Poetry without words

Gunel Alizade

“Poetry is painting without form, painting is poetry with form.” 

– Kuo Hsi, Northern Sung Landscape Painter

 

 

POETRY WITHOUT WORDS is the latest collection by Kira Koktysh Jewelry NY, Inc. Gold filled earrings and pendants with unique patterns that remind of traditional Chinese paintings. The creation process is done with great care and expertise resulting in higher quality of each piece of jewelry. Subtle elegance of blurred lines gives depth to warm pastel gemstones. Kira carefully selects her gemstone suppliers, combining creativity with excellent craftsmanship; it’s all handmade in New York. This fall collection features jewelry made from Guo Hua Jasper and hand painted silk scarves in warm pastel tones and unique patterns. No two pieces are alike.

Kira Koktysh is member of International Art Alliance. More her works you can see at International Art Alliance site.

G.A.: Why is this collection called Poetry Without Words?

K.K.: There is a deep connection between painting and poetry: The arts of Chinese painting and poetry have always been closely related. Both painters and poets break down complex ideas or emotions into their basic elements. Through the use of symbolism they make visible the otherwise enigmatic mysteries of the universe. The similarities between Chinese paintings and poetry are not simply in the manner in which information is synthesized. The Chinese use a pictographic method of communication, so their words, symbols and images meld together making the art forms almost indistinguishable. A Chinese poet not only needed the ability to create interesting content, but also needed to have mastered the art of calligraphy, an art that combines both painting and writing.

G.A.: Kira, your collections are so diverse yet unique. What inspires you?

K.K: After seeing “Masterpieces of Chinese paintings from the Metropolitan collection” I was absolutely exhilarated, I realized that those paintings were not the images of Nature but artists response to Nature.  And that is exactly how I felt.
By the way the exhibition, still could be seen in Metropolitan Museum of Art till mid October.

G.A.: Kira, what was your vision this time?

K.K.:  I always say that Nature is the best artist! When by chance I first came across Guo Hua Jasper it was like the love from the first sight.

It is a new stone species that was found in recent years in Guangxi province of China where the fine geographical condition contains such wonderful peculiar stone. It is famous for its natural fine pattern and color combination that looks like the traditional Chinese painting. There are all kinds of design: beautiful landscape, exotic flowers and rare herbs, ancient pine forest, mountain, lake and streams. It is art of Nature!  It is “poetry without words”.
Speaking of poetry , with great pleasure I would like to say here a few words about my friend, creative partner and amazing poet Natalia Newman.

She dedicated a poem called “Slow Down the Ink” to this collection and agreed to be a presenter at our event on September 22.

G.A.: Kira, could you tell a little bit more about your collection?

K.K: The collection consists of 4 parts where each has its own name

Names are the poetic quotes from “The Late Poems of Wang An-Shih” (translated by David Hinton)

“Snowy Mountains on a Clear Day”

“Following Morning Clouds”

“Woods and Valleys”

 “Autumn Wind”

I was so deeply touched by this poetry that I even named some individual pieces

“Silence of Peaks” , “The Sound of Majestic Pines”, “Peony Clouds”.

In addition, this time I wanted to add something special to my work. The exhibition I mentioned earlier inspired me to start experimenting with painting on silk.
As a result I have a series of hand painted silk scarves that perfectly compliment our jewelry.
Also, for our “signature mosaics” we used Swarovski crystals presented as innovation 2017. Their stunning new color Graphite, a strong, bluish grey-black color with a completely homogenous surface.  Elegant and mysterious , it adds perfect accent and depth to  Guo Hua Jasper.

G.A.:  You’ve mentioned “signature mosaics”. What is it?

K.K. All my creations are made with the highest quality gemstones and pave style Swarowski crystals. I like to use the term “ signature mosaic” which means that even the smallest piece of jewelry is incrusted with crystals that have a color and size transition. Try to imagine – some of our pieces contain 200-400 small Swarovski crystals. The size of them is 1.5-1.7 mm, 3-4mm. So it means four hundred times with a help of small special instrument we pick up each tiny crystal to create our sparkling mosaic…

G.A: What jewelry category your pieces fall into?

K.K.  My creations are considered bridge jewelry.
Bridge jewelry is called that because it bridges the gap between low-end costume jewelry and high-end fashion jewelry. It is made of a precious metal, usually sterling silver, gold-fill or vermeil and semi-precious gemstones, Austrian crystals and pearls. It offers an excellent, long-lasting alternative to the pricier fine jewelry.

G.A.: I noticed that you use #madeinnyc on social media. Is all Kira Koktysh jewelry locally produced?

K.K.: I take pride in the fact that all my jewelry is made in my Brooklyn studio. When I said handmade- I mean it!

G.A: I would like to talk about your plans? What does the future hold for you?

K.K.:  For the past several months I have been actively negotiating with Masacar, a Spanish Jewelry brand based in a beautiful Galician town Vigo. I have been closely working with Javier Gomez, the owner of the brand, and right after the presentation in New York City, the Poetry Without Words collection will be partially represented in Spain as well as some exclusive pieces designed especially for Masacar .

Also, I am designing my next collection that is going to be called Geodissimo. I am using Geodes from Tabasco province in Mexico and a completely new color pallete inspired by…..let’s keep it a secret for now!