Alicia Fink
When you look at the jewelry Alicia crafts, you can see the inspiration of many worlds. Some ancient, others modern. Some haunting, others sweet. Each piece seems to tell a curious tale.
This 16" sterling silver neck wire holds a removable fine silver mask, darkened with liver of sulfur.It stands to reason, given Alicia's own story.
“I have a rich background from my Hispanic and Indian culture in South America,” she says. “I am curious about ethnic groups and their customs.”
Alicia, who lives in Brockport, NY, was born and raised in Ecuador and came to the U.S. to attend the University of New Mexico. Right after graduation, she took a job teaching Spanish in the Peace Corps/College Degree Program at the State University College at Brockport.
She would go on to teach Spanish at Hilton High School in Upstate New York for nearly three decades.
AliciaAlicia retired and took to traveling with her husband, Herb, but there were still some empty moments between trips.
“I decided I needed to get some structure in my life in retirement,” she says. “That is when making jewelry came knocking at my door.”
Alicia signed up for a jewelry making class at the Rochester Museum and Science Center.
“That class was the start of a new creative life for me,” she says. “I had never heard of Precious Metal Clay until that class. It is an amazing material and lends itself to awesome creations.”
Precious Metal Clay, or PMC, is made of tiny particles of silver or gold, plus a binder. You can mold it into shapes and fire it. The binder burns off and the pure metal holds its sculpted form.
This petroglyph-themed pendant is 2.5" x 1.5" and rests on a 24" silver chain.“What remains can be hallmarked as .999 silver or gold,” Alicia says.
She made her first jewelry pieces as gifts.
“Mainly to my sister,” she says. “Within a year I had a first show in my home. I sold every piece of jewelry I had on the table. Now I participate in several juried shows a year.”
Everything came full circle when Alicia returned to her love of teaching to share her skill in a continuing education program—in the same school where she taught Spanish for so many years.
Today, she teaches jewelry making at Studio 34 and at the Creative Workshop of the Memorial Art Gallery, both in Rochester, and at her own studio in Brockport.
This August, Alicia plans to participate in the Arts at the Gardens show at Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua.
She has more shows—and lessons—planned for the fall.
See more: www.aliciafink.com
Say hi: finkalicia@yahoo.com