maker
Sunward
Carrie Calvin’s “Magic Combinations”
C
arrie Calvin sees herself as a storyteller first and foremost — just not in the way you’d expect. Instead of using words, she stamps her narratives into clay and metal. Each piece from Sunward Jewelry features simple shapes accented with colors and textures that Calvin brings back with her from every adventure. The name Sunward bears a long history in and of itself. “My dad passed away when I was in high school,” Calvin explains. “He would always say that attitude is everything and remind me of the Helen Keller quote: ‘Keep your face
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to the sun, and you will never see the shadows.’ I collected little suns growing up for that reason and also wanted to channel the western mentality. ‘Sunward’ brings all these things together for me.” Calvin comes to jewelry making from a background in graphic design. She first discovered the joy of working with a laser cutter through a former employer and found inspiration in the geometric styles that the tool so cleanly produces. But, most of Calvin’s work in graphic design lacked a physical component. She wanted a way to get her hands dirty and create a finished product that she could feel.
c o v e r e d b r i d g e va i l . c o m
PHOTOS BY MADISON RAHHAL
By Lucie Hanes
