Q&A with Jeweler Rachel Carren by Bobbi Kittner

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1. You once wrote in an article for PolymerArtArchive "The ability to express oneself via color is a core component for many artists, including those who work in polymer. Modeling in 3-D color via polymer is one of the joys of the material.” Your work incorporates a very rich color palette, can you elaborate on how you choose your palette and how this informed your art practice?

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I’ve been working in polymer for about 35 years and everything I make is essentially “one of a kind”.  Early on, I realized that prior customers would come back and want something to match, so it made sense to develop color palettes that could move through time. As I have an academic background in art history, it seemed obvious ( to me) to create palettes that relate to various historical artists. Most artists use a full palette, so my palettes are designed with an eye for what I find to be dominant hues in their work. The palettes are a guideline and always a unique blend each time I use them. The patterning used for various color groups is also related to the painter, or to textile patterns of their times. Surface patterns are applied by silk screening onto a flat sheet of polymer before I start to form a piece. I make my own screens, and the scale of any given pattern is always a consideration.

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2. Your work is usually informed by historical art references, could you tell us a bit more about your piece selected for the METALWORK 2026 exhibit?

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The Furled Pentad Brooch is one of my pieces in the Metalworks show. The color palette and patterning are from my Pierre Bonnard group.  As I’m interested in pattern and my surfaces often combine several patterns, I look to geometry for design inspirations. Geometric form tends to be easy to comprehend and doesn’t compete with the ornamental surface. The repetition of individually formed components is a frequent feature of my work, and the furled shape enabled me to add further dimension to the piece.

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3. Could you briefly share with us your process of creating some of your pieces regularly shown at Waverly?

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I don’t know how to answer this in a simple way… Sometimes I have a design idea that I work out in models long before it shows up in the gallery.  Other times, I start with a color group and an idea of what I want to make.  Either way, my practice tends to be slow and highly attentive to detail.