I'm passionate about jewellery design and find inspiration from a whole range of subjects and aesthetic delights, from buildings and architecture to 1950s fashion and wallpaper prints; from nature's patterns in plants to the way in which paper bends and folds.
I'm inspired by textures, graffiti, cities and urban spaces, flowers, symmetry, kaleidoscopic patterns, 1960s textile prints, typography, unusual colours and graphic design. I'm enticed and intrigued by artists who informed my paintings, such as Fiona Rae and Bridget Riley.
I'm also largely inspired by what happens when I experiment with materials, forms and colours. I will spend days at a time creating shapes and patterns using Adobe Illustrator, the files of which are then printed out and used as cutting guides with the metal. The results are often unexpected and that is when I begin to experiment to discover new designs by piecing together shapes and combining colours. It is this mixture of planned design and experimental design practices that help guide the work to realms beyond the predictable to unearth something made from the unknown. Ultimately this experimentation is what keeps the jewellery fresh and abundant with new ideas.
When I was a child my mother's button box was a source of great fascination. That curiosity for small objects and trinkets continued into my early twenties, when I decided to photograph my mother's entire jewellery collection. Before I had even thought of becoming a jeweller I was inspired by the creations of other makers, as seen below.
What fascinates me about jewellery is how it can evoke our emotions, connecting us to a particular memory, person or place and changing the nature of how we perceive what is precious.
