Scottsdale resident Cheryl Senkfor is more than just a jewelry artist – she is a literal dream weaver. A designer of woven wire jewelry, her talent for
wearable art springs from a profound mystical experience she had in 2003. Senkfor, the owner of Woven Angel, has been an artist since childhood, pursuing mosaics, clay, ceramics and needlepoint until a brain hemorrhage sideswiped her with such a ferocious force that doctors were sure it would
be fatal. Not only did she miraculously survive, she gained spiritual insight that would put her creative life on a whole new track. She was in an intensive care unit for eight days. “After three days, I heard and envisioned three angels on my deathbed,” Senkfor recalls. “They told me I would survive and that I would touch many through my creativity. They said it would be my mission, and that I would do it through my jewelry. Because they
told me I need to touch as many people as I could, I knew I needed to make every piece myself.”
Through the intervention of angels, fate or divine providence, Senkfor amazingly did survive this terrifying and frightening ordeal. As she regained her health, Senkfor intuitively knew it was her mission in life to design imaginative jewelry that resonated from her heart. “I always loved jewelry and art, and gravitated to what was unusual and handmade,” she says. As the years went by, she developed an affinity for fiber knitting, a talent that became her gateway into a new adventure after her illness. “I wanted something smaller and jewelry oriented,” she says.”
A seminar on Viking knitting, a rare wire technique from the 1800s, became the ideal catalyst for her new creative direction. “The technique involves looping of fine-gauge wire to produce the tubular strands that I incorporate into my jewelry,” she explains.
For eight hours a day, Senkfor crafts one of- a-kind necklaces, bracelets and earrings using 14k gold-filled silver, copper or bronze wire. Some are created with Swarovski crystals and embedded pearls for extra allure. A popular signature piece is her “Circle of Life” necklace. The individual circles represent an individual life; by linking together the different lives, the result is an unbreakable chain that symbolizes strength that withstands all obstacles.
Senkfor attributes her continual stream of inspiration to her dreams. “Every night I feel the angels are channeling ideas into me,” she says. “The next day I’ll experiment and see what works and what doesn’t. I’ll look at something and know instinctively that I can knit it.”
While many of her distinctive pieces are created solely from wire, she also wire-wraps stones such as agate and dramatizes them with colorful, eye-catching gemstones, as she does in her “Tree of Life” pendants. “I am a spiritual Jew, and I carry out many of the Jewish traditions into my daily life.” she says.
“Since my ordeal, my faith in Judaism and myself as a woman is much stronger. That is why I created my Tree of Life pendant necklace. I feel life has many cycles and twists and turns that one must follow. I created my trees with many leaves, which represent to me the many changes people go through in their lives.”
Senkfor is a frequent exhibitor at art shows around the Phoenix area and is available to make custom pieces. 216-272-1697, info@wovenangel.com, wovenangel.com.
