Julie Raasch

Jewelry and Photography

Nature-inspired handcrafted jewelry made from copper, and sometimes sterling silver or brass. Much of my jewelry is created using a technique known as fold-forming. It is a technique in which the metal is annealed (heated) repeatedly while folding, unfolding, forging, and forming the metal. Etching and traditional metalsmith techniques are often combined with the folding of the metal. Stones, beads, found objects or hand-made metal and beaded chains are sometimes included. Each piece of aistheta jewelry is a small sculptural piece of wearable art that celebrates the natural world.

My photographs capture the world around me… from sunrise to sunset and beyond. The work is driven by light. I am an observer of nature, color, and how light plays in the environment. It silhouettes, highlights and most importantly brings out color where it was once hidden by darkness.

Studying and observing nature I enjoy looking closely. To take things apart and look at individual items in nature. Getting down on the ground and look at things from a different angle. Finding the best perspective to see how the light interacts… from above, below, or at eye level? I move around the subject to see the best in my subject matter. Hence the name Hoverfly Studio.

I’m always working to push my vision whether I’m creating a nature-inspired, sculptural piece of jewelry or when making a photo. I invite you to explore my work further by visiting me on social media or one of my websites (aistheta jewelry or Hoverfly Studio photography).