Over the past few weeks, I have been working hard to tie up some loose ends in the studio: finish unfinished pieces, sort through accumulated inventory, and recover my organizational skills that seemed to have wandered off somewhere. All this had to happen because the studio is undergoing a major expansion/facelift, and with renos underway, we all had to pack up and take a temporary leave. It will strange to be out of the studio for a while, but I am trying to stay positive; the end results will be well worth the wait!
While preparing to pack up all my things, I came across a small casted angular form that I had never used in any of my pieces. It suddenly struck me that it might be an interesting part of a ring. I haven’t made any rings in such a long time; I couldn’t ignore the idea, and started working right away. This was the resulting ring. I darkened the interior of the angular component to create a nice contrast.
Sterling silver ring prototype
I was generally excited by the result, and knowing I only had about a week left to work in the studio, I immediately made several more, exploring different variations in shape and size.
Sterling silver rings
On my last day to work in the studio, I fell down a path that I feel I’ve never travelled before in my jewelry exploration. What began as a blatant act of procrastination from packing turned into an unstoppable flurry of sawing, drilling, riveting, connecting –for hours! I wasn’t thinking about the what, or the why of what I was making, I somehow just let go, and allowed myself to just make. It was intuitive, it was free. This is something I have been striving for in my creative process for some time now. I find it easy to get caught up in the logical side of making; particularly as a jeweler, I feel impelled to create objects with function to give reason or legitimacy to my creations. Tossing this notion aside was a liberating experience that I hope to pursue further.
In-progress
I was happy with the progression of this form because it really seemed to embody a more emotive character. I find using metal as a vehicle for immediate emotional expression to be challenging because I tend to plan ahead and map out what I am making. This piece, however, was an immediate, uninhibited act of expression.
Final Form
Learning to embrace and trust my intuition more in the creative process will not be an easy endeavor, but one I am willing to attempt, and look forward to exploring, even if I don’t end up being happy with the outcome of every piece. I remember one of my professors in university once said “you always have to make a bunch of “bad” work before you can make something truly great”.
Ideas and Process 