Re-Framed jewellery exhibition

This is intended to be a way of ‘re-framing’ how we view what jewellery is and what it’s for: jewellery is art.  A really exciting exhibition with very imaginative creations.

The exhibition was an invitation to the makers to create pieces they might not normally have chance to do in their commercial practice. They've challenged themselves to make wearable sculpture, often carrying personal messages, which is as comfortable being admired in a frame on a wall as it is being worn as a statement piece on a body.

Inspired by the sea, I often use beach finds, particularly limpet shells in my work. This large, one-off neck-piece incorporates real shells, celebrating their natural variation and the uniqueness of each individual element.

I wanted to create a metalwork element to my piece & had planned to incorporate a piece of 'found' metal from the beach.  The search of my studio collection proved unsuccessful so I adapted a piece of aluminium sheet (not a material I am use in my practice).  Textures were hammered & embossed into the surface.  The addition of some acrylic gave the desired effect.  Due to the softness of the aluminium it was relatively easy to manipulate the metal to overlap creating the desired shape more akin to a limpet.

I have a vast collection of limpet shells from various collecting forays around Cornwall so I had plenty of resources to create this large neck-piece.  I often wonder what I will do with so many shells but cannot resist them when I see them!

The frame was an integral part of this project & so after Tim made the wooden surround I covered the surface with plaster before embedding real limpets into the surface, then painting white (as specified on the brief).

A selection of the fabulous works created by other members of the ACJ Cornwall group.

This exhibition continues this week but will be dismantled on Friday afternoon so catch it if you can...The cake is well worth a trip to the Grow Box Cafe too!

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I joined the newly formed ACJ Cornwall last year & exhibited with them at the Cornwall Musuem & Art Gallery in Truro last November. It was so enjoyable to create larger more experimental pieces for this event.

The museum currently has a display of pieces created by the jewellers who took part on show until June this year.