The bedrock of my influences comes from a coastal childhood in West Wales where the shapes of storm hewn rocks and a traditional community wielded its influence. I have a previous career in overseas development and travel marketing, but chose to retrain as a silversmith to pursue the career I had always dreamed of. My designs have a strong organic influence and a weighty quality that can best be d
escribed as ‘tactile jewellery’. I am interested in opposites and impermanence, where visual attraction leads to a desire to interact through touch. Will the brain stop us before we touch? Does our bank of knowledge cover all that we are drawn to visually to allow or stop us touching? What tells us how gingerly or not to handle delicate items? The smoothness of a volcanic mud pool and the short life of its perfect bubbles – to admire visually. The light, smooth plant in an unknown country – to pool knowledge of its qualities. The shard like looking edges on rock pools – the childhood experience of hopping over them barefoot. Full balloons – the emotional and physical preparation for the burst. I work firstly in wax in order to achieve a highly organic feel to my work. I embraces the structural limitations of transfer from wax to metal to aid the design process using fissures in metal to contrast with the organic feel of the piece. I am further interested in illusions and begin my work with a desire to create a playful contrast in some part of the piece. My work invariably surprises the wearer in some form or another. Tactile qualities flow throughout my collections creating a sensual relationship with the wearer.
