Construction of a New Piece
Learn a bit about why I decided to design a new necklace.
As an independent goldsmith, I make a fair number of pieces that are small batch productions, so, while they are all unique in their own way, they’re still of a similar design, and generally use similar methods. Part of my practice, to keep exercising my creative muscles is to challenge myself to make larger pieces on a semi-regular basis. Last year, I made this piece:
Oxidised sterling silver, 10k yellow gold, blue topaz and sapphire necklace with roller printed elements and two-tone blue needled felt. This necklace is very kinetic, and hangs about 19" long.
If you’re familiar with some of my work, you’ll see that it incorporates a lot of different elements from other pieces that I’ve made, but puts them together in a new and more elaborate way, incorporating some gold and more precious gems than I might normally use. (If you're interested in more information about why I use these elements, you can read a bit more here.)
This year, I set myself a similar goal: to make a larger, statement piece, that incorporates a lot of elements that I normally use, in a larger format, and incorporating or extending my skills at the same time. This piece presented some challenges for me, in terms of the physical construction, because I couldn’t use a lot of my normal techniques to create the individual pieces. This made it a lot of fun (I like practical problem solving/troubleshooting), but also rather frustrating at times.
Some pictures of the necklace in process
starting to put the elements together
One down, one that needs alot of laser welding to get it together!
Just the finishing to go!
This necklace is part of my sci/art collections, and is entitled Invaders/Defenders. Since it is more specifically an art jewellery piece, the design is associated with different symbolism for me. The piece has two different finishes. The oxidised/dark element represents the infectious invaders, with the mostly oval cabochon sapphires being reminiscent of a bacterial shape, and the random placement showing some of the disorder that happens in the infection process. In contrast, the matte silver/light element represents the immune cells that defend against infection and disease, with the incorporation of texture and irregular cutouts. The more organic nature of the circular shape of the two larger elements reflect the cellular/tissue environment where these biological entities interact, and the two elements are united in a continuous loop with a steel cable, as the different sides of this process are irrevocably linked in biology.
The final piece and an impression of the scale. The two main elements are made of sterling silver, with sapphire cabochons, roller printed elements, seed freshwater pearl beads, and deep blue needled felt.
I’m really pleased with the overall effect of the piece, what do you think? Would you be interested in some smaller pieces in a similar style of one of the elements, perhaps as a brooch or a pendant?
You can contact me here to start a dialogue about this piece, and commission a new work. I look forward to your comments.
Have a great Sunday!
-Robin
Re-learning Toronto, and finding inspiration in architecture
I notice a lot of things, and I like looking at a lot of different sceneries. One of my favourite (but not often enough exercised) things, is landscape photography. In contrast, I’ve also always enjoyed looking at urban landscapes and appreciate intricate and interesting architecture.
As some of you may know, I lived in the UK for some time. While there, I had the privilege of doing a fair amount of traveling. One of the things I love to do when I visit new places is to wander the city/ lanscape, exploring and soaking in the visual appearances. Here are some of my (very few of them) favourite buildings:
La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
https://www.pxfuel.com/en/free-photo-qksky
Casa Battlo, Barcelona
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54771565@N03/43396063012
Musee D’Orsay, Paris
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MuseeOrsay_20070324.jpg
I could show you a gazillion more, but I don't have that kind of time to track down all my photos! But here's just one more of a typical architectural feature that I used to constantly see around Scotland.
Crow-stepped Gable, Scotland
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crow-stepped_gable,_Crail_-_geograph.org.uk_-_950435.jpg
When I first moved back to Toronto, I spent alot of time wandering the city getting to know it again. It was an incredible experience for me, and I spent alot of time just looking (and a little bit of capturing!). These are some of the things that have particularly caught my eye:
Now all of those shapes and features are rolling around somewhere in the back of my brain. Eventually, I'll start sketching some new pieces based on all these features, and from there, develop them into new jewellery. Not sure when, but they'll appear eventually. When they do, you can be sure that I'll share them with you!
Intrigued? I know I am! I never quite know what my brain is going to come up with until it appears. Some things are like a bolt of lightning, others are like this--they need a certain amount of work before they become real designs!
Stay safe and healthy, and I look forward to seeing you all when society is more open again. Want to connect sooner than that? Email me, let’s start a conversation! Or find me on Instagram .
-Robin