Watercolor Jewelry: A Modern Twist on Traditional Expression

Watercolor and Jewelry; both are used and made to express oneself, whether someone makes it, buys it or wears it. But what if it was possible to combine the two into one? That is precisely what artist Heather Kent did.  “Before I started creating my Hand Painted Necklaces, I saw a lot of jewelry that was made with generic pictures or photos, and I thought how much better it would be to wear an original painting instead. I love that I can help people express their uniqueness by wearing one of the necklaces I have created,” Heather Kent said in response to my question of how she decided to create jewelry using watercolors. 

Heather first began painting watercolors as a child when her mother taught art at their kitchen table to other children in their neighborhood. Her love of art continued into college where she was a Studio Art major at Cal State University, Long Beach, California. She enjoyed playing around with other mediums, but she always went back to watercolor.

 “One of the initial reasons I started creating these miniature paintings was to give people the opportunity to own an original piece of artwork without the high price tag, “ Heather said. These miniature watercolor necklaces sell for around $ 50.00 and at times she creates customized pieces, which she enjoys. Many of her works are whimsical in nature and she says that she is inspired by happiness. She says, “I love painting simple things that make people happy. One of my most popular designs depicted a stack of book with a coffee cup - pure joy! Or, what is happier than two narwhals in love?” She also loves painting nature, including trees and plants.

Not only does Heather make miniature paintings but she has also recently started creating her ‘Original Watercolor Box Paintings.’ After she gave birth to her baby this past July, she was looking for some new ways to create her watercolors that would take up less time than it takes to create her jewelry.  She decided to combine together two things that she loves: watercolor and boxes. She has collected many over the years so she decided to frame her paintings in these boxes or drawers which can then be hung on a wall or set on a shelf.

You can find Heather’s original watercolors for sale on her Etsy shop at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/HeatherKent