In the spring of 1999 I took a part time job as a pewtersmith and discovered that I really enjoyed working with metal. That fall I enrolled in the metals program at Montana State University. I also worked for 11 years as an apprentice under several very talented jewelers and learned the production side of being a jeweler. In 2010 I launched my own jewelry line of molecular structures. I have also done many custom jewelry pieces for various clients over the years.
Insect Chess pieces I sculpted and cast in 2004. The king and queen were faeries who were to preside over their insect armies in battle, and the chest board was going to be a small pond with raised brass and silver stones that they would use as a battlefield. Sadly, I was a poor college student with bigger ambitions than I could afford, so this project was never fully realized, but I still keep my little insect army as small sculptures on my shelf.
My current jewelry line of molecular structures cast in sterling silver. You can find them at www.pollylinn.etsy.com.
This was a necklace I made in 2001, I believe it was my 3rd metals project ever. The assignment was 'First Signs of Spring' using forging and fold forming techniques. The branch is a single piece of 6 gauge copper wire that I sawed into 3rds and the leaves and caterpillar are 24 gauge copper that I cut, folded, hammered and finished with patina. I also added a moonstone water drop. 
I love this piece because I see all the flaws and things I could have done differently or better, so it's a perfect measuring stick for how far my skills have evolved. But, I can also look at it and see how my own interest in capturing the tiny and unnoticed parts of nature in my artwork have changed very little, so it perfectly reflects who I have always been and what I have always valued when I create. 
    
I made this piece in 2003, it is silver repousse with a cast concrete frame. I call it 'Excavation'. It is quite small, 4.5" x 4" and the figures are 2.5" x 1.75". I was inspired by a photo from the excavations of Pompeii and similar archeological sites. I began to wonder what it would be like to come upon the fossilized remains of fairies and pixies and how tiny their little skeletons would seem to us. 
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