Every summer, Palisade-based jewelry designer Tish Collins builds a design book brimming with ideas for her next collection before settling into her home studio to create from September to May. Her necklaces, earrings, bracelets and brooches are equal parts wearable and sculptural, crafted with materials like resin impregnated paper, Japanese glass beads, sterling silver and ferrous metal. Many materials are sourced locally—beads from a nearby stone shop, cut metal squares from All Metals in Grand Junction.
“I also use a lot of river rock,” she says. “Living in Colorado is a big, big influence.”
Collins, who started designing jewelry more than 20 years ago, sells her collections in Colorado Springs exclusively through Hunter-Wolff Gallery. Her clientele relies on jewelry for pops of color against a monochromatic wardrobe, so Collins leans on geometric shapes and bold hues for every unique piece. Her jewelry is often instantly recognizable.
“I don’t think artists should get stuck doing the same thing every year,” she says, “but you want to be consistent enough that if someone sees a piece, they know who made it.”
Creativity Over Custom
Aside from a two-week workshop at Penland School of Craft in North Carolina, Collins is completely self-taught. She says it took about six years to refine what she does now—designing pieces with alkyd resin and enamel spray paint and using complex techniques like acid etching. Her tools range from a jeweler’s saw to a rolling mill to a large T-shirt press. At times, Collins is working on 50 pieces simultaneously.
“I like to keep my hands moving,” she says. “I have a really hard time if they’re not moving.”
Collins only designs based on her current inspirations, whether it’s the beauty of nature or one of her favorite graphic designers, the late Rex Ray. She finds that bespoke requests don’t spark her creativity.
“I always say, jewelry finds the person it’s supposed to," she says. "If someone asks me to make something specific, I’m probably not going to enjoy making it because it’s only influenced by what the person is asking for.”
The Power of Connection
Collins’ work is rooted in storytelling.
“I struggle with communicating as far as words go, so my artistic process is really specific to what I need to say,” she says.
Collins and her husband have even taken some of her favorite jewelry designs and translated them into three-foot-tall wall sculptures displayed in their home.
This month, Collins exhibits her jewelry collection at the Denver Arts Festival, followed by Boulder’s Pearl Street Arts Fest in July and the Ridgeway Rendezvous Art & Craft Festival in August. Connecting with customers brings her as much joy as creating the pieces themselves—something she plans to do for a long time.
“Artists never retire; we just keep working,” she says. “I have customers who buy a piece every year, and I’ve had a customer who finished cancer treatment and bought a piece to celebrate. I hope my pieces bring them joy as well.”
Websites: https://www.tishcollins.com and https://hunterwolffgallery.com/
Facebook + Instagram: @HunterWolffGallery