The Joy of Silversmithing

By Julia Schiff

Grace Redpath, or as most of her friends call her “Goose,” has (literally) carved out her corner of Minneapolis in her uptown garage. 

Over the past two years, she’s developed her artisan silversmithing business, Güse Studios. Her art melds form and function as she explores the natural world through the lens of silver jewelry. 

Redpath started her silversmithing career in the classroom, she took a course at North House Folk School in Grand Marais, where she learned how much she connected with the medium. Instead of continuing to take classes, she decided to invest in the supplies herself, and from there, it’s been a continuous process of building skills via many dedicated studio hours. In the summer of 2024, she launched her current website www.guse-studio.com and @guse_studio where she shares and sells her jewelry and art.

Her pieces, made from reclaimed sterling silver, take a wabi-sabi approach. Each piece looks like it washed ashore and was designed especially for its prospective owner. 

Redpath is the person you’ll find on the beach staring down at the rocks, looking for agates and shells and combing for something beautiful. 

“All my window sills in my bedroom are covered by rocks and shells and trinkets, and those things are very special to me,” she said. This element of her personality is resonant in her art, each piece she creates feels like a precious piece found in the natural world. 

“So much of where I find inspiration is just like it exists in nature, and observing how things exist in the world and how things are created.” In some of her first pendants, she cast molds sea shells, taking something organic and transforming it into something more permanent.  

“I think a lot of what I enjoy creatively is like looking out into the world and seeing things that you know feels fundamental, or just feel raw and real, and like wanting to capture that in some way, or creating those patterns that you see from the world,” she said. 

Redpath primarily uses the sand casting method. This early silversmithing technique involves carving or creating molds and pouring molten precious metal into them. It’s an intensive process that requires extreme attention but also allows Redpath to create freely. Part of Redpath’s artistic identity is built into this specific practice. 

“This is so simple, and it makes things very handmade and personal because you’re casting something in sand. So it’s never going to be completely perfect. And I think there’s something special about each piece coming out a little bit different,” she said. 

Initially, Redpath struggled to fully embrace the titles of artist and craftsman, but through her work, it’s clear that she owns these titles and excels in her field. She recalls being pulled to art at a young age, only to be separated from it in teenagehood. “As a child, I was so creative, and the only thing I literally cared about was drawing and crafting and making stuff.” 

As Redpath matured, the societal pressures of searching for a more traditional career took hold. “Doing art in some kind of real way seemed very unattainable,” she said. “I think I always carried a lot of self-doubt of whether the stuff that I was making was even good, or whether what I was making was something that other people could value and find value in,” she said. 

But in the hours she’s spent creating over the years, she’s found that those ideas are completely counterintuitive to what it means to be an artist.

And she’s found her meaning through silver. 

“The only thing that really keeps me inspired and wanting to drive towards something is making things and being able to create in whatever form that is.” she said. “Making jewelry, silver, is something I connect with so intensely,” she said. “Knowing that your hands made that and you were fully involved in the process of making this piece of art come to life, I think that’s a very incredible process.” 

Redpath isn’t fully alone in her artistic endeavors, either. Her dad, Tim Redpath, has encouraged her to invest time in her creativity. Her family also has a creative background. Her aunt creates space for art and relaxation on a compound in Vermont, where Redpath occasionally takes time to rest and seek out new inspiration. Her cousin Mariah Crey hosts the podcast “People Making Things,” where she interviews artists and craftsmen worldwide (the podcast’s logo was designed by Redpath). 

Redpath is also often accompanied by a swath of other young artists. Her friends, often featured in her film photography, serve as creative inspiration and occasionally subjects for Redpath. 

“It’s just very special and sweet to witness somebody else working creatively and bring a little bit of that process into your own life,” she said. She can often be found at a craft night with friends who direct, write, and sew.

Jewelry making, for Redpath, seems transcendent. “There’s so many different parts of the process and they’re all so relaxing and meditative in their own way,” she says. 

During long days in her studio, she can tune out and fully immerse herself in the craft. The business aspect of her work seems secondary. She built out her platform in a way that allows her to create at the speed and scale she needs.