Bill Gallagher

My history with jewelry begins in 1974 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A local silversmith named David Griego was looking for a kid to help him out. David's friend Carlos worked with my Dad, who encouraged me to check it out. I did and ended up working for him after school and summers for the next two years. At that time we made contemporary southwestern jewelry, using mostly turquoise and silver. Everything was fabricated and highly polished. No casting, no textures. Just lots of perfectly sanded, gleaming metal surfaces. It wasn't finished if it didn't have a perfect surface with smooth, even reflections. I guess that still describes the majority of my work now.

Having established my own business, I started out consigning my work to a local art gallery and gradually added galleries as my production increased. As my production increased, a style began to develop. I needed to find the common ground between what would sell consistently, and what I could make consistently, without getting burnt-out or bored over the long term. Lapidary, the art of gemstone cutting, is what saved me. Although the process of cutting stones is repetitive, the amazing variety of rocks in this world continues to excite me. I use a fairly limited number of shapes, but the possibilities for different color and pattern combinations are endless.

"Clean" is the word I hear most often used to describe my work. I think of my work as very direct and straightforward. I strive for solid construction and fine finish. All connections and settings are simple and clear.

I pride myself on the quality of the stones I cut. I use the All-U-Need system, by Hi Tech Diamond Products. A lot of cutters regard it as a toy, and it is indeed a small, light-duty machine. But it works fine for me, and has been doing so for well over ten years. Above is a photo of me in my workshop. My "lapidary department" is the table in the foreground. I'm also an independent distributor for the Hi Tech line of lapidary equipment, so if you're considering getting into lapidary, I'd be happy to tell you all about the All-U-Need system. Click here for more workshop photos.

In addition to this website, through which you can deal with me directly, my work is currently being carried by two retail establishments. One of these is a business I have been involved with for over ten years, called Mindscape Adornments, in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. This is the gallery that taught me how to be a professional in this business and still keep the "heart" in it that makes it more than just jewelry design and manufacturing. In addition to Mindscape, my work can also be found at the Museum Store of the Orange County Museum of Art at the South Coast Plaza in Orange County, California. I'm proud to be associated with both these establishments.

I also do shows in the local area. At some point, after doing just a couple difficult shows involving travel, I realized that I had yet to fully market myself in my own backyard, the greater Los Angeles area. After being in business for so many years in this area, and knowing there was a large group of fellow artists I could work with, organizing our own shows with combined mailing lists seemed like a reasonable idea. So that's what I do a couple times a year, in addition to participating in a couple of carefully selected shows organized by others in the area. All that networking (hanging out) for all those years is finally paying off. If you want to be on my mailing list, please email me through the contact page with your mailing address. Above is a photo of me at my display booth at a show at the Irvine Fine Arts Center. This show is called the Studio Arts Festival and takes place in the Spring each year. I also teach classes at the Center. You can email me or check my news page for current information on my teaching and show activities.

I am also a proud and active member of MASSC, the Metal Arts Society of Southern California. If you live in the Southern California area (San Diego to Santa Barbara) and have more than a passing interest in jewelry or metal arts, you really need to be a member of this organization. We have great workshops with renowned artists and produce a nice newsletter, but the networking benefits are what have really made a difference in my life and career.