What started as a self-taught venture into handmade jewellery has grown into an international opportunity for local artist Tricia Gordon-Johnston, whose brand Tricia Handmade is now collaborating with Italy-based MindMink by Octo Jewels.

“Late last year, I started working with MindMink by Octo Jewels in Italy. I’m now collaborating with them and we create together. They make lab-grown diamonds and I design and make the pieces,” Gordon-Johnston told Observer Online.

Tricia Handmade began 12 years ago when she first experimented with jewellery as a creative outlet alongside her formal training in painting at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

Although her academic focus was painting, Gordon-Johnston said her exposure to ceramics and printmaking laid the foundation for the diverse artistic practice she continues to explore today.

The self-taught jeweller began by selling her pieces at a local boutique and then steadily built a recognisable brand rooted in handcrafted, minimalist designs.

“I started making handmade jewelry. I started off selling at Gayshel boutique. I would go in on a Saturday and basically I built a brand around the jewelry and then later a couple years ago, I started painting again and I recently started doing ceramics again,” she explained.

Over time, she expanded her offerings to include ceramic masks, jewellery, and paintings, while also exploring clothing and graphic design.

“My designs are minimal. I’m a minimalist, but recently, I started doing these clay masks and people at events keep telling me that they look Taino-inspired. So that comes back to our Jamaican history. But as a minimalist, I use geometric shapes, the triangle a lot and squares and circles and those things tie back to tribal arts and tribal representation,” she explained.

Despite coming from what she described as a non-creative family, Gordon-Johnston said her passion for art has been lifelong.

“I don’t come from a creative family, but art has always been a part of who I am. My parents were actually accountants, which is very contrary to being an artist,” she said.

Deeply influenced by mentors such as Omari Ra, Petrona Morrison, and Norma Harroch, she has exhibited both locally and internationally, including at the National Gallery of Jamaica and in Florida.

Gordon-Johnston currently sells her pieces at Mutambo Indigenous on Saturdays and participates in various events.