Meet the Artist: Patrick Looney

Most art that captivates its audience is displayed on canvas or inside a frame, but some of the more unique forms are the pieces of everyday or special occasion jewelry made by Mt. Hood Villages jewelry maker Patrick Looney – and his art is practical and perfect.

A resident of The Mt. Hood Villages for thirty years, Looney’s passion for creating art with metals began in high school, and he has recently discovered that his jewelry not only reflects his creativity, but are top sellers at local art shows and markets. Honing his skills over the last decade, Looney’s artistic niche is chain maille, which is created by linking individual jump rings into various patterns called a weave. “I’ve learned several classic weaves in different sizes as well as designing some of my own. I use a variety of materials in my work, predominantly copper, brass, and silver. I would like to start working with more gold and rose gold,” Looney said. “For my designs, I like to incorporate gemstone beads into the weave,” Looney added.

Self-taught, Looney’s success has come from hours of research, practice, and experimenting with different methods over the years. By understanding the techniques associated with chain maille, Looney has created pieces that demonstrate creativity with each link. “The first time I used chain maille to make jewelry was almost ten years ago. I found some thick copper wire in a scrap pile and thought maybe I could make it into a gift for a woman I was dating at the time,” Looney said. “I made the copper into links and paired it with some steel fence wire. I free-formed some sort of chain maille knot with a hematite center stone. It was rough cut and ridiculously heavy, but it was well structured. I had never made anything like it before, and it inspired me to want to make more; then I started down the path of researching chain maille jewelry,” Looney added.

As with any other form of art, chain maille is ever-evolving and changing, through technique and education. By following other artists in the field, Looney has been able to learn new methods and hone his abilities. Chain maille artist and author Karen Karon is a fellow jeweler Looney follows. “Her book [Karon] provided me with well-illustrated instructions for many different patterns from beginner to advanced. She demonstrates how weaves can combine to make new and unique designs,” Looney said. “The book includes tips and techniques that really helped me in the beginning and also contains aspect ratio and conversion charts that are important when coming up with new designs. I still use those to this day. I recently discovered she is a member of the same chain maille group I joined on Facebook. She shares her new work and posts even more lessons. Many artisans in the group display work inspired by Karen,” Looney added.

Looney is inspired by other chain maille artists, and also by his own desire to constantly grow and learn within this specific field. Looney explains that while every piece is unique in its own design and pattern, the process by which he makes the jewelry is an inspiration in and of itself. “Every time I learn a new weave, I get new ideas on how to incorporate it into new and complex designs,” Looney said. Beginning with a string of wire coiled around a thin steel rod called a mandrel, Looney tailors each piece based on size and piece. “I cut the coil using a jewelry saw to make all my rings. Next is assembling the rings together to form the desired weave. I fuse each link closed as it’s added, using a jewelry welder under a magnifying screen. The screen automatically dims to protect my eyes when the welder arcs,” Looney said. “The final step is to clean the finished piece. This step is more automated since I got a magnetic tumbler which uses a large spinning magnet to swirl the jewelry in a drum of cleaning solution and thousands of tiny steel pins. The solution removes the grime and oxidation from the welding process while the pins replenish and smooth out the metal. Wash, rinse, and repeat as necessary. It helps that the tumbler can fit several finished pieces in one session,” Looney added. 

Looney’s work is unique in its own right, and connecting with other artists is important from a networking perspective. “I think the most inspiring thing about living up here is the other artists in the community,” Looney said. “Connecting with them and networking has been a big influence in getting me to participate in shows and share my work. Displaying my jewelry still feels new and unsettling, but I do feel supported by the group,” Looney added. 

For more information on Looney’s work please visit his website at crescentknightjewelry.com.