In anticipation of the Walker’s Jewelry & Accessory Makers Mart this Saturday, we highlight one of the 28 local makers and artists whose hand-crafted designs will be on display and for sale. Jewelry artist Molly Spilane has been managing Unique Art Pendants for more than a decade. Having grown up watching her mother’s artistic practice and studying at the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul, Spilane enjoys the idea of wearable art and explores connections of memory and images in her work.
DESTANIE MARTIN-JOHNSON (DM-J)
How do you describe yourself and your brand?
MOLLY SPILANE (MS)
I am an artist, maker, and business woman all rolled into one. I was lucky to have a mother who has always been an accomplished artist in business. She is certified internationally as a master artist and teacher in porcelain painting and was vice president of the International Porcelain Art Teachers, and recently she has expanded into glass. I grew up watching her work in her studio, setting up booths at art shows, traveling to different shows around the world, and making a living off her creativity. I learned how to sell and connect with people as an artist through watching her. I believe this early exposure in life did affect my creativity with my brand. I have a lot of quirky and whimsical aspects to my work. A lot of my images can bring you back to a certain memory, feeling, or a time in your life.
DM-J
How was Unique Art Pendants was formed?
MS
I have a huge digital collection of designs and images that resonate with me, as well as a mix of personal paintings and drawings, photographs, and heartwarming pieces from the public domain—anything that speaks to me. I liked the idea of being able to tell a visual story or evoke a feeling or memory with just one image. I also liked the idea of wearable art through jewelry so I decided to merge the two and create my business.
DM-J
Your website describes custom work and wholesale work. How do you manage the two?
MS
I have a great studio attached to my house, so I am easily able to work full time there. I run all my retail orders though a single website and all my wholesale orders for resale through another site.
DM-J
Do things ever get overwhelming in a way that challenges your creativity?
MS
Lately, I draw the most inspiration from my garden and my plants. My life can get pretty busy with my business and my family. It can be easy to get caught up in being a wife, mother, daughter, business woman, and artist, but I’ve found taking daily time for myself through plant care and gardening really is a form of meditation for me and allows my brain to recharge and pump out new and fun ideas.
DM-J
Your work has been featured locally and nationally in many ways—including in shops and museums and on MTV. Is there an example of a feature that has stood out to you?
MS
I’ve been lucky to have had a lot of really cool experiences with my business. I’d have to say it was pretty neat to see a close-up of my Octopus Cuff Bracelet in the MTV documentary, Lady Gaga: Inside the Outside. I have a 10-year-old daughter who is an artist herself, and she is growing up much the same way I did. It is a proud and empowering moment for both of us to hear her cheering when she watches it. My daughter, Lucy, is a budding young painter and drawer and bursting with creativity.
DM-J
What’s the most unique thing you’ve made?
MS
I’ve had fun making several productions of custom merchandise necklaces for phenom singer, rapper, and writer, Dessa. She has a song called “Skeleton Key,” and we worked together to come up with a necklace design based on that. She takes them on tour around the world and sells them with her other merchandise.
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