Rebecca Bashara
Rebecca’s Jewelry is defined by an enduring interest in naturalism and an aesthetic that blends metalsmithing with the organic forms of stone. Her designs reverberate with the peace, freedom and spontenaeity of experiences we all have in nature, whether deep in the mountains or at home in the urban woodland.
As a child in Iowa, Rebecca could be found meandering along the river or the railroad tracks looking for stones, pieces of glass, or natural objects. She was fascinated by the miniature and spent hours looking at grasshoppers and other tiny flora, fauna and innumerable objects. This interest led her into the art of jewelry design and metalsmithing. Her talent was discovered early and Rebecca began selling her creations when she was just a teenager. She refined and honed her craft at the DesMoines Art Center on a Talented and Gifted Scholarship; the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gattlinburg, Tennessee; and at the Pendland School of Arts and Crafts, Asheville, North Carolina. Later she earned a degree in Metalsmithing at the University of Kansas and received two scholarships while there.
She spent half a year wandering in Hawaii “carrying her studio in a suitcase” while creating and selling jewelry made from ocean glass and other found objects. Ever since, Rebecca has made her living as a metalsmith and jewelry maker. She continues to develop her skills through the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts and relevant workshops. Rebecca lives and works in rural Klickitat, Washington, surrounded by the wild beauty of the Columbia River Gorge.
The fact that her creativity springs from her everyday life is apparent if you visit her. Her house is her studio: smooth shimmering stones lie drying in her bathtub and sink; her kitchen table is a rotating mosaic of shapes, colors and textures; stones and metal gather in heaps and mounds stirring for Rebecca to cut and work them into artistic pieces of adornment
