Featured Artist: Cheryl Coccaro

Cheryl Coccaro is the creative mind and hands behind Cape Cod Art Jewelry on Etsy. Her work can also be seen on the web at gypsy-woman designer jewelry.

At Starving Artists, we always look forward to seeing Cheryl's work; her contemporary and modern take on wire wrapping has a clean elegance that is perfect for every occasion. Sterling silver is her favorite medium; but from time to time, she dips into 14k rolled gold jeweler's wire.

Cheryl has always loved art and creating objects. Before settling on making jewelry, she admits that she had tried just about everything. But wire wrapping has always had her heart, and she credits Preston Reuther with giving her the nudge she needed to get started. Long before she began making her own jewelry, she had clipped a photo of one of his wire-wrapped pendants and saved it, with the idea of some day learning how to do it herself. Several years later, she discovered Reuther's training videos, and the rest, shall we say, is history. The student has become the teacher.

After building a solid foundation of technique with Reuther, Cheryl has continued to grow and explore on her own. She is constantly creating and learning; in fact, she can't imagine living any other way. As Cheryl says, "Just believe you can do it, relax and have fun and most of all share what you learn with others." Cheryl is living proof of her own philosophy; she teaches wire wrapping at a senior center and a local craft store, actively passing on her techniques and ideas.

Cheryl has a special relationship with wire; she approaches making jewelry as if she is the student and the wire is her teacher. With each piece, she learns; the wire speaks to her as it moves; together they dance and create beauty. When she wears a piece of her own jewelry, she feels unique and special, and she hopes that other women share that feeling.

You can talk to Cheryl about her work in the Wire Wrap Bracelet Class Project, Great project for coiling! thread at the Starving Artists Forum.

Her advice to those who would like to start making jewelry is simple: Just Do It! She did, and she loves it. And it shows.