Clifton Nicholson
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Clifton Nicholson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1944 |
| Other names | Cliff Nicholson |
| Education | Purdue University |
| Known for | Jewelry design, sculpture, peacock breeding. |
Clifton 'Cliff' Nicholson is an American sculptor and jewelry designer.[1]
Clifton L. Nicholson Jr. grew up in Indiana where, from an early age, he developed his sculpting skills by carving soap.[2]
Nicholson studied engineering before taking a metals design class, eventually choosing to focus on interior design at Purdue University.[3] Although he hated the subject, he still learned enough to design "Roughwood", a house for his parents in Indiana, for which he received a Burlington House Award,[2] which was presented annually by the Burlington textiles company to those whose interior design skills were deemed deserving of recognition.[4] He graduated in 1967 with a Master's in jewelry and metal design, with a minor in weaving.[5] After graduation, Nicholson briefly worked as official silversmith for the Restoration Commission in St. Augustine, Florida before moving to New York.[3]
Jewelry
Some of Nicholson's early designs were exhibited in the Museum of Contemporary Crafts (now the Museum of Arts and Design), New York.[2][5] Upon his arrival in New York, Nicholson became an assistant designer for Richelieu, at that time the second largest jewelry company in America.[3][6] He was introduced to the company by Bill Smith, also from Indiana, who became vice president of Richelieu after only two months.[6][7] Whilst working for Richelieu Nicholson took advantage of the nights and weekends to produce his own work, which he sold to Neiman Marcus and Henri Bendel.[3] One of his shell, leather and feather necklaces was modelled by Lauren Hutton on the cover of the edition of March 15, 1970 of American Vogue.[3] This exposure led to Nicholson being fired by Richelieu, who took exception to their junior designer receiving so much attention.[2] Later that year, Nicholson was one of six jewelry designers honoured with a special Coty Award in 1970 alongside Daniel Stoenescu and Steven Brody of Cadoro, Alexis Kirk, Marty Ruza and Bill Smith.[8] Like Alexis Kirk, he received the award for his debut collection.[9][10]
Nicholson's jewelry is known for its use of natural materials, such as feathers, uncut crystal, cowrie shells, petrified beetles and mother-of-pearl, which he combined into sculptural, one-of-a-kind forms.[9][11] In 1974, he created his first diamond collection, using the gemstones and small amounts of gold to complement his shell sculptures.[9] By the early 1980s, he was relying less on feathers and leather, and was producing precious metal jewellery using the lost-wax method.[2]
Among his inspirations, Nicholson credits the architects Antoni Gaudi and Frank Lloyd Wright, the glass artists Émile Gallé and René Lalique, and Louis Comfort Tiffany as particularly influential.[3] Nature is also a very significant influence on his work, and he has said he finds it difficult to work in an urban context.[2] After starting out in Manhattan with only a small tree and a pet African bullfrog to keep him in touch with nature, he relocated his studio in the early 1980s to Kerhonkson, a tiny hamlet in New York State which offered a more conductive working environment.[2]
A retrospective exhibition of his work was hosted by the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft (now KMAC Museum) from April to June 2004.[1]