Trial and Terror Artistry is the name assigned to the creation and curation of artist Cara Kolt (click here to learn about the artist)

T&T started with beaded fringe earrings, and then due to chronic pain, transformed into repurposed, and found items being used to make jewelry. With a love for the dark, the creepy, the lost and left behind, Cara wanted to create the items she wanted to wear, but could never find , or she couldn’t afford.

Trial and Terror Artistry is the high fashion, goth/punk/boho jewelry that can go from work to a night out, or from running errands to a dinner date, that is accessible for everyone. We all deserve to have adornments that highlight who we are while staying true to our subculture hearts.

First of all: I wish I could take credit for the name, but a close friend came up with it, in 2022 for me. Honestly, it explains my creative life, and my artistic process.

Trial by fire seems to be how I live my life, as someone who is quick to act, that also means I learn hard and fast. Sometimes being burned. But through each step of the way, whether its life, or in art, it can hold a certain terror, slowly but surely, through each trial, I slay the terror, and come out ahead. Many thanks to Kai for the name. A secondary thanks needs to go to Nix of Pudgy Tees, who designed my logo.

Early Years:

Cara Kolt was born in Winnipeg, in 1979. She spent her first few years in Southwestern Manitoba, as the first of a new generation, desperately wanting a pet to play with. Her love of ALL THINGS dark and punky started while living in Toronto, in the early 80s. Getting a glimpse of a mohawked and brightly colored punk rocker on Yonge St was stuck in her mind as THE look she wanted. She returned to Manitoba, attending school in the now closed Clearwater Elementary School (Now the Harvest Moon Society headquarters) and despite her long and meandering days spent in the valley, meeting cows, and collecting bones, her desire for the BIG city remained.

Training:

While attending high school at Morden Collegiate, she decided on a whim to design tank tops/wrap skirts, and glass gem jewelry to sell from her front yard at the Corn and Apple Festival. She sold a lot of pieces, under the name Mercury Rising, and still has a few, including the hand made hang tags! In 1997, she moved to Winnipeg, and completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts (drawing/graphic design) in 2001.She chose to continue her education with a teaching degree (B.Ed. ‘05) and taught middle school for 11 years. After moving to Stonewall, in 2019, and experiencing some incredibly tough times, her creativity came knocking again.

While working at an indigenous community organization, she asked to be taught how to bead fringe earrings. It was tough, but she did it! Soon after, she was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, which explained the intense pain in her hands while beading. She shifted to making earrings out of other materials, and after collecting more items and producing more earrings than she could wear daily, decided to stop hoarding her art and sell her vision to the public!

The vision for Trial & Terror Artistry is to create one of a kind, or small run (5-10) pieces that are accessible for everyone. With a midrange price point: you can be assured that the item you are wearing has years of creative thought, and inspiration behind it. Made with a range of materials, including locally and ethically sourced bones, teeth, flowers, feathers, leaves, berries and thorns, as well as upcycled and repurposed items, each piece has a story, a location it was sourced, and was inspired within the first minute of the artist spying the item. Though the pieces are on the edgy and dark side, there is something for everyone, from teen, to aging people. No one is TOO ANYTHING to rock T&T’s jewelry art.

Each item in the shop contains a description of the materials used, as well as where they were sourced. Some of these materials have been acquired (legally and ethically) from all over the world! Some of these items have been saved for 20+ years and have stories behind them- if you have it, take the time to read the full story of the piece you are interested in! You may have a giggle!