Winter in Jacona by Claire Kahn

Artist list

Claire Kahn

Each piece is born in the subtle colors and rich textures of nature that transcend the area of Jacona, where she has lived since 2016. Situated alongside a beautiful, lush pasture, the Jemez Mountains sit in Kahn’s forefront. A pond, surrounded by cattails and reeds, caresses the edge of her studio and the sweet sounds of nature echo near and far.

For Kahn, New Mexico’s winter arena awakens a rich relationship between color and light. This is a time where the days get shorter and where a gentle serenity blankets the Pojoaque Valley. Observing an ending day falling into night, Kahn transforms the moment, using light, color, texture and transition. She achieves a visual composition, born from the discerning use of glass beads and precise arrangement of jewels and stones. Each entity is a micro-impression, joined to convey an overarching artistic expression. Kahn’s Winter in Jacona illustrates her varying perspective upon the advent of wintertide in Northern New Mexico and fosters her enthusiasm for continuous design possibility that shines among the surfaces of her luscious mosaic chords.

In contrast to the brusque geometry that adorns the architecture of San Francisco, the pastoral terrain of Jacona becomes covered with a coat of white; and the area is filled with creatures travelling amongst icy brush within the quiet and serene landscape. For Kahn, New Mexico’s winter arena awakens a rich relationship between value and light. The environment inspires me for color, she explains, I love the idea of doing seasonal things. I find the four seasons an inspiration and living here in New Mexico is inspiring for that reason.

Weaving thousands of beads, inch by inch, Kahn intertwines them into a continuous cascade of color. The ropes transform into wearable necklaces and bracelets; they skillfully represent mosaics of pattern and color with the sophistication of informed design and technique. Design philosophy is an intrinsic part of Kahn’s daily life, she explains, In everything I do there is an interest and an enthusiasm for the idea of pattern; for creating shapes and forms using color and pattern. From early life, Kahn was taught to intimately understand material and technique across a vast array of mediums. With experience working across mediums and scale, she brings her fascination of pattern, texture, color, progression and transition into everything she creates.