Many of us are using this alone time to tap into our creative side. We are featuring a Q+A of a local artist every week, both to show our support for artists and to inspire each other’s creative side.
Artist/Denver Creator: Dante Perozzi | Dante Perozzi Jewelry | WEARABLE SCULPTURE
info@danteperozzi.com
www.danteperozzi.com
@danteperozzijewelry
310.254.5186
**Sign up for Dante’s mailing list at danteperozzi.com for information about events, discounts & sales. Mother’s Day Gift Boxes go live next week!
1) Tell us about yourself?
Well…I come from a family of artists, so I’ve always been making things. It’s always been my belief that having been raised in an artists home and therefore being constantly exposed to creative practices I was gifted with the confidence that I could “create” anything. Between my two hands I have 7 fingers, which also forced me to creatively figure out my own ways of doing things. Creativity is where I have always shined, and I always knew that I would pursue a future in the arts.
I was born in Zimbabwe but grew up in the States. Mississippi, Louisiana, Virginia, Florida, and Charleston, South Carolina. Then Arizona and Los Angeles, CA , and now Colorado with my husband and two little boys. While studying sculpture at Cal State Long Beach, I fell in love with foundry and metal arts. I was instantly smitten and found that making jewelry felt like an outlet for me, a kind of liberation from the heady conceptual art world of sculpture. Jewelry is more light-hearted and easier to transport than brick, concrete, and resin sculptures. I discovered this love at the very end of my time in my sculpture program and so intentionally dragged out my remaining course requirements so I could take as many jewelry courses as I could. This is how my jewelry practice was began, and it didn’t take long for me to create the foundation pieces for Dante Perozzi Jewelry.
2) What are you working on right now?
As usual I am working on about 20 different things. I have a couple of custom pieces & long overdue gifts I am finishing up at the moment . I have begun the design phase for the fall collection. For my own indulgence I am making chains & playing with links of different thicknesses and sizes as I find it very meditative and rewarding to see it grow in length. I am also excited to be curating a Mother’s Day gift box from a few small women-owned local businesses! It should be available by early next week.
I am also dabbling in block printing & lino cuts. It’s something I have been wanting to try for ages but haven’t found the time. I think it is so important to detach from habitual acts and engage in other forms of making now and again. I think it helps me stay inspired.
3) Where do you find inspiration?
My first collections, Brick & CityScape were inspired by many different types of urban environments. I still have lots of family in South Africa. While touring Soweto during a visit, I saw that the people there built their homes out of old billboards, fences, tires, whatever they could make good use of. The creativity required to do what they had done—essentially making something out of nothing—really got me thinking about the idea of home and inhabited spaces. Living in Los Angeles surrounded by so many different types of architecture also reinforced my interest in construction and buildings. My jewelry designs all stem from this fascination. I have always been in love with the simplicity of shape, line & form and as in most urban environments, my work was entirely made up of hard lines and angles- which I still LOVE. But it led me to wonder if I had an aversion to working with organic forms.
So I decided to make an entire collection under the self-imposed requirement to utilize curves, circles and organic texture. I had a blast and the Curvation collection was my most successful collection at the time. Now, each new design of mine builds upon the last. I often find small elements of previous designs that spark something or feel like they have more to add to the conversation I am having. So I pull out those parts and work with them in new ways. It enables me to create cohesive collections and helps me feel connected to my artistic lineage and visual foundations.
4) Given the current social distance expectations, what challenges have been presented in your business?
Well, unfortunately there have been many. This year was intended to be a year for making big moves. I had booked bigger, out-of-state shows making it my first year of traveling for work. I was also booked for quite a few local Colorado markets in the Spring. They have all been appropriately cancelled but not before I had begun preparing inventory for them. So now I find myself without my normal face-time with customers both new & old. These events are the single most important activity I engage in for my business as I do not have a brick & mortar. Shops & boutiques that carry my line are not placing orders as they too are closed. So I am relying solely on sales from my website and social media platforms to try to move the inventory I am now sitting on. And my supply chain is a bit of a mess too, things are just taking longer if I have to source materials. And finally with schools and child-care options out- I have very few hours to focus on my business.
These are the realities so many small businesses are facing.
I am grateful for the support my business has received during this time, it has meant a lot to me. Jewelry is non-essential but it is a feel-good indulgence. It can hold meaning, love and memory for people and it can also help them feel loved and empowered and I think thats why I am still seeing activity in my online shop. I am still operating as best I can and also paying forward in every way I can by supporting other small businesses with my dollars spent.
5) What are your thoughts about Colorado’s creative scene for entrepreneurs?
It really is a wonderful creative community into which I have felt welcomed in during the last 2 and a half years since making CO my home. I came here from LA, and while I did have quite a wonderful artistic community built up after living there for 15 years there was an uglier side to it I really haven’t encountered here. The attitude between the creatives and entrepreneurs that I have come to know is not one that is so much competitive as it is empowering, supportive and helpful. Furthermore I have seen SO much support from locals - Colorado really shows up for things! Whether it’s artisan events, workshops, festivals or other kinds of gatherings there seems to be a good amount of local pride and community ownership in supporting the creatives and purveyors of Colorado’s good times. West + Main included!
I consider myself new. I have yet to reach my 3rd year here but I certainly feel at home as an artist and resident and I feel incredibly excited about the opportunity for growth here. I am excited to get back out there with shows and teaching workshops when the time is right. Our current predicament is devastating for many individuals, businesses and our economy but I truly believe we will be better people for it. I am sitting here in awe of the love & generosity demonstrated at a community level as well as all of the amazing art coming out of our collective desire to make lemonade out of lemons. I’m looking ahead with hope, compassion & and determination. I wish everyone reading this good health and well being!
