About Tangentine

Tangentine craft is run by Jacqueline Fouché. I don't just like making things; it is a compulsion, a creative need that is one of the things that define who I am.

I love making jewellery and started falling back on my visual arts background to create collage sheets.

Inspiration

Beautiful things, which we, as a species, have made through the ages. Roman beads. Glasswork from ancient Mesopotamia. Shells strung together by some ancient beach walker. Relics of a time when everything was made by hand and the owners cherished what they had - showing that seemingly hard-wired need humans have to express ourselves with making/ wearing something beautiful.

The symmetry of nature. Fractals, the surface structure of ammonite fossils or crystals.

Things the eye cannot always see, the minute scales on a moth. Photos of other galaxies.

The natural world. Landscapes, insects, reptiles.

Philosophy

Even though I am a very scientific person I allow myself one superstition. For me making something is like cooking. Food tastes better when you put some love into it. And when I make something I am truly happy and think about all the beautiful things in the universe. I try and instill that good will into anything that I make.

Materials

I like working in polymer clay because of the vivid colours the material brings to my work. I have started working more and more in metal but it's been difficult to keep a studio with all the moving we've done and all my stained glass tools are in storage.

Since I've been doing more jewellery, my other artistic interests, are also expanding. I have fallen back to drawing and started painting again. I discovered the wonderful world of silk screening and realised that I can design patterns. My latest personal obsession.

I like mixing these different techniques in different end-products. As my company name suggests, I am usually off on a tangent, and hope to finish some non-jewellery pieces in the near future.

Company background

Following the maxim - do what you know, love what you do - I am attempting to build a successful craft business with my technical experience of being a web project manager working on all things interwebs-related.

Professional background

I am an information architect and web project manager by profession. In case you're wondering what that means, it used to be my job to run and organise the development, design, content of large websites. My job has a wide scope including, Search Engine Optimisation, managing brand development, ensuring that websites are easy to use, understanding what businesses and users require of a website.

Find Tangentine

You can also find me on Twitter or Facebook.

Personal

I am a proud South African currently living in Darmstadt, Germany, with my husband, Jurgen (an aspiring author). My official job title is 'housewife' at the moment.

We both suffer from a severe case of wanderlust and this is the fourth country we've lived in. We've also lived in London in the United Kingdom and Dublin, Ireland.

In addition to my craft obsession and being a new media veteran I am also:

  • An avid traveller. I would love to go to French Guiana and look at a space shuttle launch and my favourite trips were to the Amazon, Thailand and of course, South Africa.
  • A fossil hunter.
  • Interested in photography - most of the collage sheets includes photos I've taken while travelling. My husband and I share a love for macro photography.
  • In love with the miracles of science and abhor pseudo-science in any form.
  • A computer gamer.
  • Interested in ancient and pre-history. I have a particular fondness for mythology and how humans create stories to make sense of their world.
  • A grade-A geek.

Work

In addition Tangentine I also run a couple of websites.

Stringing beads

Stringing beads is a jewellery tutorial site with articles on making jewellery in silver, polymer clay, resin and mixed media.

proto-node

proto-node provides online project management, website planning and information architect services.