INSPIRED BY exhibition artists

“INSPIRED BY”

A Canadian person, place or thing

Seventh Annual National Juried Exhibition of Fine Jewellery and Metalwork

May 19^th to June 25^th, 2011

See Flip Book of Show Inspired by

Jackie Anderson

Calgary, Alberta

“Serving it Up” Canadian Mosaic Series – Salad Servers

BEST IN DESIGN INNOVATION

Sterling silver, acrylic acetate, polyester resin

The idea of the term mosaic used in reference to Canadian society was first introduced by John Gibbons in his 1938 book Canadian Mosaic: The Making of a Northern Nation. He introduced the idea that immigrant cultural groups retained a distinct identity but still contributed to Canada as a whole.

A parallel philosophy in the United States is the salad bowl concept, suggesting the integration of many cultures combine like a salad.

I spend a lot of time in the Rocky Mountains and draw inspiration from there. The moose and deer are integrated into a pair of salad servers proudly serving it up Canadian mosaic style. The linear silver elements along the acrylic acetate mosaic handles are depicting the mountains and rivers in their environment. When holding the servers your fingers quite naturally curl around the mountain and river lines.

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Gillian Batcher

Toronto, Ontario

“Burnt Stew Trail” – necklace/folded ring

HONOURABLE MENTION – Variations of techniques

Sterling silver, mokumé gané, (sterling silver, nickel), copper

My love of travel can be pinpointed to 1997 when I moved to Whistler for a ski season before starting university in the fall. As a novice skier, Burnt Stew Trail became my favourite run. I could take the chair lifts all the way to the top and spend an hour slowly winding down the mountain enjoying the breath-taking views of the Rockies.

My ring/necklace pays homage to this trail. It converts from a ring to a necklace to represent how I learned to open up to the experience and enjoy the wilderness around me. I used mokumé gané to emphasize the mountains and patina copper to represent the rainforest foliage that peaked out across the landscape. The folded ring shows the mass of the Rockies while the open necklace is meant to illustrate the undulating path I took down.

I had always considered myself a city person and could not have imagined how this trip would later inspire me. Once I began to see what was around me, and I felt at ease immersed in nature, I realized what Canada had to offer and I have continued to explore its beauty ever since.

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Kristen Bishop

Fredericton, New Brunswick

New Brunswick College of Craft and Design

“Home” – Necklace

Sterling silver, river rock, rubber, peridot

Born and raised in the Saint John River Valley, I am inspired by nature and ordinary aspects of the river’s waterways including the river rocks I have collected since childhood.

Common rock and precious metal, both from the earth, are juxtaposed in this finely crafted piece. They reflect the relationship between the river and the rocks that have been shaped by the river.

The whole is exquisite, an equilibrium created between the precious and the ordinary.

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Shao-Pin Chu

Toronto, Ontario

“Flora, My Friend” – ring

Sterling silver, rhodolite garnet

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Shao-Pin Chu

Toronto, Ontario

“Wild Water” Memories of Niagara Falls – Bracelet

BEST IN TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

Sterling silver

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Dominic Dufour

Lachute, Quebec

“Laurentides” brooch

Sterling silver, rock, pearl titanium

“Mirabel” brooch

Sterling silver, rock, titanium, citrine, 14k gold

If we consider the evolution of rocks from the Precambrian Era to their metamorphic transformation, the stones that surround us are far from being vulgar pebbles. They are witnesses of the geomorphologic evolution of our beautiful landscapes and they deserve our admiration and interest. That is why I wanted to create a modern design brooch featuring a rock.

For a jeweller, working with a crude element such as a rock and smooth, polished materials with a defined metal form is an interesting challenge. During this project, I left behind organized and perfect forms, as well as symmetry, to be inspired by the irregularities and imperfections of the rock. In doing so, the pebble is enhanced, brought into focus and it now has the possibility of being complimented. I used metals of relative value to complement and ennoble this simple pebble.

It is definitely its hour of glory!

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Jesper Jensen

High River, Alberta

“View”, Daily morning commute – Ring

Titanium

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Natalia Khon

Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver Community College

“Deer Necklace”

HONOURABLE MENTION – Technical competence

Sterling silver, labradorite, cubic zirconia, synthetic sapphire

Everything I like the best can be found in this necklace: wild deer that are so usual for British Columbia, the beautiful plant kingdom, ocean waves and Vancouver spring. In order to accent my love for Vancouver nature I used my favourite jewellery making techniques, such as piercing, engraving, fine soldering and stone setting.

