Elemental 1 [Metals]

Artist Statement The three works I present here derive from my interest in the natural cycles of life, death, and renewal, both as they play out in the natural world and as they play out, metaphorically, in our own lives. “Goddess” is a full-body necklace of copper and brass with three repousse and chased pendants. Each represents one face of the goddess, or stage in the cycle of life: youth, maturity, and old age—leading, ultimately, to death, decay, and rebirth. We follow the same pattern, in many ways, throughout our own lives. Just as the sun powers this cycle for the entire earth, we also need a source of renewal to keep it turning in our everyday lives. “Elemental 1” and “Elemental 2” pay homage to my favorite source of renewal—the natural beauty of the central and northern California coast. “Elemental 1,” a raised copper bowl, references the seaweed that blankets the rocks along the shoreline; “Elemental 2,” a fold-forged fine silver pendant and Roman chain, symbolizes the adjacent mountains and their rich and varied forests. When I designed these pieces, one of my primary goals was to learn as many different metalworking techniques as possible. But I gained more than just an understanding of foundational techniques. Because I am primarily a photographer, making this work required that I add new perspective to my artistic vision and stretch my creative boundaries to encompass a medium whose nature, tactility, dimensionality, shape, color, and more all need to be considered as part of the design process. I look forward to seeing how this expanded vision manifests itself, not only in future metalworking projects, but in my photography as well.https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/undergradsymposium_artgallery/1004/thumbnail.jp