Spoonfed Art : Karin Collins interview.

Most of the time, when I think about jewelry, I think 'diamonds,' and traditional type bracelets and necklaces. When I think about spoons, I think about eating. But when the creator of Spoonfed Art, Karin Collins, was attending therapy for an eating disorder, she brought the two together to create beautiful pendants made from the ends of spoons.

Each spoon is like its own miniature piece of art. When I first took to looking at them, I couldn't believe that the beautiful pendant I was looking at was a spoon. They're colorful, kitschy, shiny, and totally fashionable. Unfortunately for me, these pendants are still on my 'must have' list. With prices ranging from $85 to $110, I can't quite afford them (yet!!). But every fashionable person likes to have things that sets them and their outfit apart from everyone else, and these pendants would most certainly do it.

A few months ago, I got a few questions answered from Karin Collins, who has also been getting attention from big publications like NYLON magazine, and Jane.


who is the creator of SpoonFed Art, and how and where did it originate?
I started SpoonFed Art as a business in late 2004, but it originated out of therapy I was receiving for a long-term eating disorder. I had been seeing an eating disorders counselor for about a year when she gave me an assignment to make a collage that told the story of where I was and where I wanted my life to go. That was in 2002, and it took me a year (yes, a year!) to start the collage, but as I worked on it, it took on a life of its own and I was truly amazed at the end result. I started making other collages and eventually they made their way onto spoons, finally evolving into the spoon pendants.


i would have never guessed that beautiful pendants like yours could be made in a spoon, where did you get the idea to make pendants like these?
A lot of things came together to make it happen, but the end result is that the spoon pendants were an extension of the collages I had been making. It sounds funny but when I started making the pendants, I didn't think about the eating disorder and the symbolism involved with using an eating utensil as the medium. I was just experimenting with different mediums for my collage projects and it just sort of happened. When I realized what I was doing, using something that you use to "feed" yourself to make jewelry, it seemed really appropriate – and kind of funny! It really reflected what I was working on personally.

how long does it take to make one of them?
If it’s not a new design, it takes about 5 days to complete a piece.

do you sell your jewelry only online, or do you sell them in any stores? if so, what stores are they and where are they located?
Most of my business has been online, but I’m now expanding into stores. My pieces are currently available at Ghettogloss Gallery and the Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum Store in LA, and will soon be available at Artisans Gallery in Santa Cruz. SpoonFed Art is also available at doe in San Francisco, at Gina’s Boutique and Gallery in Cleveland, and over the next month, SpoonFed Art will also be available at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture Museum Store in Spokane, WA, as well as retail shops in Portland, Seattle, and Greenville, SC, my hometown.


from the looks of your myspace page, you have quite a few amazing reviews from some big name publications. did you think that you would get that kind of attention when you started making your jewelry?
No, I had no idea of what would happen with SpoonFed Art. I just wanted to do something more creative, something that felt more like me.

do you have any other crafts or make any other types of jewelry?
I’m not sure it’s a craft – maybe it’s more like artwork - but lately I’ve been working on larger 3-dimensional works in frames that I’ve constructed. It’s difficult to explain, sort of like the spoon pendants are difficult to explain - they’re similar, just larger and more abstract.

To purchase these one of a kind pendants, check out spoonfedart.com, and tell all your friends. Because I'm pretty sure that just about everyone should know about Spoonfed Art.