By Allison Wells
Exquisite European art has made its way to Greenville with Golden Butterfly Studios. Handmade, fine silk filigree artwork is presented by Alek Kocevski in a tradition that’s thousands of years old.
Filigree art was started in the Middle East millennia ago and has been a time-honored tradition throughout eastern Europe, including Kocevski’s home country of North Macedonia. It was there he first encountered the intricate craftsmanship and decided to learn the trade. Fascinated by both the art itself and the art of making the filigree pieces, Kocevski decided to apprentice with a master in Macedonia before returning to South Carolina.
A Greenville resident for the past 20 years, he realized the art form was unknown in the United States and sought to showcase such mastery in the Upstate.
“I thought this would be a great thing to bring to the United States and it was a side job while I was in undergrad at Clemson,” Kocevski said.
After majoring in Biomedical Sciences at Clemson, he had planned to go to medical school but found he was unable to attend. That, Kocevski said, led him to pursue his passion for beautiful art.
Traditionally, filigree is made with silver and gold wire, taking up to a month to make a single piece and costing thousands of dollars. At Golden Butterfly Studios, the pieces are made using fine silk instead.
“This newer version with silk gives you the same elegance … but it’s more cost-effective and quicker,” Kocevski said.
Smaller pieces can be done in under 24 hours with larger ones taking less than a week. It’s also less expensive, making this long-standing European art more attainable.
Each design is sketched by hand before silk ever gets laid over the template. Then the silk is laid out in a precise pattern requiring a steady hand and an eye for detail. After the artist has completed the design, it’s shaped to give it a more 3-D look and placed inside a shadowbox for display.
According to Koceviski, his studio offers exclusive designs in butterflies and flowers right now as they are traditionally timeless and beautiful. He likened the life of a butterfly to that of a person: Both go through similar changes and transformations in life and butterflies represent the fragility of life.
“Simply put, they bring a smile to your face,” he said.
While a permanent storefront is not available at this time, Golden Butterfly Studios offers their pieces at events and art markets around Greenville. More info can be found at goldenbutterflystudios.com or on their social media pages.
