rosary and cross that once had been used to
drape a coffin, as well as an enameled pendant
with a madonna and child. She fashioned
them into a necklace with uncut opals that
complemented the colors of the enameled piece.
"M y favorite materials are things that are organic
or that have a history/'’ says Rosenthal; her trip to
Italy aside, she mainly finds them at antique fairs,
flea markets, and gem and bead shows here in
the United States.
O n e favorite material she used recently w as
the bog bog nut from the Philippines, which
she w eaves and knots (using a strong synthetic
material) into an intricate, chunky collar with
luminous green beads. Such is her attention
to detail that after receiving the nuts from her
distributor in a slightly different shade of gray, she
sent back some samples of her preferred color.
They now harvest the nuts to her specifications.
Although she's always considered herself an
artist, Rosenthal held an administrative day job
for nearly
2 5
years at a psychiatric teaching
hospital. W hen she w as laid off in a surprise
budget cut, she wept.
"The HR person told me, This is your chance to
do what you always wanted to do/ Instead, I
found a second job and w as laid off again in
eight months. I
started doing more [craft] shows
to make money."
Sharon Rosenthal
a Philadelphia-based mixed-media artist who
has shown her work at
1
1
A C C shows, makes
exquisite wearable-sculpture jewelry from
materials as diverse as antlers, seed pods, w ood,
and laminate.
"I've been an artist all my life in many forms -
sculpture, clay, w ood, printmaking, and metal
jewelry," she says. "The exciting thing about
working with found objects is getting things to
com e together and finding the right balance.
The materials have to speak for themselves."
Rosenthal is always looking for new and unusual
objects to turn into her trademark large, bold,
necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. She may pick
up an antique brass figurine, miniature w ooden
shoes, an Afghan co w bell, or coils of industrial
leather without knowing how she'll use them.
"I have lots of things I
haven't figured out yet,"
she says. "Then it comes together. I
try to stay true
to having them look individual."
W hile Rosenthal sometimes uses precious
materials including jade, opal, and turquoise,
she considers the true value of her work to be in
the design. Humble, unexpected treasures give
Rosenthal a chance to experiment and stay her
on her toes, creatively speaking.
O n a visit to Rome, which she calls a "paradise
of flea markets and antiques," she found a long
Rosenthal has been a full-time artist for
1
1
years
thanks to that "unlucky" break. "W e [artists and
craftspeople] have a passion for what w e do,"
she says. "W e really work hard. I
feel lucky that
have that passion."
