Kristi
Wax Carver
Having worked with Green Lake since 2004, Kristi primarily acts as a wax carver, but also enjoys doing occasional design work. One aesthetic she’s especially fond of is carving natural forms, whether flora, fauna, landscapes, or people. A graduate of design from the University of Washington, she has worked and studied with revered sculptors and artists, and has her own work included in the permanent collection of the Tacoma Art Museum.
Kristi claims it was after seeing the movie Journey to the Center of the Earth as a child that she first got the jewelry bug. It was the scene where Pat Boone slides unexpectedly down into a sandy cave surrounded by walls of glittering jewels—and it made a big impression. A few years later Kristi moved to Norway where she was exposed to wonderful Scandinavian designers such as Georg Jensen and David Andersen.
Growing up in a family of artists gave Kristi an early appreciation of art and design. Her Norwegian grandfather filled his home with his “primitive” style landscapes, wood carvings, and decorative painted plates, bowls, and chests. Her mother had been an art teacher and sister a fantastic painter, so it’s little surprise she chose to pursue craft.
After starting out as a ceramics student at the University of Washington, Kristi couldn't envision life as a hippie potter, so she switched to jewelry and metal design, studying under the inspirational teachers Ramona Solberg and John Marshall.
Eventually Kristi started working in the jewelry industry, learning repair and production techniques, then going on to designing and constructing prototypes for a large national wholesale manufacturer. It was a great time, but after 20 years the manufacturing division was eventually outsourced—a sad fact of the current U.S. jewelry industry. Fortunately, she found Green Lake and has enjoyed the years since, working on a variety of exciting custom designs.
In addition to her ‘day job’ with Green Lake, she’s an active participant in local street fairs and private sales, creating unusual jewelry such as broken pottery necklaces and pins, and antique button jewelry. Kristi is currently working on mosaic planters using tile and stone—and in her downtime is an avid skier and hiker. “I love living in the perfect city for all those activities,” she asserts, “and I like rain.”
Sample of Kristi's portfolio | Custom designs, work and favorite projects