Rising Stars: Meet Rebecca Loomis of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Loomis.

Hi Rebecca , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story with the arts starts as a child doing crafts with my Mom and sister. My mom stayed home with us and always enjoyed facilitating craft time! We did all sorts of projects together, and she also shared two of her best skills- sewing and playing the piano. Eventually I remember having a jewelry making birthday party where we made polymer clay beads and strung them onto cord with tiny beads. I loved the wearable outcome and had so much fun! That’s really where it started. I was hooked, and eventually worked in bead shops and for jewelers, and took some metalsmith classes as well. I went to college for violin and still made room for my jewelry making supplies in the dorm rooms, selling pieces to friends and teachers. While music is a big part of my life, I decided in 2010 to start my jewelry business so I could officially sell at art and craft shows. What an amazing experience to realize that strangers would pay for my work! I had to figure out how to keep doing this. While my style and jewelry mediums have evolved since then, right now I’m focusing on resin and epoxy clay jewelry. I love the expression I can find in the colors and textures. My pieces are mainly inspired by nature and can evoke the feelings of being in a garden or the ethereal elements of water and sky. I like to think of each piece as telling a detailed story, a little window into another world.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being an artist as a job is the bumpiest road I can think of, so you really have to want it! My temperament and personality do best when I can focus on this as my work, as opposed to fitting it in the margins, so I know this is the right path for me. The biggest struggle getting started was realizing I had to switch to a business mindset about my brand. Is my collection cohesive? Is it staying relevant to my customers and attracting new customers over the years? Materials costs have affected the jewelry industry in a big way, so I had to figure out how to navigate that over this last year. Some years I’m accepted to a lot of shows and other years I’m not. It’s always a balance with knowing where to put your energy and what’s going to pay off while not compromising who you are as an artist.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have taken on the challenge of making resin jewelry look more elevated. My background in the jewelry industry lends itself well to various techniques and skills that I’ve honed. Sometimes I make my own handmade ear wires or use nicer metals. I’m hoping soon to start metalsmithing my own rings and using my dried botanicals inside.

One of the more exciting projects I get to do is help people make custom orders with their material. Dried flowers from a wedding or a funeral make excellent gifts. They get to keep something special to remember that day or that person. I also can use ashes, sand, or pet hair. Memorial jewelry with pet hair has been a special memory for people, and sand from a great vacation makes a good memory too. I’ve done a few birth flower pieces as well. I recently added a custom order section to my website where people can place the order there for the style of pieces they want, and then send me their material.

Last year another side project was making pieces commissioned for the Toledo Museum of Art gift shop. They were having a nature themed exhibit featuring paintings by Rachel Ruysch, a 17th century Dutch painter of botanicals, so I created some pieces that were based off of one of her paintings.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
If you are just starting out, don’t compare yourself to where other people are. You don’t know what they’ve overcome to get where they are. Easier said than done. Focus on what makes you you. What is your motivation, your story? Get really good at your craft. Your art matters to the world! Once you know who you are that will drive your work and people will stop and really pay attention. Don’t be afraid to pivot if something isn’t working. But always hold on to who you are. That’s the most important thing. For me, I realized that I don’t have to compartmentalize the different forms of art I enjoy just because my jewelry is my business. I also still play my violin and enjoy painting. Whatever I do I realize that who I am is an artist who makes beautiful things and makes things beautiful. I want to reflect the beauty of God in my work, no matter what it is.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rebeccanoeldesigns.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/rebeccanoeldesigns