Artist’s Name: Ann Drewing
1. Describe your business and craft?
All of my work is created by hand in my jewelry studio, located on the sunny-side of a 100-year-old farmhouse that is nestled in the woods of Virginia. My work employs a variety of materials that include silver, gold, copper, enamel, gemstones, freshwater pearls, and organic materials such as birch bark, dried flowers, leaves and lichens.
2. Where is your favorite place in Richmond and why?
If I am not out hiking in one of Richmond’s wooded parks, my favorite place to be is my home. My fiancé and I (and our three kitty-kids) live in a 100-year-old farmhouse that is rich with history, character, and generations of love. He is a carpenter and we are both stubborn do-it-yourselfers so we are constantly in the midst of multiple renovation projects, which makes for a home-life that is never dull.
One of my favorite parts about our home, though, is my jewelry studio. It is surrounded by windows on three sides, so I feel really in touch with the outside world even when I spend a day locked away in my creative cave.
3. Do you have a particular item you want featured? Why this item?
I am most captivated by my “Captured Collection.” It is one of my newer jewelry lines and was featured in an article in Richmond Magazine last October. Because I am inspired by the colors, textures, and patterns found in the natural world, I collect random bits of nature during walks through the woods. Last year I discovered how to incorporate those materials into my metal jewelry, in the "Captured Collection." 
The "Captured Collection" is an exploration of the human need to make timeless those treasures in life that bring us joy. All things organic are in a constant state of change. By sealing these found materials in a clear resin, I am able to suspend them in time. By becoming a wearable object set in precious metal, each bit of bark, tiny flower petal, or autumn leaf is viewed in a new light.
4. If you had to switch crafts and do something else for your business, what would it be?
Although I have been commissioned to paint the occasional mural in a child’s room, I would love to get back into painting regularly again. (If only there were enough time in the day)! My studio emphasis for my fine art degree was a split decision between painting and jewelry/metalsmithing. I think getting to use fire in the metal studio was the element that won me over in the end. For now, using enamels to “paint” color on my jewelry work is a good compromise for my creative muse.
5. The craft bug starts somewhere. What is your earliest memory of making something crafty?
When I was still in the single-digits, my dad used to take me along on business trips. While he would present new merchandise lines to his customers, I would draw unicorns and faeries on scrap paper to pass the time. Sometimes if it were an especially long presentation, I would design and cut out clothing for my unicorns and faeries, just like paper dolls.
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