We were lucky to catch up with Stephie Kaiser Harvel recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Stephie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I was lucky enough to grow up in my mother’s studio, where I learned Lost Wax Casting, sculpting and painting. I wouldn’t say there was anything in particular that could have sped up my process in learning the craft since I was fortunate enough to learn it from such a young age and have a master artist as a mother, teacher, critic and mentor. Regardless, I believe you learn things when you are meant to learn them. I think the most essential skill in mastering Lost Wax Casting is patience, orientation to detail, and, of course, creativity. My wax carvings have broken countless times or were ruined during my casting of them into metal. It was always essential to stay calm and patient and accept that the pieces that were meant to be would turn out – if I wanted to finish a particular piece enough, then I would recarve and recast the exact same design even after it was ruined the first time around. That level of commitment and patience, to redo the exact same type of arduous handwork for one piece, and not feel defeated, is essential in creating anything meaningful in my opinion. The biggest obstacle in Lost Wax Casting for me is probably the casting portion. You need to have access to a lot of expensive and dangerous equipment. I was lucky enough to always find a way to cast my pieces through local casters or use casting equipment from smaller art institutions since I did not want dangerous casting equipment in my home studio.

Stephie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a German-American artist who handcrafts custom fine gold jewelry using an old technique called Lost Wax Casting. I grew up in my mothers studio in Germany, where I first learned how to think like an artist and actually create art. My heritage, my mother’s traditional teachings and my life-long journey of mastering the art of Lost Wax Casting in my mother’s studio is what allows me to hold my work to such a high standard, which is fundamental in creating quality jewelry. My goal always is to create a piece that is the highest quality of craftsmanship, materials and design. People who hire me to make their custom pieces are almost always individuals who desire fine jewelry that nobody else can have and that they will have forever and pass down to their families.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

As an artist you are privileged to always have an outlet. Life is full of unexpected turns and being able to master a skill or a craft, whether you earn a living from it or not, is invaluable to human existence and often underrated. I think if more kids had opportunities to be taught a skill or craft from a young age it would impact an enormous amount of good.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I don’t feel that art and creatives are valued as highly as other areas of work and identities, which is a shame since I think art literally saves lives and has the power to enhance them. Everyone can do their part in supporting the creatives and art by valuing an artist’s art work, finding pieces that speak to you and invest in them (which does not necessarily have to cost a lot of money) and maybe even trying to create art or learn a craft yourself.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kaiseratelier.com
• Instagram: @kaiseratelier