The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s annual ornament for 2014 is Whispers of Spring, a hand-formed cast pewter birch branch made by Kristine Lane of Andover and Paulette Werger, both juried in metal by the League.
Kristine and Paulette created the ornament to pay homage to the official state tree of New Hampshire. The white birch is one of the first trees to come into leaf, celebrating the emergence of spring. The ornament has a celery-colored ribbon for hanging on a tree or wreath.
Whispers of Spring ornaments are sold exclusively by the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Fine Craft Galleries; the League’s online store at NHcrafts.org; and at the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Fair on August 2 through 10 at Mount Sunapee Resort. Each ornament is numbered as one of a limited edition and is signed by the artists. The ornament comes beautifully gift-boxed and sells for $23.
This is the second annual ornament that Kristine and Paulette have collaborated on; their first was the 2002 annual ornament, Snow Crystal. They have been working together collaboratively since 1998 creating one of kind jewelry. “Paulette and I both draw inspiration from the botanical world, so Whispers of Spring represents our shared aesthetic,” said Kristine.
About the Makers
Kristine Lane of Andover creates metal jewelry that communicates her passion for the graceful botanical forms found in nature. She has been working as a studio jeweler for more than 20 years. “It is still as exciting today as the day I started,” said Kristine. “Honing skills and discovering and developing new techniques keep my creative senses alive and constantly challenged.”
She has been engaged in art since her first watercolor lesson at age four. She studied painting, drawing, and sculpture at Boston University’s two-year Fine Art Core Program and then discovered a connection to metalsmithing while pursuing a bachelor of fine arts degree in jewelry design at Virginia Commonwealth University. “I was hooked instantly to the inherent strength of metal and the associated challenges of working and manipulating it to create delicate forms,” said Kristine.
She enjoys every aspect of creating a piece of jewelry, from design to fabrication. “However, there is no greater gratification in metalsmithing than being told that one of my designs has become a client’s favorite piece of jewelry,” she added.
Paulette Werger of Hanover makes jewelry, vessels, and flatware that draw upon botanical imagery, mythology, and folk tales. “Form, texture, and pattern borrowed from my garden are the basis for the collage-like surfaces and simple volumes in my metalwork,” said Paulette. Her neckpieces, rings, earrings, and beads combine a variety of materials including gold, silver, pewter, hand-cut gems, and pearls.
Paulette is originally from rural upstate New York. Her great-grandfather was a painter trained in the Hudson River School, who supported a family of 10 from his artwork. “Growing up, I was surrounded by my great-grandfather’s paintings and the landscape that had inspired him. I spent many hours outdoors rambling through fields and woods, building tree forts and drawing pictures,” said Paulette. “My family was not surprised when I was inclined toward art and, because of my great-grandfather’s example, they were very supportive. The importance of the natural world has persisted in the narrative of my work.”
Paulette received her BS in painting and sculpture from the College of Saint Rose and Skidmore College in New York, and her MFA in Art Metal from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She exhibits and sells her work both nationally and internationally and teaches workshops in jewelry making and metalsmithing techniques.
She is a founding member of Metalpeople Studio in Madison, Wisconsin. Her current studio, Metalpeople East, is located in Lebanon. She serves on the Boards of Trustees for the Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston and for the Alliance for the Visual Arts in Lebanon.
About the Annual Ornament
The League’s annual ornament selection, now in its 27th year, is open to all juried League craftspeople. The ornament is selected by the managers of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Fine Craft Galleries, located in Center Sandwich, Concord, Hanover, Littleton, Meredith, Nashua, and North Conway. Major credit cards are accepted for ordering the ornament by telephone from any gallery.
League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Fine Craft Galleries are located at:
- Center Sandwich, 32 Main Street, 284-6831
- Concord, 36 North Main Street, 228-8171
- Hanover, 13 Lebanon Street, 643-5050
- Littleton, 81 Main Street, 444-1099
- Meredith, 279 Daniel Webster Highway, 279-7920
- Nashua, 98 Main Street, 595-8233
- North Conway, 2526 White Mountain Highway, 356-2441
About the League
The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen is a non-profit, craft education organization. Its mission is to encourage, nurture, and promote the creation, use, and preservation of fine contemporary and traditional craft through the inspiration and education of artists and the broader community.
The League represents the signature of excellence in fine craft, through the work of its juried members, and its rigorous standards for self-expression, vision, and quality craftsmanship. The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen is supported in part by grants from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, contact the League at 224-3375, NHleague@nullNHcrafts.org, or visit NHcrafts.org.