Cynthia Ryder:

Cynthia did not initially train as an artist, despite her strong interest and ongoing independent study in the arts. She received a BA from St. Thomas University in 1990.

Cynthia studied stained glass in 1990 and again in 1991 with a highly accomplished local design team. Her work in stained glass may be found in many area homes and she was the designer and head artisan for the multiple art glass windows and panels used in the 1999 renovations of the Hilltop Grill & Beverage Co. of Fredericton, NB.

In 1995, Cynthia’s work with stained glass developed into a wholesale business, Candlelights and Roses (now Atlantic Pewter), which she was instrumental in establishing in Harvey Station, NB. In this business, she incorporated pewter casting with her stained glassware designs for a line of giftware and produced designs for their line of pewter jewelry. Cynthia left the Atlantic Pewter management team in 2000 but continued to design and consult for them until 2003.

During that time, Cynthia worked to develop another jewelry business that would accentuate the use of color in the designs. This change of direction lead to independent study and work in beaded jewelry, lamp-worked glass beads, polymer clay jewelry and wire jewelry. In 2003, she started  ...and now for something completely different… jewelry which builds on her interest in the structure and creation of jewelry constructed primarily from wire and stone. The work has quickly evolved into precious metal jewelry incorporating gems and her designer cabochons, and jewelry using textile related techniques.

Work has been shown at the Metal Arts Guild of Nova Scotia’s annual exhibits at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, since 2004 . In October 2007, she received the Frank Phillips Award for Excellence, and in 2006, she won awards for Best Piece, Gem Stone category and the Touch of Gold Design Trophy for Best Design in Show. In October 2005, an entry received an Honorable Mention in the “All Silver” category. She has also participated in gallery shows in Toronto and Calgary. Cynthia is a juried and exhibiting members of both the New Brunswick Crafts Council and the Nova Scotia Designers Crafts Council.

Cynthia resides near the village of Harvey Station, NB with her husband, David, his daughter and her cat.