Cyndi Billings
Specializing in precious metal clay jewelry

In the words of master metalsmith Tim McCreight, with whom she studied, “Precious Metal Clay is the medium chosen to express the “personal nature of jewelry... to render common things special and special things familiar.” Local artist and Deer Isle native, Cyndi Billings, has taken PMC to a new level of meaning for all who love the area and its rich history. In an effort to give PMC color and distrinction, Cyndi uses found shards and beach glass to fashion unique pieces blending the vivid colors of life on the Island and the precious silver of PMC. Cyndi became interested in the arts as a child. Using charcoal pencils and a sketch pad given to her by Penny Plumb, an altruistic first drawing instructor, Cyndi would row her tiny dory out to the ledges off Sunshine, secure the boat with a rock and a rope, and climb up on the ledges to sketch the scenery around her. Eventually, Plumb introduced Cyndi to the world of Haystack School of Arts and Crafts. Fran Merritt, then Director, offered drawing lessons to the youthful artists of the Island. His enthusiasm, zest for life, and ability to reach into each child’’s potential with patient support and challenging invitation would mark Cyndi’s path for years to come. Into young adulthood, Cyndi continued to find avenues of self-expression and respite from the demands of a nursing career by pursuing the arts. In a drawing group conducted by Emily Muir, Cyndi experienced the process of drawing from live models, explored gelatin printing under the tutelage of Susan Webster, and perfected collaage and photo transfers while studying under Pat Wheeler. Formal training in constructing pop up books was achieved with Jan Owen and Anne-Claude Cotty. In her private hours, Cyndi enjoyed photography, watercolors, and music but it was not until she discovered the medium of PMC that all aspects of her training came to fruition in a single pursuit. A serendipitous comment from a friend led Cyndi to take a course with renowned metal smith, J. Fred Woell. From the first firing of the first class, Cyndi knew she’d come to the medium and the guide she had been seeking. From Woell, she learned that some of the worse moments in art would become the most precious pieces. Lending his students only the best of support in a moment of seeeming crisis, Woell would simply chuckle and say, “This is a great moment in art!” It was the energy from his studio and the inspiration of her mentor, which led Cyndi through a succession of training levels and certifications. Cyndi, now certified as an instructor in PMC herself, continues to study with Woell and looks forward to his next class in August. Cyndi’s passion for jewelry making is reflected in each of the pieces she offers. Each piece of jewelry is a marriage of modern metal work, found shards of porcelain from the ballast of centuries past, blown sea glass, found objects and a timeless sense of beauty. Due to the nature of the PMC process, the final piece is a collaboration of the artist’s eye and hand with the living chemistry of the medium. The individual who comes to wear the piece becomes a celebration of the time stream reflected in the jewelry. A recent piece carries tremendous sentimental value. It bears a shard of china found on the beach behind an ancestral home. Only after the delicate silver bracelet had been fashioned and adorned, did a mother recognize the pattern once used to serve birthday cake to beloved grandchildren.