We were lucky to catch up with Gloria Olazabal recently and have shared our conversation below.

Gloria, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Our mission is to provide a platform for our fellow artists, with an emphasis on those from New Mexico and Peru.

One important component of what we do is the personal relationships that we have formed with the artists we represent in the gallery.

One of the most special parts of our work is traveling around Peru to meet the artists and get a glimpse of them in their studios.

For many of these Peruvian artists, Cielo is the first and only place where their work is displayed outside Peru. bring this unique and ancient traditions to a new audience.

I grew up admiring traditional and contemporary Peruvian art. It is such an honor for me to represent these artists who I have admired and who have influence my own work throughout my life.

It is really important for me provide a platform for my fellow Peruvian artists.

Affordable art and craft that is accessible to a general audience, not just art collectors.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a mom of two young women Lorena and Flavia, and a little kid named Joaquin. I am a jeweler and gallery owner in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Iworked as a silversmith apprentice under a master jeweler in Lima, Peru twenty years ago. When I immigrated to the US, I built a jewelry studio in my home and started creating my own style of jewelry. I got my start selling at the Las Cruces Farmer’s Market and juried art shows that eventually drew me to the artistic capital of Santa Fe.

I inspired my husband to quit his teaching job and take up woodworking full time. He joined me on the art show circuit until we happened to see a tiny gallery for rent on legendary Canyon Road in Santa Fe. We started Cielo Handcrafted with my jewelry, Miguel’s wood, and one ceramic artist, who lived on site. We have since expanded from our small space to occupying what once was an historic adobe home, and now is filled with art. We now represent over 30 New Mexican makers and 15 Peruvian artists/communities.

What sets Cielo Handcrafted apart from other galleries is that we are crafter-curators and we live by the sale of our own work and that of our fellow artists. We know the struggles of trying to create and market our craft to build a sustainable and profitable business. The art we offer is mostly functional as well as accessible and affordable to a wide audience. We have also formed personal relationships with our artists, whose stories you can learn about as you browse our gallery.

I believe we have curated a cohesive group of work that complements each other and spins a narrative that unfolds as you wind your way through the gallery.

I feel fortunate to be able to live a creative lifestyle. My jewelry is made on site in my studio inside the gallery where visitors can usually catch me at the jewelry bench. I am also grateful for having the great opportunity to give back to the people that inspired me in my home country by showcasing their work to an audience that appreciates the story behind each piece.

How’d you meet your business partner?

My business partner is also my husband. Back in 2006, I was an IT teacher in Lima and single mother of two little girls. I took 45 days to travel alone in South America and I met Miguel while we were both traveling through Bolivia. He was a wildlife biologist studying Amazonian fauna in Madidi National Park. He returned to the US to continue his education and in 2008, he developed a Master’s research project studying ungulate abundance in the Peruvian Amazon. He hired me as his field assistant and we spent nearly a year together working in the rainforest of Peru, while my mom and my brothers helped me take care of my children in the city.

Lorena, Flavia, and I moved to the US in 2009. As soon as I got here, Miguel took me to a big jewelry supply company that I knew through a catalogue in the studio in Lima. I bought my first tools there, and little by little, together we built my jewelry studio.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

I make all of my jewelry in house at my gallery, Cielo Handcrafted.

I studied under a master silversmith in Lima, Peru. He was a very accomplished jeweler but was steeped in the tradition of fine jewelry; bright, shiny finishes, flawless fabrication, and traditional techniques and designs.

I learned the basics of jewelry fabrication but yearned to experiment and discover my own style. As soon as I moved to the US, we built my studio where I could finally begin to discover my own unique style of jewelry.

You can see my hand in my work. My style is rustic, yet elegant, modern, yet organic. I embrace the imperfections of the handmade process, and I play with textures, finishes, and patinas to showcase the synergistic properties of silver and stone.

Having my studio in the gallery allows me to take time to browse the space, arrange, and contemplate the works of our artists, chat with our visitors, and put on display the pieces fresh from my bench.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.olazabalfinery.com
• Instagram: @olazabalfinery
• Other: Cielo Handcrafted website: www.cielohandcrafted.com

Image Credits
Portrait in the studio: Gabriela Campos