Arizona Artist Series: Alex Babic of White Crow Works Q & A

How did you get into metalsmithing?

"I developed an obsession with turquoise in 2018. It literally developed overnight. Until then, I used to think it was an "old lady stone", guess I'm an old lady now ;). Anyhow, I bought a few pieces of old Navajo jewelry and the workmanship was amazing, so I wanted to know how it was all put together. I looked up silversmithing classes and came up on Harold studio and the rest is history (not that long of a history I guess).

 

What inspires you?

I find inspiration in different places...antiques, old metal structures and even stones themselves (sometimes I "sit" on them until it "comes" to me what they should be). My love for vintage and rustic shows in textures and designs of my jewelry.

What is your design process?

Design process...as much as I overplan in all other aspects of my life, jewelry design just comes to me. I start working on something and it develops into a piece of jewelry. Don't get me wrong, I have rocks that I started months ago and have yet to become anything…someday.

What is your favorite tool?

Favorite tool- hands down rolling mill. I love texture, it gives life to a plain piece of metal. You can add depth, designs, whole stories to your piece. It's so forgiving as well, if you don't love what you did, you can wipe the "slate" clean and start all over.

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What is on your bench right now?

There's always a turquoise stone and a buffalo nickel in various stages of completion on my bench.

Do you have any upcoming shows? 

No upcoming shows at this time, I do plan on doing some in the future.  Meanwhile you can find my work on Instagram @whitecrowworks and Etsy whitecrowworks.etsy.com/."