Light Source
A modern-day Italian painter honors his country’s stained-glass tradition.
By Annie Osburn
On a warm summer day along the Via della Galluzza, the door to artist Alberto Positano’s studio stands ajar.
Curious passersby slow their pace to…. Read more
Verma Nequatewa
Each one of my pieces begins with a flat sheet of gold and turns into something that suddenly comes alive.
By Annie Osburn
Beyond the never-ending horizon, in a world ruled by ancient clans, the cycles of nature and ceremonial dances, Verma Nequatewa peacefully grinds and cuts lapis, coral and sugilite for her extraordinary stone inlay jewelry….Read more
Elegant Vessels
Jewelry artist Michael Boyd fills his cup with new found forms.
By Annie Osburn
“You were my first interview ever and I was panic-stricken,” recalls Michael Boyd with humor. The first time I met him, he was sitting inside a chicken-coop-turned-studio in downtown Denver . It was winter 1991….Read more
Things of Beauty
Nature inspires elegant forms for designer Karen Olsen Ramsey.
By Annie Osburn
I can’t remember when I had a warmer welcome or a more sumptuous lunch – at least one that only occurred in my vivid imagination! At home in Grass Valley, California, Olsen Ramsey’s design repertoire is a virtual well of flora and fauna…Read more
Bill Worrel
By Annie Osburn
Pulling myself over the rocky ledge, the bright sun hit my cheek and neck with a hot, heavy hand. Texas sculptor Bill Worrell was behind me. I judged his closeness by the gentle silver sounds of the five shaman pendants hanging around his neck….Read more
Master of Mosaic
Renaissance and contemporary stone inlays glisten side-by-side in Florence.
By Annie Osburn
In the courtyard of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure (literally, “workshop of the hard stones”) in Florence, Italy, a huge mound of ancient stone and Roman columns rests in a tumbled heap like a sculptor’s untapped marble longing to be carved….Read more