University Daily Kansan / Wednesday Aug. 23, 1989
9E
Crafting a living
fifth edition
Artist inspired to design metal
An anvil mounted on a large tree trunk stands in the middle of the room. Behind it, a man sits hunched over a desk strewn with small pieces of metal and numerous tools. He frowns as he hammers away at a piece of metal with a wooden mallet. He is trying to get the right curve on the piece, a curve like a potato chip.
Potato chips may be food for some people, but for Jim Connelly, they are design inspiration.
Jim Connelly, owner of Silver Works, 715 Massachusetts St., works on a pair of silver earrings
are design inspiration.
Connelly is a metalsmith. He designs and creates contemporary jewelry such as earrings, bracelets, pins and pendants. He prefers the term metalsmith to goldsmith because he finds the latter a little too presumptuous.
"Metalsmith means that a person is more versatile in metals and techniques." he said.
Connelly's love for design and making things goes back to his childhood when he used to watch his uncles make furniture.
"I've always enjoyed making things with my hands," he said. "Those types of things come easy for me."
Drawing is the creative tool he uses to develop ideas for designs. He refers to drawing as his roadmap in the world of design.
"Drawing gives you so many variables. 'It's so concrete.' he said.
Creating and drawing things with curves is where the potato chips fall into play. Some day he would like to dump a bag of potato chips on the floor and create designs based on the patterns that the chips make.
"I keep threatening my wife that I'm actually going to do it," he said.
Connelly said he never intended to become an artist. He originally came to the University of Kansas to study bacteriology, but quickly learned he was not a "science type" and switched majors.
He found art classes rewarding, but knew that art as a profession would not provide adequate financial security.
"Very, very few craft people drive BMW's, belong to country clubs or live in $300,000 houses." he said.
Because of monetary concerns,
Compelled decided to teach art, but his
feelings about that changed too.
"I started looking at teaching art as being kind of a warden," he said. "It doesn't encourage you to follow your own interests."
He decided to follow his instincts and began designing and selling works of art. He now has a shop called Silver Works, 715 Massachusetts St., that he and his wife, Cara, run.
Connelly said he received monetary satisfaction from selling something he created, but at the same time, was always shocked that someone liked his work enough to buy it.
"If you make a pin or pendant, it has to work all the time," he said. "If you make an earring that's too heavy, who's going to buy it?"
"When you try to make things from your mind, it's a naked feeling. To me, the greatest commitment and recognition that a person can show is to buy the piece," he said.
Competing financially with commercial jewelry production is a frustrating element of his business. People often tell him that his items are too expensive.
Besides quality, many people turn to Connellly because they want something created uniquely for them.
"People compare my work to a machine punched-out thing. The jewelry they make has less craftsmanship with a rough end carpenter would produce," he said. "They don't realize that the commercial manufacturer is making a high profit off of low-quality goods."
Because of this, Connelly strives to be the best at creating high-quality functional jewelry.
Claudia Orton said that when she and her husband, Joel, got married they did not like the choices of wedding rings that most stores carried. So they decided to have theirs made.
Joel Orton came up with the design and Connely crafted the rings.
"After he made them for us, he told us he wanted to see what they looked like after 10 years of wear. So this November, our 10th wedding anniversary, we we're going to go and show him." Claudia Orton said.
Other challenges include designing for a market and trying to find markets where works can be sold. Because a $3,000 pendant might not sell quickly in Lawrence, Connellly has to find other areas where people will buy it. Often that means learning the hard way.
Although Connelly enjoys v-that he
does, he finds that the world of art is full of obstacles.
One example is when a jewelry store owner in Chicago asked him to send her some of the larger pieces that he thought might not sell in Lawrence. She was sure they would sell in her shop because of its metropolitan location. So he sent the large pieces and included some smaller ones. As it turned out, none of the large pieces 'sold, but the small pieces all so solidly. He had all of
"The worst thing in the world is the frustration that all your designs are gone," he said. "The lines don't fit and you start to think that you can't do it."
the large pieces shipped back to Lawrence and when he put them on dislay in his shop, they sold out.
Connelly takes the same energy that he puts into his work and uses it to help his community. He is actively involved in recycling, and he has a strong interest in downtown Lawrence. He said he would like to see the downtown area remain the commercial center of town.
Cara Connolly said her husband was driven by his art. She sometimes offers suggestions, but he is stubborn about his work. It has to be done his way or he does not feel positive about it.
For now, Connellly is content designing jewelry, but he said that sometime in the future he would like to try his hand at wood sculpture. He hopes to work keeping as an artist for as long as he can.
"The neat thing about working with your hands is that you can do it right up until the day you die."
Jim Connelly tries to match the hook sizes on a pair of earrings.
--at Immanuel Lutheran Church and University Student Center
Photos by Patrick G. Brungardt Story by Heather Anderson
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