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Lindsey Maston

Fredericton, New Brunswick

New Brunswick College of Craft and Design

Untitled goblet

My approach to jewellery and metal work comes from a methodical soulful inquiry. Often inspired by vivid colours that surround me daily, I strive to build unique, high quality work. The goblet, although monochromatic, has a fold form shape, as inspired by Charles Lewton Brain’s work. This creates the playfulness I like to bring to my work.

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Annegret Morf

Roxoboro, Quebec

“Upiminashkatui” (the sea snail) – Pendant

Sterling silver, black pearls: Hydraulic press, embossing and chasing, traditional soldering and laser welding.

I am amazed and inspired by the rich variety of wild life inhabiting in the Saint Lawrence estuary. Following are memories of an ancient sea snail observing changes in his surroundings brought on by the arrival of the Europeans.

Upiminashkatui

I remember the dark, searching eyes peering down from the smooth stone shore into the depths beyond me.

I remember the children’s laughter, filtering down through the water, as they gathered blue mussels at low tide.

I remember seeing the big sailboats floating against the current, penetrating the land in search of riches.

I remember hearing the song of the great mammals turn into desperate and agonizing screams as they were slaughtered for their blubber.

I remember the dark eyes turning sad and blunt.

I am upiminashkatui the sea snail.

Je me souviens…

Upiminashkatui; Innu word for sea snail

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Sonja Neven

Cochrane, Alberta

“Seedpod #3” perfume vessel

BEST IN HOLLOWWARE

Sterling silver, garnet

“Beautiful things are valuable and useful precisely because they are beautiful.”

This quote by John Ruskin is close to my own heart. For me the abundance of Canada’s Natural beauty has the ability to calm the mind and raise the spirit. A big part of my work is about the investigation and manipulation of materials to focus on the beauty and rhythm of forms found in nature. My goal with the “Seedpods” is to create pieces that combine the simple beauty and function of nature with the timelessness of metal-smithing. Reminding us of the eternal continuity of the rhythm of the seasons and, with that, our own rituals and traditions.

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Patricia O’Connor

Fredericton, New Brunswick

New Brunswick College of Craft and Design

“Which Came First” – Eggcup

Sterling silver

The “Which Came First” eggcup was inspired both by the farmer’s market in Fredericton, New Brunswick and my Mum looking after my sister and me when we were little. Every Saturday my family would go to the market to get our eggs for the week from the local farmers.

My Mum would cook us soft-boiled eggs for breakfast and we got to pick out which eggcup we would like to use. Most of them were plastic, but I have great memories of them. I wanted to create something that I might have picked out of the cupboard to use when I was a child.

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Shona Rae

Calgary, Alberta

“Bearskin” – Sculptural ring

CROWN PEARL PRIZE

Constructed, carved, 18k y gold, sterling silver, bear bone, claw, fur and skin/hide, south sea pearl

My lifelong fascination and study of fairytales, folklore, ancient religion and myth is a major influence in my artwork. As I have been working on a series of Fairytale/Tarot sculptural rings since 1998 I try to include my experience growing up in rural Canada in this body of work.

I love to incorporate bones and natural materials I find when I walk in the woods into my art. In “Bearskin” I started with bones and claws from a baby bear that we found in the ditch not far from my sister’s home. A local native friend donated the bearskin hide.

“Bearskin” is the story of a young man who makes a deal with the Devil. He must not wash or cut his hair or trim his nails for seven years. He is provided with a purse that never runs out of gold and he must always wear a bearskin as his cloak at all times.

I see this as a shamanistic journey and so I gave him many of the symbols of “The Hermit” from the tarot. Using ancient pictograph-like ciphers I carved into the metal and the bone my own story of a young shaman who goes on a traditional journey to meet, commune and hunt “Bear” so he might bring the powers of fertility, rebirth and abundance back to his tribe.

The pearl ‘flame’ may be removed from the lamp base to replace Bearskin who can be placed on his bear vertebrae stand so the ring can be worn (gently).

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Audrée H. St-Amour

Fredericton, New Brunswick

New Brunswick College of Craft and Design

“A Mari Usque Ad Mare” Bracelet

Sterling silver, pearls, cubic zirconia

Paradoxes inspire me to experiment with various shapes and textures and to play with colour and movement. Travelling through my art, the medium is transformed therefore giving life to the object.

Inspired by Canadian geography, the bracelet’s imagery reflects the vast and diverse natural richness of a territory bordered by three enormous bodies of water.

