Star Eagle Studio creates jewelry and sculpture in workshops located in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. Artists Lee Hearteagle Barron and Joyce Morningster Barron hand produce all items in their studio.

Joyce Morningstar Barron

Joyce began creating jewelry in 1978 as a seed bead artist, incorporating gemstones into her designs. Eventually she evolved into wirewrapping gemstones, which led into her current wireweaving designs. This past year she and Lee went to Greece to study marble carving, her new love. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1975 from the Dayton Art Institute in Ohio. Joyce has participated in many craft shows over the past 30 years, traveling around most of the country. This led her to open a gallery of local Adirondack artists in 1994 in Plattsburgh, NY, which is still operating. Joyce now shows her work at the Tamarack Gallery in Beckley, WV and in local shops in Berkeley Springs, WV.

As a registered Yoga instructor with the Yoga Alliance, Joyce teaches several classes per week. She is also an avid gardener, herbalist, rockhound, and crystal collector.

Together with Lee and their two cats, they share a vision of a simple life in harmony with nature and her infinite beauty.

Lee Hearteagle Barron

I love stones! It all started in 1994 when I was building a retaining wall and serpentine sidewalk. Traveling the west brought more interest, since so much stone is readily available. My stone sculptures were sold in Albuquerque, NM and Tucson AZ. I began to receive commissions from private collectors to design and build lapidary art sculptures. Most of my presentations of art are through galleries and shows and I often give gifts and make auction donations.

It has taken many years to become familiar with the nature of each mineral and how it behaves under cutting, shaping and polishing. Many have varying hardness within the same stone. I started with a vertical sander in New Mexico and quickly moved into wet horizontal diamond lap tools. While in Tucson, I learned to cut and facet precious stones and cab semi-precious material for jewelry settings. The next step was to learn smithing in silver and gold. This came easy to me because of a long history of working in other metals. These metals now support the stones I cut for jewelry. Within the past year, I began to have a growing desire to do full, three-dimensional stone sculpture.

My commitment is to live and work as an artist. This past year included a trip to Tinos, Greece to learn carving marble in three dimensions. The island has a primary working occupation in stone carving going back at least four thousand years. It is an honor and a privilege to learn from this great heritage and pass it along.

I often work with clients when they have an idea and help them with the concept and design. Once the design is approved, I give them an estimated cost and fabrication begins.

I teach weekend workshops and individuals who want to learn stone carving.