The Artist


   My name is Jennifer and I am a traditional artist, equestrian, history nerd, world traveler and an avid antique hound. 

Ever since I was young, I was fascinated with history and would travel with my family to museums, historic sites, and national parks. From that young age, I was instilled with an appreciation for history and the outdoors. I was also obsessed with horses and would beg my parents for riding lessons and grew up trail riding, fox hunting, and drawing them constantly. Over the years, none of those obsessions have changed, in fact they’ve only gotten stronger.

I graduated from college in Virginia with a degree in historic preservation and while in school I got my first horse, Holliday. With him, I was introduced to Civil War reenacting and he was my trusty cavalry mount for many years. 

As he aged, soon came the day we had to say goodbye to Holliday. I was looking for a piece of  horsehair jewelry that I could have made that would keep him close to me, but I wanted it to be modeled after Victorian Era mourning jewelry, which was popular during the Civil War years. I couldn’t find anyone making it and that’s when I decided to learn how to make it myself! I enrolled in a jewelry class so I could learn to fabricate the settings and then, through trial and error, I learned the hairwork aspect of it. I then started my small business creating memorial jewelry with horsehair and pet hair.

What has started as a business to create keepsake jewelry has evolved into so much more. My passion is to create keepsakes for those who have lost horses and would like to memorialize them, but I also create designs for those who do have horses but value the heritage of the equestrian and sporting lifestyle. I strive to preserve almost extinct historic crafts by creating new uses for them within today’s model society. 

I continue to build my artistic style by exploring the old techniques of horsehair braiding and weaving as well as learning the history behind them. Through a process of self discovery, trial and error, and the help of numerous mentors, I am able to craft a skillset that is unique and completely my own and it is something I look forward to sharing with you. 

 

- Jennifer Metesh (pronounced "Med-ish")