Pretties!

MORE RINGS! YAY!

Turquoise and forged silver ring

Blue Lace Agate ring

Amatrine ring, made with the stone mish got me for my birthday :) 



Labradorite and Forged silver ring

I have been terrible with blogging this year.  Any free time I get after work is spent sleeping or eating...or drinking...  But I am going to try post more pics of what I am up to at work and some of my own pieces...  So far I have managed to make a few lil pendants using old watch faces, as well as some rings...

Above are pictures of the front and back of an old watch face pendant.  I created an open back because I couldn't bear the thought of covering up all the gears and watchy bits (my watch jargon is not that great).  This watch did have arms, but unfortunately they met their doom at the hands of my 3 year old cousin...

New Year, New Job...

I recently started working for David Batchelor Designs (my dad :) ). Although I miss the freedom of creating my own pieces, I am enjoying learning new techniques! I have to adjust to working full time and paying taxes unfortunately...

Here is a clasp I made for a pearl necklace...

Final Exam Display

For my final display I continued with my use of jars to show my pieces. I found that the distortion created by the water and glass was particularly prominent in the dark. The way that the lights highlighted my pieces in the dark reminded me of how deep sea creatures look while being filmed when they are illuminated by the camera lights.



I noticed my pieces being further distorted when I held the camera at a low angle. This angle showed the piece reflected in the surface of the water.



To create this deep sea feeling, and further enhance the distortion and context of my pieces, I should in the future display my jewellery illuminated in the dark.

Warwick Freeman

Freeman uses materials such as Paua shell, Mother of Pearl, Baler shell and Scallop shells. His pieces don’t necessarily relate to the ocean in their concept, even though they are made up of oceanic materials. He uses the connotations that the materials have to aid his narrative jewellery. Each of his pieces tells a different story. The connotations of selected materials relate to the story behind the piece, such as his choice of shiny pearl shell for the shape of the star, this way his piece actually shines.

Freeman, W. 1992. Flowerstar. Baler Shell, Jasper, Gold

Freeman, W. 1993. Watercross. Baler Shell, Oxidised Silver

Freeman, W. 1991. Soft Star. Pearl Shell

Freeman, W. 1989. Star Heart. Pearl Shell, Scoria, Paint, Gold

Cheryl Eve Acosta

When looking at Acosta’s work, I find it so obvious that her inspiration and references come from the ocean. Acosta grew up along the coast of Puerto Rico. In her book, ‘Hidden in Nature’ (2009), she discusses how growing up by the sea has influenced her design direction from an early age. She looks at sea life from a scientific point of view, using aquatic processes to fuel her work. She feels that this gives her work the appearance of being from the ocean, without being directly from it. She uses a variety of materials for her jewellery, some of these being: silver, copper, gold, enamels and fabric.

Acosta, C. 2009. Synaptic Coral: Gap. Gold Plated

Acosta, C. 2009. Healing. Copper, Organza

Acosta, C. 2009. Brooch. Enamel, Gold Plated

Acosta, C. 2009. Birth. Copper, Enamel, Organza

Exhibition at Colombo

When reflecting on this exhibition and deciding what worked and what could have been improved, I thought about this...

Each person could see a collection of jewellery or any kind of art subjectively. So displaying my work in context helps the viewer understand the background and enhance the actual collection. The sand and water further hinted that my jewellery was 'from the ocean'. For my final exhibition I should explore this display idea further by creating a similar display that allows my pieces to be picked up and explored (not in bottles).
Feedback that I recieved about my display was that the jars forced the viewer to engage with my work. Because people had to bend down and look into the jars it demanded more attention. Another comment that was made was about the water and how it distorts the shape and colours of the piece once submerged.


Photo: Jenni McKenzie
Photo: Matthew Stroud
Photo: Jenni McKenzie
Photo: Jenni McKenzie
Photo: Matthew Stroud
Photo: Jenni McKenzie