Matilija Poppy Brooch

Matilija Poppies, Romneya coulteri, are crepe papery white flowers with sunny centers that bloom as large as your open hand. Come late spring and early summer, the Mendocino Art Center (MAC) always boasts a stunning display of the show-stopping, statuesque California natives. Famous for being hard to grow, the care of these persnickety perennials can be tricky.

For all of these reasons, the Matilija Poppy proved to be the perfect muse for a budding project conceived in 2015 by MAC Jewelry/Metals Coordinator, Nancy Gardner, and myself. Together we envisioned that I would lead a hands-on jewelry crafting workshop that would lead participants into collaborating on a piece, which would be auctioned to benefit the Mendocino Art Center. I immediately thought of my good friend Patsy Croft to join in this endeavor, contributing not only plique-à-jour enameling to the piece but also to instruct a workshop at MAC on the process.

In April, 2019, the approximately 3” x 5”, 18-karat gold with diamonds and fine plique-à-jour enameling, Matilija Poppy Brooch was auctioned at Sotheby’s” Magnificent Jewel” Auction in New York City, ( Sotheby’s was also responsible for auctioning the Ada Brooch) with all proceeds to benefit The Mendocino Art Center.  We are so pleased to support this gem of an organization.

To find out how this beautiful piece of art came to fruition and the result of the auction, click here to read the whole story.