Adriatic heritage was born with her in Buenos Aires, Argentina and meticulously cultivated with her parents’ devotion to the arts and international travel from their child’s earliest days.  Even now, Adriana recalls an incident from her childhood - bartering with a Greek vendor in Athens’ plaka for a vase she coveted!

Which came first:  the business woman or the artist? They synergistically developed as Adriana continued to explore cultures of the world, its arts – especially Papier Mache, batik, soldering, fiber, water color.  Study led to teaching and subsequent introduction into the world of fused glass.  Adriana reflects that her innate knowledge of the wet in  wet of water color most likely contributed to her fascination with the colors and textures she achieves in making glass.

Adriana states:  “Wet in wet is a technique used in water color painting in which you drop wet color on to very wet paper, letting osmosis move and blend the colors, always exciting since you cannot precisely control  or predict the outcome. To enjoy this process you have to have an innate feeling for color mixing and be able to "go with the flow”.

The continued thread of family has been the texture in Adriana’s life.  Husband, Jerry, is her business manager and the one who coined the description of Adriana’s jewelry:  Fused Glass and Gem Creations by Adriana.  Adriana’s mother, Emma, an artist in her own right, has always been Adriana’s treasured ally and “technical engineer” working alongside her daughter to complete necklaces, fine tune designs, embroider seed beads.

Life within and outside Adriana’s Vail, Arizona, studio is one which is marked by interest, curiosity and spontaneity.  Adriana awakens the glass through  “raking” to give it a “certain look”.  Adriana explains:  “Rakingis a technique used in fused glass to manipulate and mix the glass in order for the colors to not only combine but become three dimensional through the 1/4" thickness of the glass making it more organic and natural looking.”

Who knows what’s most exciting about working in glass?  Is it the 1500-degree fired kiln, placement, firing, stirring, pulling the taffy-like work in progress, re-firing 3 or 4 times until it becomes opalescent, breaking glass into pieces?  What type of satisfaction results from rising in the deep of the night to explore containers of stones, findings, pieces which speak to a design in progress?  Or the contentment from knowing Emma will intuitively complete work that’s begun, which lies in wait with other projects in process?  Is there a detachment that enables Adriana to let these creations evolve, organically develop?  I think it’s called joie de vivre, a joy that transfers to her love of horseback riding which she shares with her Dutch Warmblood, Welkin, for which she is currently one score away from receiving a National Silver Medal in the competitive equestrian sport of Dressage.

Adriana comments:  “As I walk into my studio, there are a lot of unfinished pieces.  I can never do the same thing twice and I don’t want to.  The only thing I don’t do is simple and delicate.  Each necklace is unique within itself but each piece is universal.”

Adriana’s jewelry is evocative of the universe—its breadth and depth; its cultures and struggles; its beauty and the magic of natural creation; its suggestive patch work effect.  Organic and ethnic motifs thrust the wearer into a connected cosmos and contrast with works of sculptured roses or pearls.  Retro 50s jewelry recasting suggest more recent styles from the past and are reinterpreted through Adriana’s sense of design.

Each piece of Adriana’s has its own signature of design and is made to be worn.  Adriana’s jewelry heralds Sedona’s 2013 holiday season at James Ratliff Gallery.  For information about the exhibit and the artist, please contact the James Ratliff Gallery:  www.jamesratliffgallery.com, phone:  928-282-1404, e-mail:  fineart@jamesratliffgallery.com.