SHEA YETTA

We all have a story, this one is mine...

I have had a true obsession with art for as long as I can remember.  It started with drawing as a small child, led to painting, and now jewelry making.  My art professor helped me understand that I was more of a sculptor and was trying to create something other than paint on canvas. That was the birth of my style…using found objects and any type of recycled materials combined with canvas and paint to create my art.  I just couldn’t create on canvas what had taken nature years to accomplish…rust in all its form and beauty.  I began collecting and using dirt, metal, newspaper, broken guitar strings, you name it I used it to create sculptures with canvas intertwined.  That was it, I was hooked. The crazy thing was I actually started to build a reputation as an artist. My first show was on Julia Street in the heart of the New Orleans Art District.  It was for "Art for Art’s Sake" and had several thousand people attend. It was definitely my first break. Luckily, that show led to more!

And then Hurricane Katrina happened...

Three years later I was ready to go through those stored boxed and create again.  I had been painting but wanted to do something different. In an effort to regain some of what I had lost, including my sanity, I decided to refurbish my jewelry collection. One for therapy, and the other for lack of being able to replace what was lost.  I entered my studio in Nashville with a totally new direction…and a new love began. Once again, I was hooked!  I made a necklace, then another and another and then earrings and bracelets.  I couldn’t stop.  I felt like me again, something I had also lost with the storm. I wore my stuff with pride, and suddenly didn’t feel the loss as much.  All of a sudden I was getting stopped and asked where I got my jewelry.  This time I could say I created it instead of someone else.  Pieces I had given to friends and family were also getting the same response.  I began receiving calls giving me the names of people to contact that wanted to purchase my work.  So here I am, a jewelry maker.  It seems as though I am back to where I started…hopeful, happy and doing what I love.  I hope those who wear my work will feel, as corny as it sounds, the soul I put into each piece.  Each piece has a story.  One you might never know, but can imagine and feel good knowing it has a happy ending.  We all have a story, this one is mine.