About Leah Hitchcock Ybarra
Artist Statement
I am an artist and a crafter, working in a medium that some think of as craft, and others as fine art. You can call me an artist, a crafter, an artisan, or a designer - to me, the label isn't what's important. I love designing jewelry. I love crafting my raw materials into beautiful things. I love the process, the experimentation, and (often) the finished product. I love seeing how far I've come as a designer since making my first simple beaded necklaces, and as long as I am able, I will continue to gain skills, perfect new techniques, and come up with new design ideas.
-Leah
Leah's Jewelry Background
I am primarily self-taught and enjoy acquiring new skills as my designs increase in complexity. My interest in jewelry making began at an early age when I began stringing my own necklaces, and has since grown to include beadweaving, wirework, and fabrication. I work in traditional metals such as silver and gold as well as gold-filled, copper, and brass, combined with pearls, stones, glass, and more recently, resin and found objects. I visit online jewelry forums, read books about jewelry making, and take occasional workshops to add to my repertoire of techniques.
Jewelry and Art Education
- Resin Workshop, Fiber and Metal Workshop with Susan Lenart Kazmer, November 2005
- Fabrication 1, Revere Academy, 2004
- Found Objects and Cold Connections Workshop with Susan Lenart Kazmer, 2004
- Bead and Wire Flower class, Ciudad de Mexico, 1999
- Various beadweaving classes, Wildthings, Weaverville, CA, 1990's
Professional Activities and Awards
- Member, Pleasanton Craft Mafia, 2006
- Juried Member, International Guild of Wire Jewelry Artists (IGWJA), 2005
- Publicity Committee, IGWJA, 2005
- Charter Member, IGWJA, 2004-2006
- Member, East Bay Pro Arts, 2005-present
- Completed Creative Wire Jewelry forum's first Year of Jewelry project, 2004-2005
- Second Place, Creative Wire Jewelry Forum Design Contest, March 2005