| For the Love of Art
By Katie Sauck
Photo by Katie Sauck
A hand-carved sign in the front yard of Stones Throw Gallery and Studio located along 169 in St. Peter, Minnesota, invites travelers to come in and see beautiful art. Within the historic house, built in 1873, owner Patty Conlin displays everything from prints and pottery to the custom gold jewelry she creates. Working as a goldsmith and jewelry designer for over 30 years, Patty’s life is art.
While earning her fine arts degree at Loretto Heights College in Denver, Colorado, Patty began student teaching. She says, “My critic teacher told me I was teaching a class in jewelry tomorrow. I’d never touched a torch!” Patty’s teacher taught her one step ahead of the students, showing how to cut stones and to work with silver. “That entire semester, my stomach hurt,” Patty remembers. While the method of learning jewelry making was a hurried one, she says, “I loved it. It was one of those ‘ah-ha’ things: I’m a metal smith!”
Once student teaching was behind her, Patty learned that “if you dabble in everything, you’re not really good at anything.” Although it was hard for her to let go of her loom and pottery, she knew the importance of focusing on one medium. “I started attaching myself to people and taking workshops to learn more about goldsmithing.”
Custom Jewelry
Surrounded by inspiring pieces of art at Stones Throw, Patty creates jewelry that becomes a wearable works of art. Seventy percent of her jewelry is custom fabricated to suit each individual. With her key tools close, Patty uses a drill and torch to construct beautiful, one-of-a-kind gold jewelry. She often designs pieces that serve more than one function, for example a pin that can also be worn as a pendant. She incorporates beautiful and often unusual gemstones into most of her pieces. “I can’t imagine a more intriguing, fascinating and enjoyable profession,” she says.
While Patty never had a technical apprenticeship, she knows the value in them. “I’ve had about 15 apprentices over the years,” she says, “Most [of them] have been women.” Every December for the past five years, Patty has hosted a goldsmith’s reunion and holiday art show. The show focuses on her work as well as pieces of jewelry by former and current apprentices. Other artists, in other mediums, are invited to showcase their work at the event. Patty says, “It has become an annual holiday celebration that includes wine tasting and performances by local musicians.”
Art Gallery
With dreams of making her gallery an art center for the St. Peter area, Patty sells artwork created by regional artists, approximately 75 in all. Paintings, photographs and pottery adorn every available space on the main floor of Stones Throw, including the stunning stairway that leads upstairs. “Some artists contact me but I also shop for artists while at art shows,” Patty says. “I look for someone who has integrity in their work and is a professional artist.”
Patty actively supports art students. “I have visited classrooms, both elementary and high school, to talk about my art and the possibility of a career in the visual arts,” she says. Stones Throw was selected as the focus of a month long art show in the Ylvisaker Fine Arts Center at Bethany College in Mankato. “I did a gallery talk to Bethany art students and the public that focused mostly on the trials and tribulations of making a living as an artist.” In the summer of 2007, Patty sponsored an Emerging Artist Show in her yard to help young artists experience and assist in running an outdoor art show.
Dedicated to supporting the arts in every aspect, Patty Conlin is enthusiastic about the future of her goldsmithing as well as the gallery. Whether you’re looking for a unique painting for your home or for a piece of distinctive jewelry, the Stones Throw Gallery and Studio has what you’re looking for. Patty’s love for art shines through every inch of the house and her vivacious personality will bring you back time and time again.
Stones Throw Gallery & Studio
Patty Conlin
420 N. Minnesota Ave., St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.5655
psconlin@hickorytech.net
www.thegoldsmith.us/index.php
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