“I enjoy the creative process, both spontaneous and planned, using the sketchbook and the cluttered bench top to develop ideas. My aesthetic is contemporary and nature inspired, drawing from the characteristics of stone and metal to develop unique compositions. I create jewelry using a variety of hot and cold techniques from simple tools to sophisticated equipment. My favorite tool is my grandfather’s old, scarred ball peen hammer.”
Julie Sanford’s fascination with the arts began at a young age, as she assisted in her mother’s ceramics business and watched from afar as her father collected stones and fashioned them into small works of art. She grew up in Kalamazoo’s thriving art scene, and spent her school years exasperating teachers with her tendency to wander off into an inner world of magic and imagination. As an adult, Julie attended art school and, ironically, became a teacher herself. She spent many years honing her craft at well known institutions such as the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kendall College of Art & Design, Western Michigan University, and Chicago Institute of Arts at Oxbow. Julie teaches silversmithing in her Grand Haven studio and resides in West Michigan with her husband and three sons. Her work is displayed in galleries and fine retail locations.
