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My
designs are highly decorative, joyous, celebratory and exotic. Often
mimicking items previously made of fur such as collars, cuffs and wraps,
however through a continuing effort to redefine the necklace I tend to
concentrate on the thought provoking and challenging erotic neck region. I
make three dimensional chokers and necklaces that have nostalgic qualities
but are strikingly of the moment; framing the face they bring delight to
both wearer and onlooker alike.
I
have always been interested in elaborate adornment and draw on many visual
sources, historical, contemporary and cultural. An eclectic mixture of
renaissance clothing, African tribal jewellery, Japanese printed textiles,
and twenties and thirties European fashion drawings and more recently the
flower paintings of Georgia O’Keefe have especially inspired me.
By
employing a variety of contrasting but complimentary materials and an
array of traditional and current techniques I try to make pieces that are
deceptively lightweight and therefore relatively easy to wear. However due
to the scale of some of the pieces and the psychological effect of wearing
such a necklace the wearer inevitably holds their head upright and walks
tall. The jewels are about empowering a strong sense of modern femininity,
involving contradicting ideas of restriction, liberation, seduction and
protection. The object itself can be seen as a piece of artwork that comes
to life once on the body.
I
like to use a series of repeated units in my work, these are either
tin-plate triangles and squares, created through a series of folded discs,
embossed with intricate patterns in gold or silver leaf and finished with
a glossy protective enamel. Sometimes I use a variety of small elements of silver curved
tubing which can be oxidised or gold plated.
The
Aurora collection is made up of corrugated silver rectangles which encase
a reflective film covered with a dyed textured plastic. These hard edged structured elements are softened by the
sinuous lines of curled dyed nylon wire, elegant feathers, delicate and
sumptuous velvet flowers and sparkling Swarovski glass crystals and
sequins that hover and dance around the face; movement is essential,
appearing spontaneous but is however considered and controlled.
Individually the units can make a small pair of earrings, collectively up
to a full-length stole, but more often a decorative neckpiece with a sense
of occasion.
The
use of colour is also a key element, allowing for the seasonal changes of
the ever fickle but exciting fashion industry and special individual
commissions. Colour changes the mood of a piece, classic, dramatic and
timeless in black, fresh and bridal in white and crystal, calm, ethereal
and elegant silver-grey or fun and passionate in hot pink and scarlet.
These
necklaces offer the ideal solution to dressing up that faithful frock or
adding a touch of glamour to T-shirt and jeans! Despite underlying
concepts inherent to the work, the essence is beautiful objects as
wearable jewellery that continue to charm and intrigue.
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