Concrete to Paper: Tom McCarthy and Francesca Vitali

[Charity Hall]

In 2007, Francesca Vitali explored metals for the first time when she took the Necklaces class taught by Tom McCarthy at the Penland School of Crafts.  She’d never touched a saw blade before, but had been creating intricate paper jewelry forms and was looking for a way to incorporate metal.  

Francesca, a biochemist, spotted an old plastic pipette tip box on my bench that I used to hold my needle files and became very animated, exclaiming, “This, I understand!”  Undeterred by the many strange tools around her, she knew exactly what she wanted to learn. So, when she told Tom that she wanted to make a small box, he guided her step by step and by the end of the first week, she created a perfect rectangular silver box with precise 90 degree corners to cradle one of her paper forms.  

Francesca’s innovation in jewelry design, includes several pieces that are made from recycled magazine paper. You can see her work on her webpage and during the 2012 SNAG Trunk Show.  Just two years after the class at Penland, Francesca won the American Craft Council Award of Excellence at the 2009 ACC Show in Fort Mason, CA. She’s been featured in major publications, such as American Craft and Vogue Italia. 

Tom McCarthy's found object jewelry is unlike any other. Clean lines, forged and planished elements, and gleaming surfaces boast the skill of a traditional bench jeweler while his integration of found and repurposed objects continues to push the envelope. He uses everything from recycled steel pipes and found concrete to everyday plastic objects, such as pushpins, to add bursts of color.  His upcoming class on Found Objects during Idyllwild Metals Week (June 24-28, 2012) is not one to miss. For the budding and experienced scroungers alike, he will help you turn virtually anything into jewelry. 

Tom McCarthy teaches workshops throughout the country and has contributed to numerous publications, including the Penland Book of Jewelry, Metalsmith, and Lapidary Journal.

[Tom McCarthy]

Hey thanks, Charity. That was quite a class with Francesca's paper and your chitin.

This discussion is becoming interesting with "scrounging" incorporating not just materials and spaces but your curation of scroungers.