Linda MacNeil
[5] The impact of her work is acknowledged, “the development of this innovative jeweler’s stunning aesthetic and her position within the history of jewelry and adornment enhances both the fields of glass and jewelry.”[6][7] Linda MacNeil was born on April 14, 1954, in Amesbury, Massachusetts.
[1] At RISD, MacNeil studied in the jewelry and light metals department headed by Professor John “Jack” Prip.
[14] MacNeil individually casts and hand carves or otherwise manipulates each of the glass elements in her neck pieces, ear rings and brooches.
[17] One of the glass making techniques MacNeil employs is lost wax casting with pâte de verre (see Nile Grass below) to create intricate shapes with great surface detail.
The Bell with Stand, 1974, sculpture created while at RISD was acquired in 2021 and is now in the permanent collection at The Metal Museum in Memphis, TN.
In the introductory essay, Helen W. Drutt English notes: 'Like Olaf Skoogfors and Toni Goessler-Snyder before her, she can claim to be a constructivist whose passion for geometric forms allows her to create works that are compositions in themselves' Both MacNeil and her husband Dan are influenced by the Decorative Arts and in particular Art Deco building surface details.
[9] Some rigid collars from the late 1980s and early 1990s were inspired in part by Bronze Age Celtic neckpieces and Egyptian jewelry while others again reference the Art Deco period.
Her use of a variety of types of glass, along with various finishing techniques, gives her an unexpectedly broad palette of hue, value, tint and reflectivity, so that her crisp design takes on a painterly tone.
An article exploring MacNeil’s work highlights scale, “Monumentality in art, as Andre Malraux famously implied through his concept of the Musée Imaginaire, […] is not necessarily dependent on the actual size of an object.” [23] Vintage and Modern Plate Glass Art Jewelry Today published in 2003, identifies MacNeil as a pioneer in the use of glass in contemporary jewelry, while making reference to historic precedents.
In her Necklace, (from the Elements Series, 2006), MacNeil uses clear, polished glass “gemstones” to draw the viewer’s attention, while traditional diamonds serve a visually supporting role."
- The MAD Museum[19] MacNeil introduces pattern into her work through three processes, Diamond Cut, Kiln Cast and a Stencil Sandblasting process and takes her inspiration from building surfaces, facades, tiles and textiles, Art Deco, Lalique and Egyptian Art [26] A glass making technique MacNeil employs is lost wax casting with Fritt to create intricate shapes with great surface detail.
