The Rafter Snap: Diana Casabar
Introducing one of your fellow Rafters!
The last Sunday of each month, I take a break from my Staying Power column to feature one of our delightful Rafters. This helps us get better acquainted and also be inspired by their story. If you might like to be the focus of a Rafter Snap, click here! (Don’t be shy!)
This month, I’m happy to introduce Diana Casabar, "a jeweler, qigong instructor, self-defense for women instructor, and kayak nut" from Kellar, TX.
Are you a maker, an arts enthusiast, or both?
Both. I have always been an arts enthusiast, and I just decided one day “Hey, I'm just going to start `making’ more on a regular basis, for real,” and I did.
I'm a jeweller, a metalsmith. The technical term is “goldsmith” because I can work in all the metals. I specialize in jewelry and kitchenware (small bowls, spoons, trivets, etc.).
"All dimensions of my pieces have a voice, and I consider fronts as well as backs to be a blank canvas for me to send a message to my collector or the world."
When did you first know that the arts were important to you?
The arts have always been part of my life. My mom was a maker; always so very creative, in every medium. I mean, it was like art school with her. I was always doing something.
But the arts really became important when I was pregnant with our first child. I was painting walls, sewing, making things for the baby … Then I realized I needed to get my hands on some real stuff. “Real stuff,” at that point, felt like fire—like the torch we use in silversmithing.
After our son Bronson was born, I went to my dad. As a hobby, he would make jewelry. And I said, “Dad, can you teach me how?” He brought over his torch and tools and stuff, and we started making, right there.
After a few months, I said, “Hey, we ought to take a class!” So we went to the local craft guild and took a class together. It's one of my best memories.
Who were the first creative people that inspired you?
My mom and my dad.
As a jeweler, my biggest source of inspiration is my mentor Marilyn, who's become my best friend. She runs the metals department at the craft guild of Dallas (TX). She's been a maker her whole life, and she's made for people like Elton John and Dolly Parton. And, here she is in downtown Dallas, teaching us how not just to create, but to get our voice expressed in our metal. That's one of the hardest things to do.
What is one thing you do to start your creative week on the right foot?
Next to my design table are about four to-do lists. So I make those.
We jewelers have boxes that we put our stones in, to help us sort through our ideas on how to make them wearable. I have five or six of these boxes. This helps me prioritize what to express first.
So, that's how I prioritize my week. It starts with all these to-do lists and boxes of my inventory. That helps me get it all together.
What's been one of your greatest creative challenges?
This photo series is of a purse I made depicting iconic images from Ancient Crete. That was a great challenge in terms of the engineering.
My mentor has this great game she likes to play with her students. It's called “the deconstruction game.” We reverse-engineer a piece that we see. Say you see a jewelry piece in a museum, or even one of those huge pictures made by German silversmiths, back in the 1500’s. So, you look at that piece, and you think, “Okay, what was the last thing that they put on there? Let's take it off. And what was the next piece?” We deconstruct the entire item. Then we try to remake it.
With this purse, I had never seen one made before. I had to do this game all by myself. I was bound and determined to not ask Marilyn for help. It was a personal challenge.
It was really important to me that everything on the purse come from some sort of image from the Greek arts. Even the strap is similar to a snake you see in Greek art. I'm really proud of that piece.
What's been your greatest reward from the creative choices that you've made?
Well, I'm so happy in what I'm doing!
Also, the level of skill that I've come to is so rewarding to me! I try to not be like other people. I really try to say my piece. And I think I do a good job at that.
I'm proud of the fact that I've won some awards. I'm proud of the fact that people have asked me to teach them the craft. I'm proud of the fact that my little two-year old granddaughter loves to come in here and play with tools.
But I think the most rewarding thing for me is that I love this. That is a great gift I can give myself.
Caption for image above: “Rhino Gazes At The Moon” is a qigong movement and part of the T’ai Chi Sword form that I presented for my 4th degree Black Belt test. The rhinoceros is my favorite animal. The master who taught me this metal hammering technique insisted that I couldn’t/shouldn’t do a full face image of the rhino because it was too difficult to get the dimensions and proportions. I think I did a good job, and in the end, she admired it. (I also carved the wood it’s mounted on.)
What do you want to learn from the Raft community?
Oh my goodness, what can I say? The sky's the limit!
I don't think there are any new ideas. I think it's all out there in the ether, and if we're aware, we're going to hear it or see it, and we can grab it. But when there's a huge group of people together, and you're all touching that creative part of life, the electricity is even bigger, and it reaches out to you. You know how when you touch those balls and your hair gets all staticky? That's what an artist community is like. You all just start feeling that whole vibration all at the same time. And yeah, I want some of it.
If I can share any of whatever it is I'm touching out there in the universe and pass it on to someone else, awesome! I'd love to do that!
Thank you so much, Diana, for letting us feature you in a Rafter Snap!
Tell us: have you experienced that "staticky" feeling Diana describes, being in a creative community (of any sort)? Leave a comment below!
The Gentle Nudge
Join other Rafters this week for . . .
Creatives’ Coffee (Zoom, Wednesday, 4:00-5:30PM Central, at this link)
Poetry Pick-Me-Up (Zoom, Thursday, 12:00-1:00PM Central), at this link)
Diana does beautiful work 🙏
Diane - Wow! What beautiful work you do and what an inspiring orientation you have toward this gift of yours. I love that you are sharing it so with your grandchildren. The confidence with which you express yourself is very moving to me. Thank you or all these photos! it really makes your work come alive. it is stunningly beautiful. I esp loved the rhino looking at the moon!