A silver and resin brooch that can be worn as a pendant as well, handmade by Carla Pennie McBride in Santa Fe, Mexico.

About the Maker: 

Born outside of Belfast, Northern Ireland, Carla Pennie grew up experiencing both the majestic beauty and social challenges of a country under strife. Pennie attended the University of Ulster receiving a BA with honours in fine and applied art. After spending the majority of her life in Northern Ireland, Carla decided to travel, tutoring young people at a camp in New York state, working on a barge on the Seine river in France, and as a museum technician at Pecos National Historical Park in New Mexico. She returned to the U.K. in 2001 completing an MA in Gallery Studies from the University of Essex, in England.

Carla Pennie set up home and studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico. So drawn to her roots in Northern Ireland, she will always return, and now shares her time between both places.

“I am drawn to both traditional and contemporary techniques in jewelry making. I love to experiment and push the boundaries of the material. In my most recent work I have been experimenting with texturing the surface of metal. Techniques include fusing, etching, stamping, roller printing and applying gold to surface using keum boo.

There are many things in my life that inspire and motivate me. Nature stirs my imagination. I am both a collector of natural artifacts and an observer of the natural world, I seek to explore the beauty and delicacy of nature, translating the delicate patterns I see into the work I create.”