ART NOTES | Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé for ArtCentralCarthage at Hyde House | on Facebook and in The Carthage Press and The Carthage Chronicle

Kristin Girard’s Gifts from Mother Nature

KRISTIN GIRARD artCentral HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE Featured Artist

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​On a recent morning when she called, how pleased I was to tell my bestie friend Mary that three maple leaf necklaces were still available at the Holiday Boutique. She chose one and off I sent that treasure to her Arkansas mailbox. Now there are only two left in the Boutique! Do you want one of these lovelies for yourself or maybe your very own bestie?
 
What is a bestie? A bestie is a friend who means the world to you! Mary of Arkansas is mine. We first met over the New York Times after I had moved from the Big Apple to the Ozark highland wilderness then on to Fayetteville, Arkansas, where 

week after week Mary saved a copy of the Sunday Times to share with me. I blessed her then for helping me feel connected to the great big world I had left behind when I drove my paneled truck south out of Manhattan.

I bless Mary now for calling me every day so we can say, “Good morning! How ya doin’? You got this one girl! I love you!” Bless her for being the top fan of my Facebook page and the top fan of artCentral’s page, too. I always know Mary is cheering for me and for the art and artists of artCentral! She responds to all my posts with a beautiful red heart of love and often a positive encouragement or appreciative comment. Sometimes she asks a question like, “Have all the maple leaf necklaces in the Holiday Boutique been sold? I sure would like to have one!” 

​Holiday Boutique Featured Artist Kristin Girard is the maker of these exquisite maple leaf beauties along with a stunning collection of petite acorns gleaned from the Hyde House campus. Magically she has transformed these and more of Mother Nature’s sheddings—exquisite wee blossoms and delicate cicada wings—into her one-of-a-kind gleaming copper neckwear perfect for your own jewelry collection or as a thoughtful gift for someone special on your gift list.

​Under the banner of “Kristin’s Laboratory”, using her education as a chemist Kristin meticulously creates fabulously unique jewelry. 

While borrowing ample inspiration from the natural world she cherishes, she usually makes all the elements from the pendant to the chain and even the clasp. ​With her electroforming method—a process that chemically deposits copper on an object and “plates” it in the metallic substance—she frequently incorporates sterling silver or beads or precious stones.
 
Kristin is not afraid to try new ideas! When interviewed by Savanah Mandeville for Show Me the Ozarks magazine, Kristin mused, “A lot of what I do and the different techniques I use are about just going for it and being fearless. Most of my pieces are affordable and meant for everyday wear, so I like to think the most valuable thing about them isn’t expensive materials but the vision and imagination behind each piece.”

​Do come see and shop Kristin’s artful gifts from Mother Nature at the HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE along with the plethora of giftable art of three other Featured Artists—Debbie Barnett, Brenda Hayes and Jane McCaulley—and all the SMALL WORKS|GREAT WONDERS Silent Auction donations made by artCentral artists!
 
Come find the 5x7 Silent Auction creations that speak to your heart, and place your beginning bids (most start at $10.00) or claim a really special one for the pocket friendly “Buy Now” bid.
 
The 2022 artCentral HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE, underwritten with the gracious support of Old Missouri Bank, is available for viewing, purchasing and bidding in Hyde House during weekend gallery hours, Fridays and Saturdays, 12:00-5:00 p.m., as well as online 24/7 every day at https://www.facebook.com/ArtcentralCarthage/photos_albums and artcentralcarthage.org.