KELEE MADDOX

"I hadn't been able to always create the look that I wanted with my previous methods of jewelry making, and I eventually decided that I was going to have to add another element to my work. So, over the past year, I have added sterling silver wire to my necklaces. I tried for a long time to make clay look like rocks; then I decided I should just be using rocks. It turned out not quite that easy. Alison and I worked on and off for years to develop a technique to work in the way that we wanted. Learning to use sterling silver wire was the last step that I needed to be able to make the rock pendants I had been trying to create for years. I love the simplicity of the rock and the silver together and also the contrast with the beads."

KELEE MADDOX

"Very early one morning I was taking my kids and my dog out for a walk. I saw a little squirrel crossing the street and I squealed: 'Look at the little squirrel wearing a hat!' Of course, it wasn't, but I kept thinking about how cute it would have been if it was. I knew I could crochet a tiny little hat for the squirrel, but I just couldn't figure out how I'd get it on the squirrel. However, if I made my own little squirrel out of wool, I could make a hat and force the animal to wear it without fear of rabies. So, that's what I did. Only, I made a rabbit, and I gave it a mohawk and a carrot tattoo.

KELEE MADDOX

"I hadn't been able to always create the look that I wanted with my previous methods of jewelry making, and I eventually decided that I was going to have to add another element to my work. So, over the past year, I added sterling silver wire to my necklaces. I tried for a long time to make clay look like rocks. Then I decided I should just be using rocks. It turned out not to be quite that easy. Alison Dubilier and I worked on and off for years to develop a technique to work in the way that we wanted. Learning to use sterling silver wire was the last step that I needed to be able to make the rock pendants that I'd been trying to make for years. I love the simplicity of the rock and the silver together and also the contrast with the beads. I spend a lot of time working with yarn. This year I worked on a series of hats inspired by the sentiment of the mullet. They embody the 'business in the front, party in the back' idea, but they do so stylishly."

KELEE MADDOX

Kelee Maddox…has been playing in the mud as long as she can remember. After studying books in college, she followed her mother and grandmother’s lead and began working in clay. Using stoneware, glass, glazes, and polymer clay, along with a combination of throwing and hand-building, Kelee creates one-of-a-kind pieces that are inspired by the world around her.