Check out Sarah Harms’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Harms.

Sarah, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
When I was a freshman in high school, the light bulb lit for me, and I knew I had to have a career in jewelry making. I have been working in metal ever since, and actually getting paid to do since the summer of 1981, when I got a job as an art jeweler’s apprentice. Over the years, I have honed and expanded my metal smiting techniques, explored and created with felted wool, clay, photography, river rocks, and other fun and non-traditional materials. I now know my soul’s primary purpose is to create. When we moved from suburban Chicago, where I grew up, to Camp Verde in 2007, my focus was on black smiting on a very small scale. I am so inspired by our landscapes and amazing skies here in AZ, and became a little obsessed with photographing it all, many of my designs are inspired by Arizona nature and landscapes. I learn by doing, and am primarily self-taught.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My primary focus is on wearable art jewelry, but I have expanded my creations to include wall art, pottery, and functional forged steel works, such as hooks and bottle openers. All of my jewelry is hand fabricated, with the main metal being forged steel, which means I am blacksmithing on a very small scale. I first learned silver smiting, and love to combine nonferrous metals and steel. I overlay silver and copper onto the steel, and set Verde River rocks into sterling, combining them with forged steel elements. The contrast is fabulous, and I feel the look is contemporary and earthy. I love repurposing, turning weird materials into a wearable piece of art. Almost all the mild steel I forge is rebar. 1/8″ ladder rebar, primarily used to reinforce cement block walls, is the main source of steel I use for jewelry works. There is a slight texture that shows itself randomly that I love. A little hint of what the metal used to be.

Almost all of my jewelry designs include some kind of symbolism, whether it be obvious, very subtle, ancient, such as spirals and circles, or made up by me, like my cairns and morning moon series. Balance, peace, unity, love, and eternity are a few concepts represented. I love my work to have positive meaning for the wearer, and become a talisman of sorts.

Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
LOL I couldn’t even begin to speculate on other artists’ challenges. They are a personal thing, and tied to one’s personal goals. Since one of my main goals is to make a living selling my work, some of my personal challenges are keeping my work affordable while creating a well-crafted and original product. I also challenge myself by adding new materials, and trying to stay within my realm, so my work is identifiable as mine. If I had to speculate, I would say the biggest challenge artists (and probably humans in general) face today is staying out of their own way.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
You can see and purchase my jewelry, wall art and pottery at the Jerome Artists Cooperative Gallery in Jerome, of which I have been a member since May 2008. I also usually work my shift on Friday afternoons, from 2-6.

My jewelry is sold in the following AZ shops and galleries:

Eisenart Innovations-Tlaquepaque/Sedona

Fire on the Mountain/AZ Handmade-Flagstaff

Page Springs Cellars-Page Springs

Ian Russell Gallery of Fine Art-Prescott

Village Gallery of Local Artists-Village of Oak Creek

My website is currently in desperate need of an update and inactive, but you can visit my Facebook page for online viewing and purchasing.

Contact Info:

• Address: Camp Verde, AZ
• Website: sarahzonadesigns.com, but it is currently inactive :-0
• Phone: 928-300-0455
• Email: eharms325@aol.com
• Instagram: sarahzona114
• Facebook: sarahzonadesigns

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.