Wolfgang Vaatz

Wolfgang’s career as an artist started in 1986. Throughout his exploration of different media over the years; starting with painting, followed by sculpting, finally designing and fabricating jewelry, and most recently adventuring with enamel; the expression of his art remains the same – translating his experiences of natural landscapes.  Through his artworks, he shares his profound connection with nature as well as encourages the viewer/wearer to feel and connect to their own valuable memories and experiences with nature.

By 2012, Wolfgang was working as a serious studio jeweler…after the move to southern Arizona had rekindled his childhood fascination for gems and minerals.  He draws from his previous sculpting and painting techniques to create unique, scaled-down wearable artworks.  His jewelry is collected and featured in exhibitions and galleries nationwide and abroad.

Wolfgang works with ethically sourced materials, such as recycled silvers and most notably Placer gold—the unrefined gold flakes and nuggets with smoothened edges from the tumbling action in the rivers—he fuses to various silvers (ex: Argentium, Sterling and/or Fine).  Much like gemstones and roughs, he purchases the placer gold directly from the prospectors who mine with minimal environmental damage.  This ethic reinforces Wolfgang’s theme of nature and the empathy he feels for our natural world.