Artist Statement
As well as emulating drawn line within my jewellery, I also want to express my passion for rich colours and unusual texture. Through material experimentation, I wish to explore the new possibilities and ideas that industrial liquid enamel can bring to contemporary jewellery design. Combining this chosen medium with mild steel wire allows me to create unpredictable and spontaneous pieces with a unique painterly quality.
I aim to challenge the pre-conceived ideas attached to enamel jewellery by questioning technique and preciousness. I play with gritty textures and matt finishes rubbing back the enamel to reveal the sensuous lines of the steel wire underneath.
Informing my creative process is my interest in the industrial city taking inspiration from patterns, structures and textures in urban scenes. By speeding up the rusting process within steel, the enamel changes colour over time reflecting the decay and corrosion of the city. I love this uncontrollable element of enamel that makes each piece original and unique creating an innovative aesthetic.
After starting my MA in Sept 08, my interest in enamel lead me to visit Elizabeth Turrell at the Enamel Research Centre, UWE. I was introduced to liquid enamel which allowed me to create a spontaneous, painterly quality that I had been looking for. The following test pieces are experiments using liquid enamel and steel and will hopefully make up my first series of brooches.
