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Angie Olsgard, Owner
Angie earned her undergraduate degree from Colorado State University,
and her master’s degree from University of San Diego in Marriage and
Family Therapy. Angie learned silversmithing with Pauline Warg at Maine
Academy of Art. Angie’s work is inspired by the simple forms in nature,
and funky vintage objects that time forgot.
While studying Play Therapy in California, Angie was using her creative
talents to inspire growth and wellness in her clients. After graduating
and moving back to native Colorado, Angie had the wonderful
opportunity to open Angie Star Jewelry, a handmade local jewelry
gallery that specializes in custom design. The gallery has been voted
Best of Boulder for jewelry since its conception five years ago.
Angie’s newest venture is North Star Jewelry Supply, located in the
North Boulder community. North Star Jewelry Supply offers individual
and group classes in jewelry making, silver smithing, and a treasure
trove of inspirational jewelry making supplies. |
ASJI Staff & Instructors
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Kirstin Childs
Kirstin Childs has a degree in fine arts from Simmons College and an
industrial design degree from Rhode Island School of Design. While at
RISD she designed an innovative flexible fabric called lightskins. She
would weave a wire mesh based on vein patterns in nature which would
inform the movement of the fabric. With this material she created
everything from lighting to video installations. Today she is still
working with wire, but in a smaller more intimate context. In addition
to jewelry she started designing handbags and personalizing them by
creating her own findings. In her work she likes to accentuate
imperfections rather than hide them in order to emphasize its natural
beauty.
Her inspiration comes from her love of travel, food, nature, and
dance. “I like to make pieces that can be worn in many ways, are
expressive, and are timeless. My hope is to inspire women to express
themselves, by giving them ‘props’, thus helping them make art out of
their ordinary day to day life.” Each piece she creates is ultimately
imbued with a love of the creative process and her desire to design
meaningful lasting objects.
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Miranda Kyger
Miranda Kyger has always had a love for jewelry. As a child she would
find shells and treasures on the beach and turn them into necklaces.
Today she continues to use spontaneity in her creative process. Her
creations are inspired by a love of nature and a playful sense of
appreciating life. Her jewelry collections incorporate faceted
gemstones as well as whimsical shapes and circles.
Miranda earned her bachelor’s degree from Appalachian State University
in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. She also is a graduate of
Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts in San Francisco. Since then she has
continued to surround herself with gorgeous mountains, first in
Missoula, Montana and now in Boulder, Colorado. Miranda sells her
jewelry collections all over the country, from Atlanta to Hawaii. |
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Amy Bixby
Amy Bixby joined the Angie Star team in July 2007 shortly after she
moved to Boulder from New Zealand. She is a metalsmith who loves to
create visual contrast in her work with the use of texture, dimension
and juxtaposing materials such as18k gold, sterling silver and copper.
Amy enjoys hand fabricating unique and affordable wedding bands from
these materials, each custom made for the individual. “I love to create
jewelry that holds meaning to the wearer, most of this comes in
designing and creating custom work, but every piece I make has me in
it, I think that’s important in order to be truly satisfied with what
you create.
Visually I like my work to stand out from that of a traditional jewelry
store; I prefer beaten and matte finishes to the highly polished
manufactured look.
Growing up on a farm has given me an appreciation for natural, raw
beauty, I think this is the aesthetic I look for in jewelry, it needs
to have the essence of hand crafted appeal”.
Education:
Otago School of Art, Dunedin, New Zealand – Bachelor of Fine Arts
Otago School of Art, Dunedin, New Zealand – Diploma in Jewelry & Textiles
Kings College, Dunedin, New Zealand – Certificate in Fine & Visual Arts
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Lisa Sprowls
Lisa Sprowls joined the Angie Star team in June 2007 and is a native Colorado artist, from southeast Denver.
She is a detail-oriented artist that strives to create contrasting
textures, dynamic forms, strong color awareness and fine craftsmanship
in her work. She frequently challenges herself and learns new
techniques to bring to her collections.
"I love learning. It's what drives me to be a better artist. I will
push myself to learn a new technique and instantly have a hundred ideas
of how to apply it and combine it with what I already know. I feel like
it's the natural progression of my creative process."
Lisa earned her degree in Industrial Design with a concentration in
metalworking at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI. In
addition to her design degree, she is currently studying Gemology
through the Gemological Institute of America and is an aspiring oil
painter.
Lisa is also responsible for designing all of the marketing materials for both Angie Star and North Star.
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Katherine Sanz
A second generation artist and Colorado native, Katherine earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Colorado and studied jewelry design under mother, Mary, and at Angie Star Jewelry.
Her designs are inspired by natural rhythms and earth cycles like river currents, ocean tides, and growth patterns in plants. Asymmetric balance and delicate wirework are important elements in her work, letting the natural beauty of the materials take a central focus.
“My art is made to be worn. It is important to me that the work accentuates the beauty of the wearer. I love to do custom work and create harmony between meaning and design.”
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