Miller, Shane

From my studio in Port Townsend, WA, I create jewelry using a photo-etching technique.For the last 12 years I have been a sculptor and printmaker.Jewelry, for me, is the offspring of these two art forms.Each piece feels like a small sculpture and the etched surface is a direct product of printmaking.Pattern and texture become my palette more than color.I am also drawn to words and narrative and a good story. While choosing imagery for a piece of jewelry, I have the privilege of beginning a story that the eventual wearer gets to finish.My jewelry might not be considered precious due to a lack of gems and gold but when a favorite piece is found at the back of the sock drawer three years lost, my hope is that the finder will feel as though they have discovered a treasure. Shane Miller

The technique:A light sensitive plate of silver or copper is exposed to ultraviolet light passing through a transparency of the desired image.Where the light passes through and exposes the plate, the emulsion hardens and where the light is blocked, the emulsion remains soft. The plate is developed in a soda ash solution which removes the unexposed emulsion. The emulsion that remains on the plate becomes the resist when it is placed in acid thus creating the etched image.