Jewelry, Mixed Media and Wearable Art
Crystal Thorson puts a retro twist into the reclaimed treasures she finds.
Crystal was born into a family where “making something from nothing” was valued, modeled and encouraged. Inheriting this trait, she enjoys making multiple pieces of artisan jewelry at a time in many different mediums, using found and repurposed materials. Now retired, she spent her career as an art educator exploring nearly every medium under the sun with her elementary or high school aged students in the Buffalo, Barnesville, Moorhead and Pelican Rapids Minnesota schools. As she taught, she realized that developing mastery over a wide variety of materials allows artists to make richer and more unique creative decisions. This philosophy of “building a toolbox” of techniques and mediums is evident in Crystal’s current work, the product of 26 years of making and teaching art.
During her early years of teaching (without internet) Crystal discovered by necessity her passion for seeking out and scavenging potential art materials, art magazines and books, which led to a constant exploration of new techniques, mediums and lessons to share with her K-12 students. To this day, she still cannot pass by an art supply store, a thrift shop or a rummage sale without checking out what might be inside for her collections.
As she and her husband Rob started their family of three daughters, time and space for creating was at a premium and Crystal was inspired by unique and funky artisan jewelry she saw on a family trip to Denver. At that time, making one-of-a-kind jewelry from unusual materials seemed to be a perfect way to utilize her accumulated treasures. Vintage beads and charms, clock faces, porcelain, Friendly Plastic, Sculpey, feathers, leather, Cracker Jack trinkets, resin, collage elements…these all found their way into wearable art and mixed media wall pieces, which she has on display and sells at Gallery 4.
Fast forward, a few decades, towns and career moves later. By the time of her retirement in 2017, Crystal was experimenting with pewter casting, copper enameling, and working in other metals. She and Rob enjoyed their newfound freedom wandering through thrift shops searching out pewter, copper, brass, tin and silver trays and containers. She began to create rustic, unusual pieces which she says are “not for the faint of heart”, under the name “Metal Shop Rogue”. As a female who was not allowed to take a wood or metal shop class during her high school years, she imagines that her jewelry might be the “rogue” edgy result of spending wildly unsupervised time in an abandoned high school metal shop.
Online shop plans were put on hold as she and Rob moved back to the area in 2020 from Big Lake, MN, settling in Barnesville, MN. Rejoining Gallery 4 in November 2022, she is excited to share her work and learn new techniques alongside other talented artists in downtown Fargo.
1980 B.S. in Art Education; B.A. in Art; Music Minor, Concentration in Ceramics, Moorhead State University
1994 M.A. Curriculum and Instruction; St. Thomas University
1997 National Board of Professional Teaching Standards Certification: Visual Arts
2003 Secondary Art Educator of the Year (Art Educators of Minnesota)
Crystal was born into a family where “making something from nothing” was valued, modeled and encouraged. Inheriting this trait, she enjoys making multiple pieces of artisan jewelry at a time in many different mediums, using found and repurposed materials. Now retired, she spent her career as an art educator exploring nearly every medium under the sun with her elementary or high school aged students in the Buffalo, Barnesville, Moorhead and Pelican Rapids Minnesota schools. As she taught, she realized that developing mastery over a wide variety of materials allows artists to make richer and more unique creative decisions. This philosophy of “building a toolbox” of techniques and mediums is evident in Crystal’s current work, the product of 26 years of making and teaching art.
During her early years of teaching (without internet) Crystal discovered by necessity her passion for seeking out and scavenging potential art materials, art magazines and books, which led to a constant exploration of new techniques, mediums and lessons to share with her K-12 students. To this day, she still cannot pass by an art supply store, a thrift shop or a rummage sale without checking out what might be inside for her collections.
As she and her husband Rob started their family of three daughters, time and space for creating was at a premium and Crystal was inspired by unique and funky artisan jewelry she saw on a family trip to Denver. At that time, making one-of-a-kind jewelry from unusual materials seemed to be a perfect way to utilize her accumulated treasures. Vintage beads and charms, clock faces, porcelain, Friendly Plastic, Sculpey, feathers, leather, Cracker Jack trinkets, resin, collage elements…these all found their way into wearable art and mixed media wall pieces, which she has on display and sells at Gallery 4.
Fast forward, a few decades, towns and career moves later. By the time of her retirement in 2017, Crystal was experimenting with pewter casting, copper enameling, and working in other metals. She and Rob enjoyed their newfound freedom wandering through thrift shops searching out pewter, copper, brass, tin and silver trays and containers. She began to create rustic, unusual pieces which she says are “not for the faint of heart”, under the name “Metal Shop Rogue”. As a female who was not allowed to take a wood or metal shop class during her high school years, she imagines that her jewelry might be the “rogue” edgy result of spending wildly unsupervised time in an abandoned high school metal shop.
Online shop plans were put on hold as she and Rob moved back to the area in 2020 from Big Lake, MN, settling in Barnesville, MN. Rejoining Gallery 4 in November 2022, she is excited to share her work and learn new techniques alongside other talented artists in downtown Fargo.
1980 B.S. in Art Education; B.A. in Art; Music Minor, Concentration in Ceramics, Moorhead State University
1994 M.A. Curriculum and Instruction; St. Thomas University
1997 National Board of Professional Teaching Standards Certification: Visual Arts
2003 Secondary Art Educator of the Year (Art Educators of Minnesota)
Show on Kindness
Hear what inspired Crys Thorson to create her piece, "Heartifacts." |
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