Featured Artist: Hayden Reilly

What vocation gives us pleasure? What's worth mastering? And our time when we're free to study?

Hayden grew up in Baton Rouge, LA , in her mother's studio – a pleasure pen for any child  – piles of artists' chalks, pencils, paper, tacky glue, ribbons, knives, and wire plus the space and time. Long sunny southern afternoons experimenting and learning with a child's focus: color, form and texture.

For an artist who is also a Mom, is there a better Nanny?

Hayden received her BA/ Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design in the Spring of 2010. There she experienced a total immersion in the fine arts and art history.

Fragments of colored lace.

She is most appreciative for her Professors who rigorously drove her, to welcome the marathon work loads, to dig deeper every time for the “nucleus of form”. They taught “Never take a forward step for granted”.  She experienced revelations at an auto-shutter speed intensity. Can we still live our adult lives by these lessons? Enduring patience, failure and frustration, then going back to work again, to gain skill, and to make something worthwhile. 

“Everything happened in the studio.” says Hayden.

 And so, what about the lace? 

The orphaned lace fell into Hayden's hands one day in Pennsicola Bay, Florida.  Her great grandmother, an Admiral's wife casually presented a shopping bag,  “Oh this old stuff, do you want it?”

Antique lace bits.    

The handmade pieces, each made with distinct fibers, were collected by more than one generation.  The web like geometry, the earnest and delicate hand work spoke to her of the same patience and discipline that she had learned well.   Hayden combined the pieces with satin tea-stained ribbons and more cast offs.  She layered on carefully culled remnants from Providence's jewelry Industry: brass, glass, genuine stones and faux pearls and many many hours of hand stitching.  The finished lace necklaces, loaded with history are striking examples of contemporary fine art.  I am honored to offer these one of a kind treasures to you at Kate Hines Jewelry.

Her studio wall.