DIANA IRIMIE

Especially for the month of October, the time of Halloween
and all things spiritually autumnal ... I would like to showcase
a young and fantastically artistic talent, just blossoming and evolving 
from art college in Romania.  Please put your hands together,
for my feature artist:

DIANA IRIMIE  ***
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Please stay deeply and most comfortably seated to enjoy
her latest interview showcasing some of her stunning
wirework creations ... 

TELL US ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND?

I was born in a city called Oradea (in Romania) and I can say
that I had artistic interests for as long as I can remember! 
I began drawing portraits and taking photographs when I
was about 14 years old, but at that time, I didn't consider going 
to art college, so high-school was a time for reading literature 
and learning languages, maintaining art purely as a hobby.

I only decided to pursue a creative career as the end of high
school approached and after finishing school, I moved to
Cluj-Napoca (another Romanian city, where I now currently
live) in order to attend the university of my choice. 

 




















TELL US ABOUT YOUR DEGREE COURSE?

In July this year I graduated from the University of Art
and Design (in Cluj-Napoca) with a Bachelor's Degree
in Decorative Arts, specialising in Design (Graphic,
Industrial and Interior) and as of this month, I am
back there beginning my Master's Degree!

Unfortunately, the university does not specialise in
jewelry making - it is considered to be part of
Product Design.  In fact, I have only just recently discovered
a contemporary jewelry design course in this city -
but it was held in the summer and I was too late
to apply ... so maybe, next year!).  Still, the fact that
I can make jewelry on my course is good news for me,
since each of us had to do a diploma project in order
to graduate and I thought this was the perfect moment
to come up with a jewelry collection - and I did!  The
collection was based on the Seven Deadly Sins and I
might add, that I was rather pleased with the outcome,
since the project was very different from what is usually
done in the design department (i.e. interiors, chairs,
lamps, etc...) and as a result, I received very good feedback! 

 





(Left:
7 Deadly
Sins 
Catalgue
Cover
by Diana
Irimie)








WHAT INSPIRES AND INFLUENCES YOUR UNIQUE
DESIGNS?

Sometimes I am inspired by the colour and shape of a stone,
the design usually evolving as I work on it.  I rarely have a
clear image in mind for what I want to create.  However,
as the 'Seven Deadly Sins' collection suggests, I try and
search for a deeper meaning and a clearer concept for my
work, getting inspiration from literature, mythology,
philosophy and history.

Other artists' work can be inspiring too, although I do not 
necessarily refer to jewelers when I say this.  For example,
I love H R Giger's biomechanical art and I think his work
is an extremely interesting starting point for jewelry design,
his style being completely compatible to wire working.  
Science fiction and fantasy are also a great influence.

Still, at the end of the day, I think ideas can come from the
most random of things: plants, music, or even your current 
mood!

 



















Above: Diana Irimie's copper Ribcage Pendant

DO YOU WORK WITH OTHER MATERIALS APART
FROM WIRE?

When I started, I used to make resin casts of plants
and insects which I wire wrapped, but currently I just
use stones, beads and wire.  However, in the future, 
I would like to try to incorporate leather and wood into 
my jewelry pieces.

Above: 'Silvia' copper pendant by Diana Irimie

DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE DESIGN OR TECHNIQUE?

I cannot really say that I have one favourite design because, at the
moment, each piece that I make is somewhat different from the
ones I've created before.  On the other hand, there are some
resemblances between pieces, simply because, at the time
of creation, I might have liked a certain style and wanted to make
more than one similar piece, or it was requested by clients as a
commission.

Currently there are so many more techniques and styles I wish
to try out, because my range of jewelry pieces is still relatively
small, so there is plenty of room for experimentation and 
improvement!  Also, I tend to work rather slowly, since I always
try be very accurate and precise, avoiding mistakes (to the point
of sometimes having to re-work certain details that just don't
seem to be as neat as I want them to be!).  However, I think
everyone can relate to the frustration when things go wrong
and you have to either start all over again, or just completely
alter your original design!

Above: 'Evenstar' silver pendant by Diana Irimie

WHERE DO YOU SELL YOUR WORK? AND HOW DO
YOU PROMOTE YOURSELF?

Right now, my work is available for purchase in my 
ETSY shop
and I have recently created a FACEBOOK page
exclusively for my jewelry (in order to separate it from
my other design work) and I hope that it will be a great
tool for gaining a larger audience.

Also, I have been posting my work on my
DEVIANT ART account, which was the first place I
started to promote my creations.

  















Above: Silver and Amethyst 'Ram Skull' pendant  by Diana Irimie

WHAT PIECES ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON?

I have just began work on an Amethyst pendant and I have a few
other things in mind for future creations.  I would also like to
experiment with making male oriented pendants too!

 














Above: 'Superbia' Pendant by Diana Irimie

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE ASPIRATIONS AND PLANS?

Right now, I have two years ahead of me that will keep me occupied 
working on my Master's Degree and I would also like to find a job
working as a graphic designer.

As much as I love creating and selling jewelry, I don't currently
plan on relying on this as my eventual career, nonetheless, I will 
most definitely carry on doing it, as much as my time will allow ...

There are still so many things that I want to try with jewelry
making, so I cannot see myself quitting anytime soon!

 
Above: 'Accedia' Necklace by Diana Irimie

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Diana, you are truly blessed with creativity and brimming 
with artistic talent and whichever road your 'art' takes 
you down, we wish you every success for the future!