Today we are visiting the studio of jewelry designer and artist Tay MacIntyre. She has a two wonderful lines of jewelry – one called twirl and the other is through etsy and is called bread + butter. Her work is inspiring and sculptural as she uses found objects, vintage buttons, and mixes of metals to create beautifully wearable pieces. She also writes a fabulous design blog called Found Object – and as she puts it, it is full of “inspirations, reflections, and discoveries”. Let’s knock on her studio door and see what she’s up to….

Welcome to my studio – so glad you could come! These days I make my home in Portland Oregon and I know I am lucky to live in one of the coolest cities in the nation. I am surrounded by wonderful friends, with my small dog, Mia, curled up at my feet. The jewelry is about making a living in a way that is independent and pleasant. Painting is my form of meditation, which sometimes I show and sell. Installation art and sculpture is something I want to get back to that has no commercial value attached and feeds my spirit at the deepest level.
Behind me is a giant wall of pegboard with all the tools of the trade – pliers, files, ribbon for necklaces…
I was inspired by my college jewelry professor who had a pegboard like this full of tools – except he had an outline painted around each one so he would know when something was missing!

This is a stand I use at shows to display all my earrings – the wood is original from a mold used to cast machine parts in an early 1900’s die-casting equipment factory.

…this is one of my favorite posters – keeps you going! I’m a big believer in setting a positive intention for your day, for your project, and your business. Taking a leap of faith and starting a small business is stressful, without a doubt. Yet it is also a wonderful opportunity to experience amazing personal growth, if you choose to use it that way. The challenges are many, but the rewards are even more. Working alone in my studio has made me seek out and build a network of support, both professionally and personally.

I have been metalsmithing since I was 16…I adore metal: it’s of the earth, can be solid, liquid, heavy, light…metal holds endless possibilities. It’s got soul, too. I hand fabricate all of my metalwork and incorporate vintage and found objects. Each piece retains a one-of-a-kind quality, even if it is made in a series.

I also love the history that found objects hold – each vintage button carries a story. Taking materials that are not traditionally considered precious, and setting them like jewels gives me great delight. I find rare vintage buttons and unusual natural materials like tagua nut to be more interesting to work with than sparkly gemstones.

I started making belt buckles because I like to wear them. But really because I get to work at a larger scale. I have a larger “canvas” to work on and it truly feels like sculpture. I also wanted to design pieces that could be worn by men and women.

My newest release this week is a beautiful collection of necklaces called “time”. Vintage clock hands (some over 100 years old) are carefully sanded to show the beauty of the metal. I like the graphic statement that they make.

Recently, I’ve been having fun using vintage elements and engraving them with my botanically-inspired drawings, like the lockets pictured above and below.
All of the lockets have a gentle affirmation inscribed inside.

I have a BFA in Sculpture and Installation…so it’s part or my process to create in many different types of media. Above is a detail of a large winged sculpture – called “Shame & Glory”. It’s made from cut paper feathers attached to a steel armature.

I’ve kept journals and sketchbooks since I was small, even dictating to my Mom before I could write all the words I knew. Most simply, jewelry is sculpture that you get to wear. I love rings the best, because both the wearer and the observer can see and appreciate the piece. Some of the rings are designed to be quite large and feel like a heavy bauble on the hand. Personally, I find this a very luxurious feeling!

Painting for me has a meditative and restful quality. My aesthetic runs through all of my work and there is always a dialogue between my painting and my jewelry work. Above is an example from a collection called “fairy rings” – they are oxidized copper and silver and the 2 slender rings make a whimsical woodland-inspired wedding set.

I’ve loved the same things since I was small: seed-pods and secret places, mounds of velvety moss and containers, stories and satin finish surfaces. What remains unchanged in several decades is my genuine, intense curiosity about the natural realm. It’s the lens I view the world from, the place I make art from, and the source of inspiration for my blog.