“A mari usque ad mare” is a tribute to Canada as the longest coastline in the world.

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Roger Small

Fredericton, New Brunswick

New Brunswick College of Craft and Design

“Timeless Labyrinth” – Locket

Sterling silver, brass, copper

My work has been inspired by the beauty and friendliness of New Brunswick, Canada and the NBCCD who have helped me create my ideas into miniature. Now my work can not only be aesthetically visible in large form but also wearable, and if cared for will last generations.

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Fatima Tataragic

Toronto, Ontario

“H2O Ring”

Carved acrylic, sterling silver, fine silver wire

Clean water supplies are one of the biggest issues in the world today; therefore water represents the most precious source on a global level.

Canada is one of the richest countries in the world with water. As it is considered a wealthy precious resource, I have decided to treat one water molecule as a precious gem emphasizing the importance and value of water.

One molecule of the water is used as a gem; the oxygen atom is made from solid silver ball while hydrogen is made from crochet silver wire. The combination of two different techniques further illustrates the intriguing but simple structure of such an important essence.

In addition, the transparency of the band of the ring, which is carved from acrylic, creates the illusion of water flow, emphasizing the luxury of clean water that Canada boasts.

In the near future water will be an even more precious natural source then any diamond or oil…

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Amber Thomas-Penchoff

Toronto, Ontario

George Brown College

“Arabesque” – Ring

HONOURABLE MENTION – Design Innovation

14k yellow gold with ½ drilled 4 mm round pink pearl

This 14k gold special occasion ring was made for a night out at the ballet, with the iconic Canadian Ballet Dancer Karen Kain as its source of inspiration. The delicate and airy feeling of the ring mixed with the elongated and fluid lines of the curves are a physical manifestation of her stage movements.

Miss Kain is the epitome of what I love about ballet.  She is beautiful, elegant and graceful. I was lucky enough to get to see her perform the role of the Swan Queen in Swan Lake when I was a little girl, after which I made my mom enrol me in ballet lessons so I could be just like Miss Kain. Although I never became the prima ballerina I once dreamed of being, ballet is still very much a source of inspiration to me.

Karen Kain is, and always will be, my favourite prima ballerina.

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Connie Tong

Toronto, Ontario

Ontario College of Art and Design

“Skate Till I Drop Spoon”

Sterling silver

I was deeply emotional after watching Joannie Rochette’s bronze medal performance at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.  Her determination and perseverance were highly admirable, which inspired me to purchase my first pair of skates in hopes of pursuing the craft of figure skating.

Like any skill set, it was certainly a rough skating beginning.  I lost my balance on the third day of training and fell back with my left posterior landing on the edge of my skating blade.

Since the injury, I was determined to get back on the ice and try again.  Although my dreams of joining the elite group of figure skaters come to a halt, I will always reflect back on Joannie’s performance as a reminder that pain is a natural process in any skill and it requires tenacity and dedication to emerge from it.

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Annette Van Leeuwen

Toronto, Ontario

“Inspired by Nature” Framed Triptych

BEST IN SHOW

Sterling silver, beach pebbles, found seedpod, canvas, thread

Without being shown the source of inspiration for my current body of work, it would be nearly impossible to guess what exact piece of Canadian nature I had studied. This display is a snap shot into the workings of the design process. Seedpods, like the one entitled “nature”, have been a part of my idea bank for years. To my mind they looked like earrings. When my first creation in silver, similar to the “imitation” earring, caused a neighbour to identify the tree my earring was based on, I realized I had failed. Although imitation can be a technical challenge, it isn’t the same as creating an original design, nor is it necessarily practical for production work. Currently, I make a series of work, like the “inspired by” earrings, which, though very different from each other, are loosely based on aspects of the original form. I have been inspired by nature.

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Carolyn Young

Waterloo, Ontario

“Tundra Swans Necklace”

HONOURABLE MENTION – Great Use of Materials

Sterling silver, mulberry paper, acrylic

Until last spring I had no idea that Canada had wild swans. Then, in March, I had the privilege to see the flight of 32 Tundra Swans over my neighbourhood. These true Canadian Snowbirds were migrating to the Arctic where they nest and raise their young. These beautiful birds and the powerful sense of freedom that I felt in their presence inspired this abstract organic necklace. I have tried to convey their delicate pure white appearance by using Mulberry paper combined with sterling silver. Each paper element has a sterling silver wire structure and is permeated with acrylic for strength and durability.