Claire Kinder wasn’t always a big city artist.

Born and raised in the Champlain Valley of Vermont, not too far from the city of Burlington, she grew up in what she calls “the perfect little neighborhood”.

Sounds pretty good to us too, given that she spent a good chunk of her childhood “running barefoot through the woods covered in mud… building tree forts & boxcars." Winters weren’t too shabby either, what with the digging of elaborate snow fortresses that frequently dotted Claire’s cold weather agenda.

Still, it’s not entirely surprising that while she enjoys her decidedly vibrant life in Brooklyn these days, Claire still yearns for a quieter, more slow-paced environment to once again call home.

"I enjoy NYC, but long to move away to a slower paced town. I prefer areas that reflect a slower pace of life, so I'm much more likely to enjoy lunch at a sleepy cafe than frequent a noisy bar in the city."

A father's influence.

If her preferred way of life leans towards the quieter side of the spectrum, Claire's work on the other hand speaks volumes. A perfectionist down to the tiniest details -- a trait inherited "from my father's engineer brain", she says with a laugh -- she begins each design project from the same vantage point: conquering some kind of challenge.

"It could be a beautiful juxtaposition of various planes and materials", she says, "or as simple as designing an impossibly thin band with the utmost architectural integrity possible."

With a healthy disregard for any one aesthetic in particular -- her more recent work, for example, is heavily influenced by Edwardian & Victorian antique jewelry -- Claire constructs all her masters in metal, as compared to the more traditional wax approach.

"I find the process of building that way the most challenging, frustrating, and rewarding", she tells us. "It's kind of like solving an amazing math problem, knowing that perfection is just around the corner."

And after perfection has been attained?

Claire smiles; we get the distinct impression that some new design idea has just cropped up. "By far, the most enjoyable moment is when that last little wipe of the polishing cloth denotes completion of a new piece. I constantly have more designs popping out of my head than I could ever possibly make use of."

I can't stop my creative mojo. Every moment my eyes are closed more than a few minutes, designs start flooding in.