Jill Livengood

In the continuation of our member interviews, today we are meeting Jill Livengood....

"Ring of Fire" bracelet by Jill Livengood

How would you describe what you do as an artist?
I make jewelry combining chainmaille, metalsmithing, semi-precious stones, and whatever else catches my fancy.

how long have you been involved in this type of making? (how did you start?)
I've been making chainmaille for two years. That led me to wire wrapping, which led me to fused chains, which led to metalsmithing. Cuz once you melt metal with fire, there's no going back. :)

where are you located?
I live in Fuquay-Varina, NC - about 20 minutes south of Raleigh (the capital) in roughly the middle of the state.

do you have a website or etsy/artfire/1000market etc store? (list url here)
yep - www.livngoodjewelry.com

what other ways do you market your work?(shows, galleries, stores)
i'm on etsy, artfire, 1km - I also do local handmade/artisan/indie craft markets. One local store carries a few of my pieces, but I hope to get in more this year.

do you teach? if so, where- I teach a monthly chainmaille class for the Raleigh Jewelry Makers Meet Up group: http://www.meetup.com/raleighjewelry/

any advice for newcomers that you would like to share?
Don't be afraid to screw up - you can always send it to a refiner. Play with copper first if you're worried about messing up expensive silver.

where do you envision your work going in the next year? (artistic or business direction)
I hope to bring in more metalsmithing to my work. I have a studio set up now where before it was my kitchen table & sofa.

anything else you would like to share? (favorite techniques? any good jokes? you can even put your flickr/twitter/blog links here too)
My hubby is also a metal artist, but he makes sculptures. http://www.artfire.com/users/metalartbymac

Thanks Jill!