Michaela Wolfert, Artist Goldsmith

We went on the road to visit OJC member, Michaela Wolfert in the sweet town of Almonte just west of Ottawa. Michaela has a wealth of experience, and we were privileged to be able to take a closer look at her life and work at Kehla Jewellery Design Studio.

Q: Why did you choose jewellery?
A: I was able to watch a goldsmith at the bench and was so taken that I couldn’t sleep for three days. I realized it was something I needed to pursue.

Q: Where did you learn your craft?
A: I started my career in 1978 as an intern in the workshop of a master goldsmith in Heilbronn, Germany. After one year he agreed to take me on as an apprentice and I enrolled in a three-year goldsmith apprenticeship program. After I graduated as a journeyman, I worked for three years in several jewellery studios under the tutelage of master goldsmiths. I then enrolled in a two-year full time program of practical and theoretical studies, the “Meisterschule fur Goldschmiede” in Munich, one of Germany’s premier school of metal arts and goldsmithing. I graduated in 1989 as a master goldsmith.

Q: If you could invite a few people (living or dead) to your studio for a day, who would you ask and why?
A: Bruce Mau, a Canadian designer, because of his manifesto about growth as an artist (http://www.manifestoproject.it/bruce-mau/). I don’t agree with all his points, but would like to discuss a few with him.

David Gellner is a jewellery efficiency expert who has written and talked extensively about how to run a profitable jewellery repair and manufacturing shop. I would love to hear his advice about my little shop.


Q: List three words that describe you as an artist.
A: Determined, intuitive, decisive.

Q: What else inspires your work?
I am inspired by all the colours and shapes I see around me. I like being in a forest, no matter the season.

The work of Janis Kerman, a Montreal-based jeweler, leaves me awestruck. Minoan, Greek and Etruscan jewellery … all that granulation. And finally I need quietude, enough sleep and not too much noise around me.

Q: What is your most precious tool?
A: My brain.

Q: Why is the Ottawa Jewellery Collective important to you?
A: OJC provides an inter-generational platform to exchange ideas, exploring different view points which is enriching for everyone.

Q: What part of Ottawa and surrounding areas do you call home?
A: I live in the greater Ottawa area, in the Lanark Highlands and I work out of my studio and store, Kehla Jewellery Design, at 88 Queen St, in Almonte.

Q: As a Canadian Designer, has Canadian culture or environment influenced your work?
A: The large amount of space Canada has to offer has influenced my design and my business. The physical space translates into mental space and creates the freedom to do artistically whatever one wishes without a lot of societal constraints. It’s very liberating. 

Q: Describe a technique you use in your work.
A: I use a lot of coloured stones in my designs, so stone setting is a frequently used technique.

Q: What do jewellery and a good party have in common?
A: A confident good attitude goes a long way. Parties supply the perfect place to wear your jewellery. 

The truth is that while a good piece of jewellery and a good party both appear effortless, a great deal of planning and attention to detail goes are crucial.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to share as part of your interview?
A: Keep at it. Sometimes you win, sometimes you loose, It’s important to enjoy the process.

Don’t forget to bask in your success for a moment, then move on.

Don’t chastise yourself if something goes wrong, rather, analyse it, resolve to do better next time and then move on.

Q: Where can we find your work? 
A: At Kehla Jewellery Design Studio in Almonte; L.A. Pai Gallery in Ottawa; and through my website www.kehladesign.com. More galleries will be added soon.

OJC invites you to connect with Michaela on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KehlaJewelleryDesign and her website www.kehladesign.com.