Exhibition

In the Narrows (2015) 

In the Narrows (2015) is a reversible hinged bracelet made from sterling silver, 24 karat gold, resin, and a photograph reprint of the decimated Halifax waterfront following the 1917 Halifax Explosion. The gold side is a recreation of Group of Seven artist Arthur Lismer's painting from 1914 called "Sunset". The bracelet was awarded Best in Concept (Student Category) at 18Karat's Great White North Exhibition: Group of Seven in Toronto in 2015. The bracelet was featured in an editorial about the exhibition in the Jewellery Business Magazine August 2015 edition. 

 

Artist Statement:

"On an ordinary morning in December during WWI, a fiery wave of destruction upended the lives of thousands of Canadian civilians. Although an ocean apart from the devastation of the trenches, this unforeseeable catastrophic collision momentarily seized the Great White North. Canadians as well as allies quickly came together to rebuild from the rubble.

“In The Narrows” evokes imagery from an Arthur Lismer painting, which depicts a serene Canadian landscape during early WWI, as well as a photograph of the decimated harbour front following the Halifax Explosion.

This reversible hinged bracelet is inspired by the variance of Lismer’s roles as both a Halifax based wartime artist and a “Group of Seven” landscape painter. Lismer captured wartime Halifax, as well as the aftermath of the Halifax Explosion, as beautifully as he captured the peaceful Canadian landscape."



The photograph above reveals one of two sides of the reversible bracelet. It depicts a reprint of a photograph depicting the Richmond area of Halifax following the Halifax explosion. This public domain photograph, retrieved from Wikipedia with special thanks to Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management, is preserved within ice resin inside blackened sterling silver frames. The full photograph is shown below. 




"A view across the devastated neighbourhood of Richmond in Halifax, Nova Scotia after the Halifax Explosion, looking toward the Dartmouth side of the harbour. The steamship Imo, one of the ships in the collision that triggered the explosion can be seen aground on the far side of the harbour - Halifax after 6th December 1917." Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management, Negative Number DNDHfxExplosion-2. Retrieved from Wikipedia.

The reversed side features a representation of the Group of Seven artist Arthur Lismer's 1914 painting, Sunset.  The painting is recreated with 24K gold and blackened sterling silver. The gold is applied by hand using an ancient korean technique of silver gilt, called Keum boo. The resulting effect is more commonly recognized as vermeil. The technique involves a process which utilizes heat and pressure to bond gold to silver at the atomic level.  When carefully applying the thin sheets of gold by hand, I attempted to recreate the impressionist brush strokes, characteristic of Lismer's earlier pre-Halifax explosion work. Lismer's work later transitioned into a more geometric expressionistic style after he was commissioned in 1918 to visually document war-time naval activities in the Halifax Harbour. 



Photograph of Sunset (1914) by Arthur Lismer. Retrieved from Wikipedia. 

Media:

Nested (2015)

Nested (2015) is a locket bracelet made from sterling silver and leather. 

 

Artist Statement:

"A locket is a way to carry a photograph or some other token reminder of a loved one. Lockets are usually worn around the neck. I chose to make a locket for the wrist, which is where one traditionally looks to be reminded of time.

The delicate organic imprint of a real bird feather is contained within the rigid geometric lines of a divided square locket. It is intended to look both industrial and natural. I wanted to create something that possessed both of these qualities simultaneously. The fused tubing side reminds me of a cityscape built on top of, and from, the remnants of a forest.

I find it intriguing and inspiring how birds are capable of building their nests in the most unexpected places, such as within urban centers which are overtaking their natural habitats. They adapt to their ever-changing environment and build their homes where they can, with what they can. This is a testament to the saying, “home is where the heart is." Nature is resilient and, with time, always finds a way to rebuild and thrive."

 

DEHISCENCE (The Sun Came Through) (2017)

DEHISCENCE (The Sun Came Through) (2017) is a sculpture made from wood, dix gold fused with sterling silver, brass wire, freshwater pearl, print text, and paint.

Artist Statement:

Everything we see, hear, and feel are mere glimpses of a complex reality. Even in moments of stillness, boundless chaotic processes continue undetected. We choose how we respond to our environments, internal and external. Look closer, listen deeper, feel longer. Be mindful and honour the chaos beneath the surface.

This piece was made in response to an artist residency I participated in the Fundy National Park. The Beneath the Surface residency began one week after I was officially diagnosed with a rare inner ear condition, Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence. This condition significantly changed and affects my hearing, balance, and vision in relation to noise and pressure changes. The residency was a very meditative experience.
The quiet natural environment was a respite from the noise of the city; however, it made me even more acutely aware of the noise within my own head, both literally and metaphorically. This condition allows me to hear my own heart beat, bones grinding, eye moving, footsteps and more, from within my dehiscent ear especially when it's quiet. To oversimplify, loud noise makes me dizzy (vertigo) and quiet makes me acutely aware of sounds within my body I shouldn't be able to hear. This is due to a tiny hole that eroded in my skull bone separating my inner ear balance canals from my temporal lobe of my brain. This hole creates a "third window" where there should only be two for sound and pressure to go in and out. 
The realization that I cannot escape the noise, internal or external, shifted my focus towards finding peace with my current circumstances. Since the residency, I have continued to adapt to my environment, external and internal. I practice yoga and meditate daily. The only thing I can change in this moment is my attitude towards what I cannot change in this moment.

A Night in Paris (2014) 

As a finalist for the 2016 Vaccaro Family Scholarship Finalist, an award sponsored by Giovanni Vaccaro of Beverly Hills Jewellers, this piece received an Honourable Mention and was displayed at Canadian Jewellery Expos in Toronto, ON and Edmonton, AB during the summer of 2016. The neck piece is entirely hand-fabricated from sterling silver and 24K gold foil.