Jane and Bob - The Twisted Christies
by Sally Hansen
Their medium is not the message. Jane and Bob Christie excel at creating flowing, fluid works of art from cold, lifeless metal wire. Jane designs and creates wonderful wire jewellery; Bob designs and creates whimsical wire sculptures. They share a studio in their rustic log cabin on the shore of the Ottawa River in MacLaren’s Landing not far from Fitzroy Harbour, and thoroughly enjoy working companionably but independently to their individual muses.
The Christies share many artistic and other interests, but they certainly aren’t cookie cut-outs of each other. Born in Montreal, Jane moved to Arnprior when she was four. She remembers spending many mesmerizing childhood hours accompanying her father, a professional forester, on nature walks. Her dad was an encyclopaedia of knowledge, teaching her how to identify plants and trees, and to discern the wonderful array of natural beauty that was concealed all around her. She spent countless hours exploring and collecting in her own backyard. Stones and insects were her favourites, and they feature prominently in her wirework jewellery today.
In addition to celebrating her love of nature, Jane’s jewellery showcases the meticulous quality of her work. She uses sterling silver and 14-karat gold-filled wire, incorporating stones, semi-precious gems and beads to create an enchanting selection of pieces that range from the whimsical to the spectacular. I couldn’t resist buying her superbly executed wire mosquito pin as a gift for a young lady starting a career as an adventure guide in Northern Ontario.
Winding Up
Jane acquired her metalworking expertise during 24 years as a bench technician doing painstaking work under a microscope. Her first forays into jewellery design were a serendipitous consequence of the slowdown in the high-tech sector while she was working for a telecommunications firm. When the pace slowed, she started “playing” with her soldering wire and bits of scrap metal on her bench, fashioning them into insects. Intrigued co-workers asked her if she could turn her bugs into wearable pieces, and Jane’s career as a jeweller was launched. Five years ago she retired from the rigours of the dwindling industry, and launched her wire jewellery business, aptly named “Twisted Sister Creations”.
Years ago when Jane arrived to take a jewellery class at Haliburton School of the Arts, the instructor looked at her portfolio of wire jewellery and invited Jane to teach a course rather than take one. Jane loves sharing her passion for wirework with others and is constantly learning through the inquisitiveness and enthusiasm of her students. She teaches small groups in her home studio, and larger classes at Dragon’s Lair Beads in Stittsville. During the summer, the Haliburton School of the Arts becomes home to Jane’s week-long workshops.
A seven-page tutorial written and photographed by Jane was published in the Summer 2007 issue of Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry magazine, and two of her pieces have appeared in the Gallery section of this popular American magazine. She has begun work on a “How To” book for beginning wirework jewellers.
Jane’s wirework jewellery is available at the Three Yellow Tulips Art Shoppe in Pakenham, at Viva Loca in Westboro in Ottawa, and at galleries in Haliburton. She is participating in the annual Pakenham Maple Run Studio Tour on March 28 and 29. You can pick up a brochure at Fulton’s Pancake House or visit www.maplerun.on.ca or call 624-5932 for information and a map. On May 9 and 10 she will be participating in the Red Trillium Studio Tour.
Bob Christie was born in Peterborough and grew up in Oshawa. He has always enjoyed art and dabbling in drawing and painting. Twenty-one years ago the couple moved to MacLaren’s Landing where Jane’s family, the Sullys, have owned property for three generations. They learned a lot in the process of realizing Jane’s life-long yearning to live in a “log cabin”. While I was visiting we saw a wild turkey fly onto their bird feeder, and watched two ruffed grouse walk across their front yard.
Bob’s inner muse responded to the naturally inspiring environment, and he began experimenting with acrylic, watercolour and pastel painting, life drawing and portraiture. When the couple was attending summer art courses at Haliburton School of the Arts, Bob followed Jane’s suggestion and tried a course in wire sculpture. After a second course in large-scale wire sculpture, he was hooked.
To Bob, this versatile art form combines design and structure using a technique he describes as “three-dimensional drawing”. He enjoys creating pieces that “express a sense of freedom, tranquility and whimsy. I love turning lifeless wire into creatures with personality.” He creates pieces using cold-formed techniques of twisting and crimping different types and gauges of wire to form anything from small indoor accent pieces to oversized garden sculptures.
Still absorbed in a demanding high-tech job as head of IT operations at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Bob is looking forward to the day he can join his wife as a full-time Twisted Christie in their idyllic pastoral setting. He considers himself extremely fortunate as a part-time artist to have earned a solo show at the Gloucester Gallery in Orleans in a competition last fall. His work is on exhibit at Three Yellow Tulips in Pakenham and at Randall’s Decorating Centre on Bank Street in Ottawa.
Few couples unwind by tightly winding wire, but it works for Jane and Bob Christie. Take a look at their outstanding accomplishments at www.twistedsistercreations.com, or by visiting their studio at 235 Riverwood Dr. in MacLaren’s Landing during one of their upcoming studio tours. Definitely consider trying a wireworking workshop. The Twisted Christies can be reached by phone at 832-3569, and by email at jane@twistedsistercreations.com. And it’s always a pleasure to pop in at the Three Yellow Tulips Art Shoppe at 2518 County Rd 29N in Pakenham (624-5932, www.3yellowtulips.com).