Angela Schilling

Angela Schilling

When Spiders Dream
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads' Contest 2010
featuring Metal Clay, Metal Beads,
Wirework and Chain
Finalist

Meet the Designer-Artist


Where do you live?
Knoxville, Tennessee

Describe your artistic style.
I love to combine mediums in unexpected ways. I have a varied background in different artistic fields, and enjoy combining them with my experience as a silversmith.

What inspires you as a designer-artist?
The color and texture of the materials that I am working with. Also, I love creating custom pieces to see another person's vision and personality come to fruition in a piece that I have created.

What materials do you most enjoy working with?
I love sterling silver. The coolness of the metal and its ability to be transformed in so many ways is inspiring. I also enjoy working with stone, and prefer cuts that emphasize the natural beauty of the stone's inherent nature.

What is the name of the piece you submitted with your success story?
When Spiders Dream

What inspired this design?
Combining the idea of the Native American Dream Catcher with the simple beauty of a spider's web.

How did it come together?
I was looking at the large silver rings I had made for another piece, and the whole piece just put itself together after that.

Share Your Background


When and how did you begin making jewelry/beading?
I've been making jewelry for about a decade.

Who introduced you to beading?
It was a personal discovery.

Do you have an artistic background?
Yes. I've been creating things since I was very young, learning to knit at the age of 5. I have one degree in English, and a second degree in the Culinary Arts and am a certified chef. In between times I studied photography, pottery, painting, spinning, knitting, crocheting, stained glass, etc.

How did you discover Fire Mountain Gems and BeadsĀ®?
I feel that it is extremely important to use high quality materials when creating. After searching and ordering from a variety of companies, I stumbled accross Fire Mountain, and have never been dissatified with anything I have purchased.

What other hobbies do you have?
Fiber arts, stained glass, cycling, painting, photography, etc.

Beading Success


What role does jewelry-making play in your life?
Jewelry making allows me to express a playful and creative side of myself. With such a wide variety of materials available, one isn't limited to creating for a select group of people. I love making a commissioned piece and hearing someone say, ''Wow, you really captured her essence! How did you do that?''

If you use jewelry-making as a way to bring in income, how are you selling yourself and your jewelry?
I sell out of Absolute Salon in Oak Ridge, Tennessee as well as doing commissioned pieces and selling through both my personal website www.smilingmedusa.com and my etsy shop by the same name.

Do you participate in any charity fundraisers?
I donate to several different groups, primarily focusing on child welfare.

Any advice for aspiring jewelry-artists?
Don't judge yourself too harshly and don't try to make what everyone else is making. Play, have fun, and let your inner creative nature explore.

View all of Angela's designs in the Gallery of Designs.