By Peter Roos
Meet Jan of Sun Lyon Studios!
She is a very talented silversmith who brings her own brand of sunshine to the market! Jan’s inspiration came from her years in St. Croix. As a PADI scuba Instructor she owned a snorkel tour business and collected piles of “sea glass” that she yearned to do something with. A jeweler friend taught her how to melt the glass and work with precious metals that encased her sea glass treasures!
Jan returned to the mainland after Katrina struck Louisiana in August 2005 to be part of the rebuilding process in any which way she could. Her life partner Tom built a studio in their home and continued creating.
Touring the country doing art shows eventually brought Jan & Tom to Gulfport. They found it to be a community that supported the arts and they just felt at home there.
Jan’s grandmother was one of the first female publishers, her parents were writers, teaching her the power of words! Jan wanted her pieces to have inspiration not just through art but through words. So began her new direction!
“As life experiences both challenge and inspire my spirit, I continue to focus my designs on life’s ever-changing tides. I have melted precious metals with emotions (sometimes, adding a bit of whimsy) to create my line of jewelry. I personally design my pieces beginning with a simple message or image that I want to share. I fabricate my jewelry starting with raw materials, mixed media, gold accents & whatever else seems to make the piece “happen”. Me, myself & I, hammer, saw, file, solder, stamp, bless and polish my own pieces. I love to use rivets or what we call ‘cold connections’ to allow my pieces to have moving parts. I have also invented a few of my designs by carving wax and using the process of lost wax casting.”
In 2018 Jan joined the Dunedin Downtown Market, which is also operated by Tampa Markets and decided to give the Sunday Market on Corey Ave a try. It was a perfect fit. She has been with us ever since, bringing her pieces which are “designed and created to be worn as a token of personal energies, inspirations and experiences which have shaped our lives.”
Find Sun Lyon Studios across from Swigwam Beach Bar/Twisted Tiki at the market every Sunday! 10am-2pm through May. (June through September 9am-1pm)