Tuesday 9 August 2011

Vendor Spotlight: Melanie Cronyn


We are delighted to have the jewelry of Silversmith Melanie Cronyn at our summer fair. Originally from Hamilton, Melanie creates textural and graphic pieces with clean lines, largely inspired by nature. I recently spoke with Melanie to find out a bit more about her and her work.

Jenna Fenwick: Tell us about yourself.

Melanie: My name is Melanie Cronyn and I was raised in Hamilton and also spent some time growing up in the Mount Hope/Glanbrook area. After college I moved all over the province of Ontario following different jobs around. I currently live in Burlington with my husband Grant, 18 month old son Cash, and our dog Marty.

J.F.: Where/when did you become acquainted with your craft?

Melanie: I’ve always been creative and love working with my hands. I first studied Cartography (which is the art of making maps) in college and worked in the field for some time, I can’t really tell you how (without boring you to tears) but I ended up in the Engineering field with no creative outlet. Five or so years ago, I started looking for that creative outlet and discovered an intro to jewellery class at George Brown College and I was hooked. From there I started taking silversmithing classes at The Devil’s Workshop in Toronto.



J.F.: Where do you draw creative inspiration from?

Melanie: I am mainly inspired by nature, many of my pieces are modeled after things I see in the great outdoors such as trees & plant life & the beautiful lakes & waterways of Northern Ontario.

J.F.: Describe your 'perfect atmosphere' for crafting...

Melanie: This is something I daydream about almost daily. Currently my studio is in a teeny tiny corner of our garage which isn’t overly inspiring, so in my daydreams I first picture my little family living in a beautiful old restored home out in the country, with lots of land. I could walk out my back door and across the grass to a little studio surrounded by trees and wildflowers. Inspiration everywhere.


J.F.: How do you get your work out in the world? Where else can one find it?

Melanie: Currently you can find my work online on Etsy.

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