My name is Renata Regen, I am a jeweler born and raised in Brazil. My training in goldsmithing began in the late 80s at Escola Nova, the first of its kind in São Paulo, under the guidance of Ricardo Mattar and Marco Duallibi. In the mid-90s, I spent more than two years in Lisbon learning “Classic Jewelry Techniques” at Contacto Directo under the tutelage of Filomeno Pereira de Souza. There, I participated in a “Japanese Lacquer Workshop” with Sabine Hauss and had the honor to learn “Alternatives in Contemporary Jewelry” with the one and only Bruce Metcalf.

 

Back in Brazil, I joined forces with Carlos Casnati and we started our new studio and school in the artsy neighborhood of Vila Madalena.

 

In 1996 I moved to Israel, where I spent 5 years working with artists like Ohada Hay Gordon and Oded Dekel and Ilan Doktor, owners of Artisan Effect in Tel Aviv.

 

In August 2000, I moved to California where I attended a few art fairs, but in 2003 I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and it changed my life.

 

For many years, I have worked with cancer patients as a radiation therapist, but my hands and mind could not stay away from art and metal...

 

And that's how Encapsularts by Renata Regen was born, from the desire to create, without special tools or heavy machinery, a new type of jewelry production, reusing metals that would otherwise be polluting our landfills for decades. I also like to incorporate broken guitar strings into my pieces when possible.

 

I hope you enjoy my upcycled art!