One of R&T’s friends has such an interesting way of creating his jewelry from natural materials, we thought we should feature him here…

Wandering Creations

Artist Kelly Tidwell has been exploring and adventuring in his kayak for the past 3 years in the wilds of Southeast Alaska.  Living and voyaging by kayak throughout the year, Kelly discovers remote beaches full of various natural treasures that inspire these beautiful creations.  Pinto abalone shells found along the rocky shorelines of Prince of Wales Island are caught in the deep channels by river otters who dive deep, then bring the abalone up to feast on the beach, leaving the shells behind.  Antlers from the Sitka black-tailed deer are shed naturally each year and found in profusion on islands and in the wooded forests.

Roughing it: living off the land and making jewelry

Kelly’s inspiration and artistic energy has gone into creating these hand-crafted, unique pendants and earrings.  Making such beautiful jewelry while living and camping in the wilderness far from any city or town can be very challenging.  Each piece is carefully hand-cut and shaped to showcase the individual beauty of the antler and mother-of-pearl shell materials.  With sterling silver findings and chains to compliment each piece, these are truly one-of-a-kind works of art!

(This information comes from Kelly. Thanks for sharing your unique story, Kelly!)