Meet Endure Artist Qandle Qadir
Qandle Qadir is a silversmith and jeweler who obtained her BFA at CalArts. Upon returning to Northeast Ohio, she was quickly inspired by the old steel mills, rails, bridges and industrial ports that define the ‘working’ landscape of the rustbelt region. Her beautifully handcrafted jewlery transforms these gritty urban design elements into contemporary wearable art objects.
Using the same techniques and tools — silver, glass and stone — that silversmiths have been using for centuries, her work is an exploration of old and new – a play of design and texture that celebrates the passage of time. Qandle is inspired by the reclaiming of nature, the weeds pushing cracks up through the concrete in an abandoned parking lot or the beauty of an old bridge or other manmade structure taken over by nature —- whether by rust or ivy or birds nesting. Her work, both industrial and organic at the same time, reflects that ongoing man vs. environment struggle.
More of Qandle Qadir’s work can be seen (and purchased) at the Endure collection launch on February 11, 2010, at www.shopreddotproject.org.
