Thank you for taking a moment to get to know me. I am originally from New Orleans and now live on the northshore of New Orleans, Louisiana. I am happily married to a native Louisiana metal artist, John Perilloux, and together we are raising our 5 year old and one year old daughters. We love creating art and enjoying life fully.
I work with forged iron and semiprecious and precious stones. The concept for the name of my website and business, Nancy Fe Designs, sparked from the chemical element iron with the periodic symbol Fe, as iron is the primary focus of my work. I like to think that each iron element that I create is a small sculpture that is exhibited by the wearer. Each is a work of functional art that is enhanced by the wearer as an ornament.
Overall I take great pleasure working with iron as a woman and an artist. Iron is a medium that allows me to break a few boundaries and gives me a great sense of accomplishment when I use it in jewelry, as it is not a common material worked with by women or in jewelry. Normally it is viewed as an industrial material which is very masculine in nature. I enjoy pushing the envelope and using it in a way that is beautiful and feminine.
I have a degree in Fine Art, with a focus on painting although I have never come across a medium that I didn't fall in love with. I was introduced to the art of blacksmithing or metal art, when I met my husband, John Perilloux (click here for his website of his one of a kind forged iron furniture) His expertise inspired me to pursue my own curiosity of the medium. He taught me the techniques and skills of blacksmithing originally so that I could spend time with him and help him in his growing business. I began collecting the scraps of metal that would normally go to a scrap yard and forging them into my own wearable art. Most of the iron that I use in my jewelry is recycled scraps from my husbands art. It is a way to reuse the material that he cannot.
I own my own gallery in Ponchatoula, LA called The Red Dot Gallery where you can see the jewelry shown here in person as well as my landscape paintings. I also feature the metalwork of my husband, John Perilloux and pottery, paintings, glass, mixed media, jewelry and sculpture of over 20 other Louisiana Artists. You can currently find us online via Facebook. Click here: Facebook
I love to create custom pieces as well so please don't hesitate to contact me.
My customers are very important to me and I will take every step to work with you in a timely and professional manner.
Thank you for taking the time to view my work and to learn a little about me.
Nancy Perilloux