Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Fulkerson.
Jeff, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
When I was 16, I wanted a big Navajo cuff, sterling and turquoise, the current rage, just like my cousin had. But they cost $250 and up, and I was making $1.45/hr. working in a hobby shop. So I bought a book that showed how to make a ring, and I made a ring, and it LOOKED like a ring! And I was off and running. My mom was involved in the Museum of Man and they asked me to teach silversmithing classes during the summer, so here I was, 18 years old, teaching at the Museum of Man! I wanted to make jewelry my career, but I was told by my family that jewelry was a nice avocation, but I needed a REAL career, so off to college I went. Life, wife, children took over, and I stopped making jewelry for 25 years. But the bug was always there. I had always wanted to make a concho belt but didn’t have the tools – specifically, a big concho stamp. In 2003, our family took a trip to show the kids the Grand Canyon. We stopped at the Navajo Trading Post at Cameron, AZ and my middle son found a concho stamp set for sale. I bought it and started up making jewelry again. I finally took a class from a Native American artist who told me I had to start cutting my stones so I could not only control the silver I was working with but the stones also. That got me on a journey that I call “Painting with Rocks” because now I could create whatever was in my head.
I’ve been blessed to get to take a couple of classes from Hopi and Navajo inlay masters. That brought about an offer to write an article on inlay for Jewelry Artist/Lapidary Journal Magazine which opened up a lot of teaching opportunities for me across the country. I have since written numerous how-to articles for a variety of different publications as well as producing videos on Inlay and several other jewelry making techniques. I am currently writing how-to e-books on a variety of jewelry projects.
I have always loved teaching, and I guess you could say I’ve come full circle since teaching at the Museum of Man. While cross-country travel can be grueling, it also allows me to see this beautiful country of ours and meet some of the nicest people from all walks of life.
These days I spend my time creating Art Jewelry that you don’t see in the mall. I try to design pieces that ‘color outside the lines’ but without scribbling. I enjoy making project videos for my students and I am frankly surprised by how well received my e-books are, although I guess I shouldn’t be being as that’s how I got started!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My beginnings in jewelry making started pretty well but then got way-laid so I never pursued a career in the jewelry industry when I was young. But for the past 4 years, all of my energies are devoted to my art. Two steps forward, one step back, but I’m still making progress. The making and teaching of jewelry are easy for me. All of the incredible social media technologies are not! Trying to figure out how to monetize Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram is a mystery to me, but with the help of my incredibly talented wife Roxanne, we’re making progress here too.
One problem I struggle with is design. I think a lot of artists have this issue. While people tell me they love my designs, I still wonder if I’ll ever come up with a new idea. But inspiration is all around us if we just ‘see’. To quote Louis L’Amour “Many people look, but few see.” I think as artists, we have to see, to notice the shapes, textures, colors, etc. of the world around us. When I look at things that way, I know I’ll never run out of ideas.
Please tell us about your company.
My company is really just me. I guess you would say I specialize in inlay as I have the only how to stone inlay video on the market. I have been blessed to write many magazine articles which gives me a lot of credibility with students. I tell all of my students: “If you take a class or purchase a video or ebook from me, I consider you my student for life, and I will answer any and all questions for you that I can.” I think this sets me apart because I know a lot of artists who guard their knowledge jealously and will only answer questions about the technique they are teaching that day. I don’t feel I’m in competition with anyone, therefore I’m happy to share what I’ve learned. Besides, I learned it from someone else, who learned it from someone else, back to the ancient Egyptians!
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I guess my favorite art-related memory was when I was 14. I had entered a model car in a contest at a hobby shop (one I eventually worked at all through high school). I got sick and couldn’t go to the award presentation. My mom said the phone was for me, and it was the owner of the store calling to tell me I’d won 1st prize! I was pretty overwhelmed.
Contact Info:
- Website: artistjefffulkerson.com
- Phone: 619-985-1639
- Email: artistjeff54@gmail.com
- Instagram: artist_jeff_fulkerson
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artistjefffulkerson/
- Other: Pinterest – Artist Jeff Fulkerson
Image Credit:
Roxanne Fulkerson
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