A sneak peak at Boldly artist Tamara Kronis and her piece 'Tigers'. Q: How did you get started creating jewellery?
I’ve always liked to draw and to create, jewellery was a natural extension of that love for art in general.
Q: What inspired you to begin creating and what inspires you to continue crafting?
I am inspired by the dreams and celebrations of others, their present occasions and their hopes for the future. Jewellery designed for a specific occasion or milestone captures the essence of the emotions wrapped up in that event and communicates them to a wider audience. Each piece is a tableau – a story without words. I love being a conduit for that message. In translating experiences and dreams into jewellery, I am able to give them another dimension that enhances the vision of the person commissioning the work.
Q: What is special about Toronto's jewellery arts community and the work they create?
We’re a pretty tight-knit community and we’ve been great at supporting each other and encouraging each other to grow in our art. My business partner, Kathryn Dieroff is another local jewellery artist, and we’ve had an incredible experience together at Studio1098 designing unique and interesting jewellery for our clients.
Q: Why do you love jewellery?
I love jewellery because it communicates. Whenever we look at the jewellery someone is wearing, that jewellery has the potential, as much as the clothes the person is wearing or their hairstyle, or their posture, to tell us something meaningful about them. Some people use that to its full potential, and some don’t. I like being a part of that, and love the celebratory aspect of jewellery and giving jewellery.
Q: Do you think jewellery is different from other art forms?
Yes and no. Yes, because every medium has its characteristics, its technical and design challenges, and if you want to master a medium, you have to appreciate those differences. The obvious difference with jewellery comes from its scale, so that it is commonly referred to as sculpture in miniature. I think there are more interesting and subtle differences between jewellery and other media to be found in its metallic lustres, its bursts of colour through gemstones, and in its textures, both visual and tactile. No, because jewellery is art and the same principles of design apply. I’ve seen some jewellery that rivals the great works of art in their complexity of design, and it should not be forgotten that some of the Renaissance painters were also goldsmiths.
Q: Do you think artists play a special role in the community?
Yes. Artists play a special role in the community by helping people celebrate. There are lots of practical jobs that help people do important but mundane things. Celebration is good for the soul, and jewellery in particular is usually given in celebration.
Q: What attracted you to this project and why do you think it is important to support events like Boldly?
I was attracted to this project because I believe it is important to remember and celebrate the strength of women. So often (and unfortunately, still), women are expected to fade into the background and to make themselves less bold than they might otherwise be. This expectation is one of the things that makes it hard for women to speak out when they are being mistreated. By celebrating the boldness of women, hopefully we will encourage women to speak out, to be bold, and to use that boldness to build a better society.
My design of tiger cufflinks are genderless, though cufflinks are typically worn by men. For a woman to wear cufflinks is still, for some, a bold fashion move. For men to support a women’s cause is unfortunately still a bold move in some communities. I wanted to create a piece where anyone could be bold, and could feel bold by wearing them. And, hopefully by telling people about them, the wearer will encourage others to be bold. So one part of the reason why I wanted to participate in this project was to enable boldness on the part of others.
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