Barbara McFadyen

Bio

Metalsmith and enamelist, Barbara McFadyen has been designing jewelry in gold, silver, and enamel for over three decades. Her passion is to create unique, intimate objects to wear on the body or hold in the hand. She is nationally recognized through exhibitions with the American Crafts Council, the Smithsonian Institution, SNAG, and the Enamelist Society. After a 1974 BA in Creative Arts from Eckerd College, St Petersburg, Florida, McFadyen experienced a creative highlight in a summer immersion program with Parson’s School of Design at the Tokyo Designer College in Japan in 1981. Subsequently, beginning with cloisonné enameling at Kulicke Starke Academy in New York City, she studied with noted enamelists Bill Helwig, Martha Banyas, Jamie Bennett, Mary Chuduck, and Elizabeth Turrell. An “Enameling for Bookmaking” class at the Penland School of Crafts left McFadyen ardent about exploring ways to combine metalwork with this medium. She completed an MFA in Metal Design at East Carolina University in May 2017.

McFadyen recently curated “A Sense of Color,” an invitational enameling exhibition featuring East Carolina University artists at Creative Metalsmiths in Chapel Hill, NC. She enjoys teaching workshops at craft schools including John C. Campbell, Arrowmont, Peter’s Valley, Penland School of Crafts, Kobe Design University in Japan, and most recently the Society for Contemporary Craft. Since 2011 she has served on the Board of Directors for Penland School of Crafts. Her work has recently been added to the Collection of the Enamel Arts Foundation.

McFadyen resides in Chapel Hill with husband Douglass Phillips, their four children, five grandchildren and beloved dog, Bodhi.

Statement

I find inspiration in the beauty of nature and the awe that it invokes. I believe the beauty of the living and dying reminds us of our place in the world and provides a level of meaning that lies beneath the bustle and hectic work of the everyday. My work examines this beauty, love and loss, remembering, and finding solace through reflections of the past. Drawing on historical reference from mourning and sentimental jewelry to 18^th century eye miniatures in framework and design, the brooches I create act as portal to the past as well as providing a feeling of protection. The connection to those loved and lost allows me to find my center in the present. I preserve memories and the stories they hold, in paper, metal, and enamel. Through shadows of the silhouette or gaze of one loved and lost, my work endeavors to create a sense of intimacy, sacred space, and connection to those held dear. The silhouette becomes a tracery of the individual and experience; the gaze creates a sacred realm. Whether exploring the format of the book or the brooch, I am able to find respite and carry the memory or person with me.