NORA GONZALEZ BUCKLEY

An untraditional silversmith, working with fine silver and bronze, Nora Gonzalez Buckley takes a special joy in designing with fine silver clay. Years of playing, practicing and working with a collaborator in Massachusetts built her skill and confidence in this unconventional creative medium. Inspired by other metal clay artists, Nora is forever extending her range to include new techniques: like adding glass, cubic zirconia or setting a bezel in clay before it enters the kiln. Forming the clay, sintering in the kiln, polishing the fired work, and the addition of beads, stones or found jewelry pieces complete a pair of earrings, a pendant or a bolo tie. 

In the light and airiness of her Galisteo studio, which she shares with other creative women, Nora can be seen painting silver paste onto a leaf or a twig or – her favorite – a Cholla Cactus skeleton. Despite her formal training, she considers herself a self-guided student of an untraditional silversmithing art.