When Nora Swanson met Dale Brandt, he was making large-scale architectural metal works. One day, Dale made a beautiful collar and hairpiece for Nora to show her what a particularly striking blue patina looked like. Then Nora made her first pair of earrings with Dale’s help, from some scraps left over from a table he was working on at the time. A new jewelry line was born.
It was a love story from the start. She became obsessed with designing jewelry, and with Dale’s patient guidance, their collaboration took root and bloomed. Dale and Nora seemed destined to do this together. Metal artistry just encompasses everything about them and perfectly defines them.
Nora and Dale moved to Kentucky for the lifestyle it offered and by chance found Berea, where they established a metal studio. In Berea’s Old Town Artist Village, they launched a boutique dedicated to showcasing and selling their work.
Getting juried into the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen was like an anchor for them and they feel so fortunate be a part of Kentucky’s strong supportive arts programs and art shows.
The jewelry of Nora Swanson Arts combines unique patinas on brass or copper and beautiful stones including the extraordinary Kentucky agate. They are constantly innovating and developing new patinas. It is a natural process with no enamels, paints or dyes on the metal. The metal actually rearranges its surface molecules, changing how it refracts light, which is how we see color. This is a magical dance between chemistry, physics and art. The challenge is to create consistent results so the unique colors can be given fun names and can be made available to collectors on an ongoing basis. Nora and Dale use modern science to create jewelry that feels as if it is an ancient treasure from an archaeological dig or a ship buried deep beneath the sea.
Nora Swanson and Dale Brandt
Nora Swanson Arts
Berea, Ky.
Web: www.nswansonarts.com
Email: nora@nswansonarts.com