work and motherhood I manage to play just enough to maintain my 3.5 USTA rating.