Creating has always been a way for me to escape. My creativity blossomed at an early age while dealing with traumatic events that were out of my control. Tapping into my creativity allowed me to hold on to pieces of my innocence that I did not want to leave behind. My imagination became my salvation through creating creatures of fantasy that made me feel safe and protected.
Limited by my resources I grabbed anything I could find, within my environment, to create beings conjured up by my imagination to help me cope. Unicorns, fairies, and other hybrid winged creatures made of tissue, Cotton balls and paper, held together by Elmers’ glue were the only things keeping me together. They were fragile but felt like immovable forces to me.
Today, I explore childhood nostalgia, family, memory, fantasy, and mental wellness through multiple outlets of creativity. such as metals, fibers, painting, and sculpture. Moving forward and placing my focus on, paying homage to specific toys, memories and my loved ones are important to me and my healing journey. Through explorations of maximalism in jewelry making, I enjoy incorporating color and texture into my statement pieces, allowing me to produce dynamic, youthful, and imaginative designs that speak to my inner child.
These 6 collections of earrings were created to pay homage to the incredibly strong, beautiful, and nurturing women that raised me. Each pair of earrings represents attributes that were instilled in me as a child growing into the women I am today.
Sundew- resilience and enduring strength.
Evergreen- hope and virtue.
Precious Gem- love, strength and wisdom
(Reinvented)Damsel- female identity, overcoming standards, courageous, pushing limits.
Ember- essence, persistence and spark.
Rosy Saturniidae- self-love, affection, joy and optimism.
Thank you, Mommy, mom-mom, grandmom, little sister, big sister, and auntie
Artist Bio:
Candice Benton is a Philadelphia based emerging Jewelry artist and entrepreneur. After developing a passion for crafting at an early age. She decided to pursue art as her career path, leading Candice to the Tyler school of Art and Architecture where she studied metals and jewelry. Earning her bachelor’s degree in fine arts in 2023. Her work has been on display at Urban Glass during New York Jewelry week as well as Born in Fire Exhibition at the Touchstone Center for Crafts. Candice creates multi-media wearable pieces that focus on themes of fantasy, memory, and childhood nostalgia, to bring light to difficult subject matter such as loss, mental wellness, and trauma. Although jewelry is her primary creative focus, she enjoys adding elements of sculpture, fibers, and bead work into her statement pieces, challenging herself to push her own boundaries of creativity.
