Well, I started my shiny new jewellery course this week and the amount of possibilities that have been opened up for creating new jewellery designs is slightly overwhelming! Deciding what to focus on has been thankfully dictated to me by various deadlines. The course tutor has set us a task involving Seamus Heaney's poem Digging, which has several evocative references to writing, potatoes and of course digging! I started to think that I would make something literal perhaps involving a spade and a robin that drew on the fact that I really love the book called The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett but I soon realised that I could combine my interest in history with the reference to potatoes and make something using the image of Sir Walter Raleigh.
This idea combines many elements that have influenced my life so far. I have been studying miniature paintings for quite awhile and have been trying to practice my drawing skills again after a long period of abstinence. I worked at HM Tower of London for two years and Sir Walter spent A LOT of time shut up there! He was a poet so there is another link to Seamus Heaney and I am going to use pebbles and set them as precious stones in the piece to look like potatoes, which will hopefully add a touch of humour and whimsy!
I have used Nicolas Hilliard's miniature as a reference because it has a slightly odd elvish look to it that I thought would look good on silver...
My first attempt, which I started on my tube journey home after work looks rather swarthy
I am happier with my second attempt. I have tried to keep the lines solid so that they will stand out when they are etched onto silver.
I will post more photos of my work in progress as it progresses! :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment