Patsy Kay Kolesar Jewelry Designs

Patsy Kay Kolesar Jewelry Design

Patsy Kay Jewelry was founded by me, Patsy Kolesar. I'm an artist who makes one-of-a-kind art jewelry pieces for international exhibitions, but it's the thoughtfully crafted simplicity of my Patsy Kay line which are my go-to's for daily wear. All pieces are made from pure materials; copper, recycled sterling silver, and natural gemstones and handcrafted in my Vancouver BC, studio.  

I was an award winning graduate from Vancouver Community College's Jewellery Art and Design program and have a lifetime love affair with all things beautiful. The Patsy Kay line was sparked by my love of old objects and peeling paint. It came into full fruition when I was doing an artist residency in Europe and fell in love with red roofed houses and rusty metal architecture. 

These days the beauty I find in my everyday life is seen through the eyes of my five-year-old, who I’m homeschooling. It’s filled with stick and rock collecting, building marble mazes, hunting for beach treasures, and embracing messy piles of toys and art supplies all over the house. It is surprisingly, the most beautiful version of everyday life I’ve encountered yet. -Patsy

My jewellery work is heavily focused on pattern and colour. In 2012 I was invited to do a 2-month artist residency in Renkum, Holland.  Since then my work has been very influenced by the bright colours of the gardens that bloomed outside of my workbench and the sea of jewel tones that captivated me when I biked through the tulip fields.

I use a process of silk-screening to get the detailed patterns onto my pieces with enamels.  Silk screening is usually a technique used in textile work and has taken me great patience, practice, and time to perfect in metal work.  

 In the spring of 2014, I was the Touchstone Centre for Crafts scholarship recipient, which allowed me to attend a 3-day workshop at Touchstone on Imagery in Metalwork.  It was there that I learnt how to use decals in my enamel work and have since been able to combine vintage floral decals with my ornate silk-screened patterns. 

 My copper line is also inspired by my time in Europe.  I fell in love with all of the rusty metal and red brick architecture.  I use my favourite hammers to get the texture onto the copper and a process of heating and quenching the metal to achieve the one of a kind colours. 

 

Care:

 Enamel is glass fused to metal.  It is delicate yet durable.  Please take good care of it to maintain its longevity.  Store it by itself tucked in a plastic bag or jewellery bag and don’t put other metal on top of it.  Never throw it in your purse or leave it in a pile of jewellery.  The silver will tarnish, but if you keep it sealed in a plastic bag when you are not wearing it this will slow down the oxidising process a lot.