Pratt Institute

Personal URL

Education

BFA from Pratt Institute

Biography

Patricia Madeja received her BFA in 1985 from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY and established her studio in 1989 on Long Island.  She designs and produces limited edition collections in sterling, 14k and 18k gold for galleries, museum shops and fine craft shows as well as one of a kind pieces for private collectors.  Her design inspiration derives from geometric forms and architectural structures with movement as an integral component of each piece.   “I enjoy the challenge of engineering and fabricating the mechanisms that will enable motion within the work while allowing me to create elegant, yet playful designs.”

Patricia is the recipient of an American Vision Award, AJDC (American Jewelry Design Council), Saul Bell Award, Jewelry Arts Award and Niche Award and has been featured in a variety of periodicals and books including Adorn, 500 Necklaces, Art Jewelry Today, The Art and Craft of Making Jewelry and American Couture Jewelry and most recently The New Jewelers.  A strong advocate for jewelry education, she has been teaching in the Fine Arts Jewelry department at Pratt Institute since 1998, was appointed jewelry coordinator in 2005 and received a fulltime appointment in 2011.

Artist Statement

Inspiration for my work is derived from geometric forms and architectural structures.  The elements of symmetry, balance and proportion in combination with minimally ornamented forms are the essence of each design.  Movement becomes and integral part of each three dimensional construction and can be as subtle as a floating pearl in a delicate cage or as intricate and complex as the system that links wire triangles which create motion analogous to a “Slinky” toy.  This design concept creates pieces that are playfully dynamic on and off the body.

The current collection is fabricated in sterling silver, 14k or 18k gold complimented with South Sea or cultured pearls, precious stones and embodying several different themes.  The “Cage” collection allows the openness of the designs to reveal their intricate structures and engineering as well as create volume without weight.  The “Tambourine” group joins constructed sheet metal frames with spinning pearls, gemstones or metal beads.  The “Abacus” collection is an extension of the Tambourine series with pearls and stones sliding and spinning on rods.  The one of a kind pieces combine colored, spinning gemstones with multiple structural elements.  These stones are set within hinged geometric frames allowing them to spin freely. A new direction incorporates diamonds in an unexpected way and suspends cut quartz forms in frames of gold.

Each collection’s design elements build on the other combining to form a strong and cohesive body of work.  The metal is finished with a high polish to accentuate the structures and soften the angular shapes.  Each limited edition piece is individually handmade and signed completing the small, wearable object.

http://www.patriciamadeja.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Patricia-Madeja-Studio-Jewelry/159753210729451

Limited Production Collection represented by the Artful Home:

http://www.artfulhome.com/servlet/Guild/EContent?N=0&Ntk=first_search&Ntx=mode%2Bmatchallpartial&Nty=1&Dx=mode%2Bmatchallpartial&Dn=0&D=patricia+madeja&Ntt=patricia+madeja