Why I love light and texture in my work.
How light and texture have been my companions through my creative career.
I’ve always been inspired by light and texture, all the way back to when I studied photography at Glasgow School of Art at the turn of the century. It was a vital time, society was scared we were running towards the end of times, our computers wouldn’t cope with 2000 and everything would shut down. Little did we know that in a way, we were right. Focusing on how light could transform an everyday object and cut through the darkness, seeing an image develop on a paper surface in the darkroom, all felt like a kind of magic.
Light and texture still feature in my creative endeavours. Watching images appear on silver gelatin paper in the dark rooms at art school or creating surface texture on sterling silver, they are ways of catching light. Jewellery has a physical way of catching light, sparkling stones or shimering surfaces that change as you wear them. Tiny silver sculptures that we adorn our bodies with are both beautiful and useful, they hold our histories and our personal narratives. We treasure these small objects as heirlooms or as personal markers of moments in our lives.
I aim to make jewellery to be as individual as the person who wears it. The texture that will appear on your jewellery over time is as personal to you as your own skin. The surfaces tell a story of wear and care and lives lived and I absolutely love that about jewellery. I bet every piece of jewellery in your possession has a story that lives alongside it.
These are photos of some of my own jewellery. On the left I have a pair of rings. The wide band of gold, black and silver was made in response to the stunning colours and textures of our local beach at Mylor. Sharp black rock shot through with bright seams of quartz and a scattering of brilliant gold lichens are translated into metal that has a subtle 3D texture, it is comfortable to wear but interesting to touch and play with. The other is a piece of citrine gifted to me by a jeweller when we lived in Trinidad. He was kind and gracious with his time and knowledge and I wanted to make into something really personal to me. By combining gold and oxidised silver, the colours are dramatic and bold and yet the delicate detailing inspired by lichens gives a really unique element.
The bangles are my most recent addition to my collections. These were born from a residency that has had a really important influence on my life. It was a pivotal moment and a reminder that I need time to myself to be really deeply creative. It was the first artist residency that has led to 3 more since and, I hope, a life long habit to take time out to surround myself with similar folk and quiet and the call of a sketch book. I gave one to my Mum and kept one for myself. They feel important and connecting to multiple corners of my life.
Pieces made for my customers as commissions with special meaning and personal objects.
Each of these images shows a commission made for a customer. They are all unique but all catch light using surface texture and shape or precious stones reworked from deeply personal piece of jewellery handed down from family members.
Stones and their unique inclusions
Inclusions in stones are the interior details that can been seen once the polishing has been done. They are made up of other minerals which were formed before the stone itself. Stones that I use tend to have lots in them as I love the unique look of them and I think they are far more interesting that their perfect counterparts.
Danny J Sanchez takes incredible photographs of inclusions which you can see here. The images are stunning and otherworldly, like far away galaxies or planets.
Below are a selection of stones I have used in pieces of jewellery. Some are bespoke pieces and some are on my website. I have a few black boxes in my studio too, boxes like grown up sweet shops containing lots of little clear pots, each holding a beautiful, unique stone full of light and texture.
