"My work is influenced by economy - small "e" - not "THE Economy," but economy of use. I try to incorporate vintage and discards into my pieces - hence the penny earring, the focal point of which is our much-maligned but lovely smallest denomination; and the decoupaging with bits of old magazines and catalogs.

The packaging for my cuff links - tiny little hand painted canvas paper with a snippet of paper back collage - was born after I took a painting class and had some pretty bad art work suitable for slicing and re-using. In tiny tiles as backdrop for jewelry, my paintings were finally lovely.

The overriding influence really is summed up in my business name - roughly translated, wabisabi="beauty of imperfection." I see parallels between this and the "one man's trash is another man's treasure" ethos, and it has had an enormous influence on my work."

-MaryAnne
Wabisabi Brooklyn