About Me
I love the scale of Silversmithing and enjoy the problem solving of construction. I work predominantly in silver because it is such a wonderfully rewarding material to work with. Soft and milky or hard and polished like steel, we are drawn to it, we want to handle and use it. I want my excitement to spill through into my work. We employ such energy in making these pieces, which is so often lost between the workshop and the gallery. My aims are simple, I want people to handle and enjoy my work. I want each piece to enliven the table and harmonise with their contents, but most of all I want to tell people that just because its precious doesn't mean it can't be fun!
The pieces that I have selected for this show are works originally made for my first Solo show which took place in Edinburgh at the beginning of 2007. I wanted to create something beautiful, functional, engaging and honest. When I started I was worried that the amount of silver on show would be overwhelming, and would be seen as either to opulent or worse cold and unfeeling. My aims were to produce a series of pieces that sat together as a body of work connected by shared themes e.g. the shapes of boat hulls but were also individual objects that had their own stories attached. The work was derived from my interest in the sea and the effects of the sea on objects floating in or around it. For the viewer I wanted there to be an element of discovery with the work. I would like the work to have evoked the sense of wonder and surprise that is generated when you set off on a beachcombing wander and discover a sanded, weathered treasure nestled in between the rocks.
The forms in silver are simple and the surfaces are free from the rhythm of hammer marks that are normally associated with the work of the Silversmith. Shaped using hammers and cast iron formers (stakes) the surfaces are then sanded down and softened with pumice. I felt that working in this way best reflected the quality that I was trying to emulate and capture from looking at flotsam. The metal is contrasted with the inclusion of reclaimed oak wood. The wood chosen has a patina of age, partially painted or varnished surfaces remove an over fussy element from the work adding warmth and tactility and encourage handling. In some cases I have shaped the wood and in other pieces I have used existing handles from hand tools such as hammers. Working with such objects is a tool to lift the spirit in a light hearted humorous way removing issues of pre-conceived ideas regarding the preciousness of silver and engaging debate about the object.
Through use or just life in the interior landscape the work will change, the user will add their own marks in an unconscious way. This process personalises the object and weaves it into the tapestry of the owners life reflecting their story and continuing the tradition of the work.