Gold & Silversmithing & Natural History
Curations by Katherine Blackthorne
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Ghost-Lily is operated by Katherine Blackthorne
a multidisciplinary artist and metalsmith, inspired by the endless range of beauty that can be found both in nature and antiquity. Named for two of her horses, Ghost, and Lily. Creating inspired jewelry in silver, gold, and bronze, made by hand using a unique blend of contemporary and ancient tools and techniques. Each piece is thoughtfully hand crafted from start to finish in our Central Coast California studio, starting with pouring handmade ingots, made with custom alloys. These ingots are then hammered, milled, and shaped into their final forms, or alternatively, sand or tufa cast as one of a kind heirlooms. |
silver rings and post earrings, 2019
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About The Artist
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Katherine is an emerging Western artist & jeweler living in the mountains of Central Coast California, on an Audubon certified working cattle ranch with her life partner and fellow artist Jeffrey Mundell.
Katherine began silversmithing in 2016. Around the same time, she settled in the desert in the outskirts of Joshua Tree, and for the better part of a decade, worked in the field of rattlesnake husbandry & education, riding her horse and camping alone in the desert on days off. Forever in love with the austere beauty of the Mojave desert, all of these themes continue to emerge and re emerge in her silver work. |
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Artist Statement
Primarily a silversmith, but also a sculptor and photographer, my art style developed slowly over time, taking on the qualities of my surroundings and interests. Sometimes deeply sculptural, sometimes naturally textured, my pieces inhabit the liminal spaces between ancient and contemporary, natural and man-made.
As Welsh and Irish Diaspora living in the American West, I am forever pondering the place and time I've found myself in. One of my favorite meditations is smithing under the open sky at a dispersed campsite, without power, as human beings have done since time immemorial. As a natural consequence, I tend to favor "low tech" tools and techniques, many dating all the way back to the Bronze Age or earlier. Through seemingly disparate themes and techniques, harmony emerged, and my own distinctive style revealed itself.
Cuffs and bracelets in particular are a powerful statement for both the wearer and the artist, and are my favorite type of jewelry to create. Their sheer size alone is a statement. My hope is that these thoughtfully unique, completely handmade pieces capture the imagination of the modern wanderers, philosophers, artists, cowboys, and historians, and help to express the timelessness of spirit so many of us experience, but struggle to articulate.
As Welsh and Irish Diaspora living in the American West, I am forever pondering the place and time I've found myself in. One of my favorite meditations is smithing under the open sky at a dispersed campsite, without power, as human beings have done since time immemorial. As a natural consequence, I tend to favor "low tech" tools and techniques, many dating all the way back to the Bronze Age or earlier. Through seemingly disparate themes and techniques, harmony emerged, and my own distinctive style revealed itself.
Cuffs and bracelets in particular are a powerful statement for both the wearer and the artist, and are my favorite type of jewelry to create. Their sheer size alone is a statement. My hope is that these thoughtfully unique, completely handmade pieces capture the imagination of the modern wanderers, philosophers, artists, cowboys, and historians, and help to express the timelessness of spirit so many of us experience, but struggle to articulate.