My Story

Hello! My name is Stephanie, the wire artist behind Halcyon Wireworks. Welcome to my website!

First things first. What’s with the name? 

hal·cy·on /ˈhalsēən/

adjective

1. denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful."the halcyon days of the mid-1980s, when profits were soaring"

noun

1. a tropical Asian and African kingfisher with brightly colored plumage.

2. a mythical bird said by ancient writers to breed in a nest floating at sea at the winter solstice, charming the wind and waves into calm.

In addition to finding its literal meaning beautiful, I chose the name because I like the word ‘halcyon’-- both in its sound and definition. It’s unique while still being relatively easy to read, spell, and pronounce. 

I’ve always been into crafting and working with my hands. I'm also a vocalist, and when my bandmates would change the strings on their guitars and throw the old ones in the garbage, all I could see was potential art material being wasted. I tried experimenting with bending the strings into something, but they weren’t stiff enough to really hold any shape. That led to me buying crafting wire at a local craft store, thinking I could bolster the noodle-y guitar strings with the structure of the wire, and use both together. I ended up putting the guitar strings on the back burner to focus on using wire only for a while. Once I got a solid command of effectively shaping the wire, I began working with guitar strings again, and I now use both wire and guitar strings (together or not) in my work. 

My design inspiration comes from many places, particularly shapes and patterns I notice in my everyday surroundings. I spend a lot of time in nature, whether it’s on my paddleboard, hiking, magnet fishing, or taking road trips. I find a lot of neat things out in the world, and I use many of these found objects in my work. Sometimes I plan a piece and it develops from an idea in my sketchbook. Other times, I simply sit down at my bench, go with the flow, and see where it ends up. Some of my favorite pieces started out as one concept that I adjusted or re-shaped into something else.

I’d like to give credit where it is due to some fantastic artists, because I have them to thank for providing the inspiration and knowledge needed to develop my craft. Some of my favorite work, books, and tutorials come from Nicole Hanna of Nicole Hanna Jewelry and YouTube’s Go Art Yourself, Sarah Thompson of Sarah-n-Dippity, Christina Larsen of CSL Designs, Lisa Barth of Lisa Barth Jewelry, and Sara Lott of Pillar of Salt Studio. You will likely see their design influences in my work.  

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