I recently interviewed the delightful Louise Coulson of Kingfisher Designs. Louise and design partner and husband, Don, are the gifted creative team responsible for making Kingfisher Designs one of my favorite destinations for unique and beautifully crafted artisan jewelry. This dynamic duo create elegant wire-woven jewelry that definitely stands out from the crowd. Utilizing their innate artistic talent, a love of the natural world, and expert craftsmanship-finely honed over many decades-this vivacious couple possess that special 'joie de vivre', which is perfectly expressed through the flowing symmetry of their exquisite jewelry designs, and reflected in the manner in which they have chosen to live their lives, embrace the pursuit of life-long learning, and generously share that expertise with others.
The Kingfisher Designs website introduction says it all,
"Enter a world filled with shimmering gold, flashing silver, irridescent titanium, lustrous pearls, rare and beautiful gemstones and unusual beads from all over the world.
Enjoy our unique one-of-a-kind or limited edition jewelry. Design, quality materials, and uniqueness are just not enough though. None of this means a thing without excellent craftsmanship and that is our commitment."
SD: When did you start designing jewelry?
Louise Coulson: I had combined beads with my loom weaving in the 1980's
and we both realized that we wanted to work with metals. We bought a torch and a pile of equipment, but it wasn't until years later that we found a jeweler to study with. He was quite a taskmaster. I learned to solder gold by repairing a small chain he had broken into 1 inch segments. When I saw the flexibility in designs that can be used with wire, I knew it would create the designs in my head and in my sketchbooks.
SD: What inspires your jewelry designs?
Louise Coulson: I learned to knit at 5 years old and have knitted nearly every day since. For a number of years I was a weaver and I still spin my own yarn. Wire, to me, is just another form of yarn. Much of what can be done with yarn and thread can be done with wire, but it is more beautiful and long-lasting.
Don and I lived aboard our boat for 12 years and knots are a way of life for boaters. His work with weaving and knots links with his natural drive for precision (he is an engineer) and work toward his wonderful knotted and woven pieces. What he does, I could never manage.
We both do very smooth, simple, and sleek pieces under our Simplexities line.
SD: Tell us about your background, where were you born and raised, and where you presently live?
Louise Coulson: Don and I are both from Texas, but I have moved nearly 60 times in my short 60 years. I have lived in a motorhome, an 8000 square foot house, and a boat. The only constants in my life have been my family, working with my hands, reading, and the fact that I am a transient. We have bought a place in Mississippi and hope to retire there and grow vegetables in the dirt between shows and teaching.
SD: Please tell us about your other interests and hobbies?
Louise Coulson: Gardening in containers, knitting, boating, and kitties.
SD: Were you creative when you were a child?
Louise Coulson: I started knitting at 5 and have knitted nearly every day since. I wrote my first book at age 10. The title was 'Our Rocks and Minerals'. Of course only one copy has ever been printed, but it was the beginning of a life-long passion for beautiful things that shine. From then on, I wrote every school paper on jewelry and drew fanciful jewelry designs on every flat surface, including my paper dolls. I always wanted to see something I had made at the end of the day.
I have always been "thinking outside the box". What box?
SD: Why have you chosen jewelry design as one means to express your creativity?
Louise Coulson: I just love shiny things like silver and beautiful stones. It's such a tactile festival to touch the wire and shape it with your fingers and to make settings for stones. With 55 years working in fibers, it is only a natural extension to shape the wire to suit my fantasies.
SD: What is your favorite jewelry material to work with and why? Do you have a favorite gemstone or precious metal?
Louise Coulson: I prefer working with .999 fine silver. It doesn't harden easily and conforms to the designs very smoothly. We have really enjoyed niobium because of the finish and the colors that develop when we anodize it.
A favorite stone? That is almost like asking which child is my favorite. I love lapis, malachite, and rhodochrosite. Sometimes black onyx can be just the right counterpoint for a weaving.
SD: Please describe for us one of your favorite pieces of jewelry.
Louise Coulson: Of course this changes on nearly a daily basis, but I have two that I really love. Don made a spinner ring with the symbol for "I love you" in rivets in the spinner and I have a woven pendant with coral, onyx, a silver-gray pearl, and a triangular lapis set in gold filled wire.
SD: Do you offer custom-made jewelry?
Louise Coulson: Unlike most jewelry artisans, I rarely do custom work. We did custom boat canvas for a while. Fitting the boat and the vision the owner had, was both a time consuming and frustrating process. I make what I love, then find the person who loves it as much as I do.
Don does make custom bracelets because wrist sizes are quite varied and unpredictable.
SD: Upon placing an order, how long before delivery?
Louise Coulson: Every piece is ready to sell at the time the photographs go on the site, so the pieces are shipped either the day the order is received or the day after.
SD: Well, you certainly have had a very interesting and creative life, Louise! What’s next for you?
Louise Coulson: Right now I am developing teaching modules for some classes we want to teach. I am also finishing up the second edition of Website ShowCase: Artisan's Guide to Website Development and Marketing. I am also developing a loom for the wire. We plan to do more shows and more traveling for teaching once Don retires.
SD: As a life-long learner, is there anything else you would like to learn about making jewelry?
Louise Coulson: I want to get much much better as a silversmith. I really enjoy soldering and piercing and would like to combine this with the wire. I have so much to learn. Don is learning to flush set tiny faceted stones, which will add that tiny spot of sparkle in the unexpected places. When he is fully retired in about 10 months, I think we can expect some very exciting new designs from him.
