Dark Angel Pendant

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This was my entry into the very last national Jewellery competition in New Zealand some years ago. I understand sponsorship to hold such competitions is difficult to obtain.

My piece has examples of all sorts of my work. casting (in Art Clay pure silver and copper) I created the moulds 1st  using polymer clay, not hard, then formed and kiln fired the metal clay pieces. Not hard and I find this method of "casting" safer and easier to carry out if working alone than traditional methods of casting.  I  rolled the "wing" pattern into recycled copper using a rolling mill and autumn dried leaves. I have  

traditionally set the garnet.

 

 

 

Some Rings

Dragon Dance

Bush Maiden Brooch - if at first you don't succeed try again - Establishing Your Art Concepts can be difficult




Bush Maiden Brooch
Created as a tribute to the early Romantic painters of the 1800's (some of whom never visited NZ) who visualised New Zealand as a lush tropical paradise populated by beautiful maidens, ( and visualised/painted  men in Roman type toga's and young Maori women in bonnets with European features) But who also had early Christian ideas (and maybe fantasies) about converting the whole of New Zealand to European Christianity.
It was also a tribute to my Father's stories of The Bush Maidens who lonely Miners and Hunters might imagine populated the New Zealand Bush in the early European pioneering days.
I understand there are even earlier Maori legends of a pale skinned Fairy people who (as in European legends)sometimes lived with mortal spouses for a period of time and this may be a very interesting aspect to research.


The Bush Maiden Brooch is a combination of acid - etched Brass/ painted/fired with low fIreChina painting enamel "paint" and riveted onto a handmade (and pressed) copper brooch back.
Bush Maiden was rejected for Exhibition when first offered to its first Exhibition - but I took some advice and represented it in a different format and when presented to a  second Exhibition it was awarded a third prize


So all of you out there struggling to have your work recognised - don't give up! especially if you are really pleased with something - it may be necessary to look at your work from a different perspective (or get someone else too) occassionally but keep trying!!

Portrait of a Flower

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New Zealand Deer / Bambi and Mum -Pure Silver and Recycled Copper Brooch

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The next in my New Life/ life renewed /the spirit inside series.
This is what I used to see every spring courtesy of our neighbours, whose deer lived in huge paddocks far from roads and crowds with gulleys and bush patches to hide their fawns in - until quite suddenly they all emerge - tiny dainty litle creatures.
Their social structure is amazing - with the Spring races between the fawns with Hinds audibly "cheering them on" it was great to see.

"White Herons" - Interpreting New Zealand Landscape and Fauna a different way

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Under this image is a 'New Zealand' pattern imprinted into the silver - in the right lights it shows through - Created at Sherri Haab's course recently this piece reflects some of my thoughts on how New Zealand is made up of a mixture of cultures and viewpoints - overlying, overlapping, how maybe many New Zealanders may be seeing things a different way from different cultural and educational backgrounds. It has found it's real owner.

Thanks to my Course with Sherri Haab in Christchurch - I will soon be making.Images like these....

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