Featured Artist: Qandle Qadir

Qandle Qadir lives in Cleveland Heights and sells on Etsy under the name other45minutes.

What is your first memory of making jewelry? Did someone teach you, or did you learn on your own?
I attended an eight-week continuing education class (in metals) at CIA about six years ago. I knew by the end of the first class that I was going to make jewelry every day for the rest of my life! It was kind of crazy — that moment changed my life. Since then, I pretty much have been making jewelry everyday and I have taught myself most of what I now know.

What is it that draws you to silver?
Honestly, I think I am so drawn to fabricating silver because of the challenge of manipulating it without being able to touch it. Unlike clay or even PMC, usually the raw material I am working with is too hot, too small, or too rigid to form with the hand. One is required to forge, cut,bend, solder, etc., using a series of tools. I like that challenge, I suppose.

How would you describe the style of your work? Does it reflect your personal style?
I think the style of my work reflects my personal style in the variation of styles. I appreciate so many different cultures and incorporate the aesthetics of many of them into my life — even my wardrobe — so I think that is what comes across when looking beyond a single collection of my work. When you step back and see the entire body of work, you see a great deal of variety.

What are your inspirations? How are they expressed in your work?
I am inspired by the reclaiming of nature. It sounds odd to say, but I don’t really appreciate the value of (let’s say) a field out in the middle of the woods as much as I value the weeds pushing cracks up through the concrete in an abandoned parking lot.

It is beautiful to me to see an old bridge or other manmade structure taken over by nature, whether rust or ivy or birds nesting. I think that we often over value our own influence or importance as humans, and to see nature reclaim its rightful place is a reminder of just how little we matter in the greater scheme. It helps me to put everything else in my life in perspective when I think that way.

Knowing that, I think that if you look at my work, you can see the man vs. environment struggle in that my pieces tend to be both industrial and organic at the same time.

Do you have an all-time favorite creation? What about it makes it your favorite?
I do not have an all-time favorite creation. I don’t think it is possible for me to ever feel that way about my work. I am grateful for that. If it were possible for me to create a piece that I felt was the perfect piece, I would lay down my torch and never touch it again.

When did you realize that this was more than a hobby?
The first day I was exposed to it. I told myself “I am going to practice this every day and I am going to learn how to do this well enough to be able to continue doing this for the rest of my life”

It actually took me another three years to be ready to quit my day job. But I knew I would do that from day one.

Do you have artistic talents in other areas?
Sewing and painting are hobbies for me. I actually have a degree in technical theatre from California Institute of the Arts. There, I studied scenic design as a major and costume design as a minor.

I make many of my own clothes, but I don’t sell them or anything. I just really enjoy i — again the challenge: taking something flat (like muslin) and trying to make it fit over a surface (the human body) that has not one flat surface on it anywhere! LOL! It’s hard! I love that.

Tell us something about you that we might be surprised to hear.
I am not sure that anyone who knows me would be surprised to hear anything about me! LOL! I don’t know . . . I worked for a circus once! But really . . . are you surprised? HA!

What does other45minutes mean?
I am asked this question ALL the time. It is really just a play on Andy Warhol’s famous quote about everyone having their 15 minutes of fame. To me, I figure if 15 minutes of a life is fame, then the other 45 minutes would be the real life — the lasting impact of meaningful action.

I leave it up to you to interpret what the other45minutes means to you . . .

Where can we find your work?
My website is www.other45minutes.com
I have a blog at www.other45minutes.blogspot.com
I have an etsy shop at www.other45minutes.etsy.com