Christie Latone

MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE:
My family has always inspired my art, bringing forth beauty from raw materials. I have watched my entire family work on the craft of jewelry. My journey brought me to live with my godmother. She became another one of my teachers. She gave me the opportunity to learn and inspired my heart to create stained glass images .The light that passes through stained glass is a symbol of my Sun Clan. This light can represent many different things, such as hope, truth, love, and life. Stained glass is an art of piecing well cut glass shapes together to make a beautiful transparent piece of art. The first part is creating a pattern and choosing my glass. There are many types of glass, smooth, colourful or even textured. I then cut the glass with a glass cutter, grind the edges, foil all the glass and then solder using 60/40. When it is finished, the acid is neutralized washing it with vinegar, rinsed then polished. Glass beads are handmade using a mandrel covered in bead release and other tools. My jewelry makings skills and techniques were passed down between generations and generations of family artists. I am a 5th generation artist. As a result, I use many traditional methods and produce jewelry with authentic, one-of-a-kind value and qualities. My Zuni inlay methods have combined these historical techniques with modern practices such as using machine-made materials like sheet silver, as well as finely processed stones along with other stones and shells. With a combination of different inlay, casting, overlaying, stamping, and finishing techniques, with the details to buffing and polishing that I have learned as well as taught myself through trial and error. The artwork that I create is very much a large part of my life. It inspires me daily.