What He Does: Pidcock is another talent that I met along Artist Alley at Comicpalooza, and is married to author Angeli Pidcock. His work is chainmail jewelry, and I apologize for the horrible pun that I used in the headline. As you can see, though, his creations really are worthy of energetic slang descriptions.
He's been making things out of chainmail for the past decade so after being introduced to the craft by an armor-making friend and co-worker. Despite the fact that chainmail work is long and minutely detailed, Pidcock thought it was the sort of thing a relatively un-handy man like himself could accomplish and became obsessed with trying his luck.
After stumbling across M.A.I.L. (Maille Artisans International League) Pidcock switched his focus from armor to art after seeing what his peers were able to accomplish in the medium. It really became an addiction, and Pidcock would spend hours fiddling with piles of loose rings and trying to learn the weaves he found in the M.A.I.L. database. The more and more complex the weaves became, the more he wanted to build. Then one day a co-worker at his day job saw one of his pieces on his desk and asked if he could purchase it. Now, he makes all kinds of jewelry for paying clients through his website, Digi-Dog Designs.
Why He Likes It: "There is a real sense of pride you bear when you see a person wearing something you have created with your own hands. It's difficult to put into words. We recently attended Comicpalooza. It was our first time putting Digi-Dog Designs to the public directly. I was overwhelmed and humbled by the interest our pieces garnered. To see the joy in someone's eyes when they look at your creations and claim one for themselves. To know that I had the honor of providing that little tidbit of happiness to their lives is a feeling I wont forget and definitely motivates me to continue doing what I do."
What Inspires Him: Pidcock likes a challenge. There's always more to learn and he is always looking to improve his repertoire. There's are so many ideas he hasn't tried yet, and the desire to do so is what mainly motivates him.
He's also a lifelong fan of the Renaissance era. He's thought occasionally about getting involved with the Renaissance Festival or the Society for Creative Anachronisms, but working inside his own niche is more his speed.
If Not This, Then What: "I think if I weren't a jeweler, I'd probably take up music. I've always had an itch to learn some instruments, like guitar, but I never seem to find the time for it."
If Not Here, Then Where: Inspired by the food and the pictures he sees of towns and coastlines, Pidcock would dearly love to visit Italy sometime. It doesn't hurt that it's intimately connected to the time period he is most in love with.
What's Next: "My work schedule is not permitting any shows in the coming months, but we are hard at work photographing and building up our web store. I'm also looking into a few partnership possibilities that were sparked through networking at Comicpalooza. I don't have all the details ironed out yet, but I look for some exciting collaborations in the near future as well!"
More Creatives for 2014 (In order of most recently published; click here for the full page). Mallory Bechtel, actor, singer, dancer Janine Hughes, visual artist Nyssa Juneau, artist John Merritt, artist Leslie Scates, choreographer and dance educator Denise O'Neal, producer, director, playwright Jason Poland, cartoonist Courtney Sandifer, filmmaker, actor, writer Lloyd Gite, gallery owner Henry Yau, The Children's Museum of Houston's publicity and promotions guru Angeli Pidcock, fantasy writer and mentor Jennifer Mathieu, author Scott Chitwood, writer Anat Ronen, urban artist Amber Galloway Gallego, rockstar and sign language interpreter Michael Weems, playwright Lane Montoya, artist Jordan Simpson, SLAM poet Joey & Jaime, designers Suzi Taylor, photographer Ashton Miyako, dressmaker T. Smith, artistLindsay Finnen, photographer Kaitlyn Stanley, tattoo artist Eleazar Galindo Navarro, video game maker Kate de Para, textile and clothing designer Shawn Swanner, video game painter Andy Gonzales, painter Chris Foreman, comic book sketcher Theresa DiMenno, photographer Jessica E. Jones, opera singer Atseko Factor, actor John Pluecker, writer, poet and language justice worker Ricky Ortiz, painter, tattoo artist Rabēa Ballin, artist David Wald, actor Lisa E. Harris, performing and visual artist Stephanie Todd Wong, executive director of Dance Source Houston Pamela Fagan Hutchins, novelist Heather Gordy, artist Mark Nasso, comic artist Shelbi-Nicole, artist Marian Szczepanski, novelist Jonathan Blake, fashion designer Doni Langlois, interior designer Kat Denson, dancer Blame the Comic, comedian Margaret Menchaca Alvarez, artist Jacquelyne Jay Boe, dancer Rene Fernandez, painter Teresa Chapman, choreographer and dancer
