After seeing these pieces of material, I am thinking about carving images of animals. Not whales this time though! Deer, foxes, wolves, horses, birds and buffalo. I have been doing a few custom pieces with animal images carved into them and have really enjoyed it. So it looks like a new range is on its way!
While I'm on the subject of material, I thought I might also share some other pictures of the various kinds of raw materials that my pieces evolve from. In addition to the cut and polished shapes that I work with, I also use raw sheets and rods, various beads, vintage buttons, bone tools and even bone straight from the butcher.
Although these images are lovely, the true beauty of these organic materials lies in their warm tactile quality. I just wish you all could touch and feel the pieces. Working with them is truly inspiring. If you are a maker too, I'd love to hear about how your materials inspire and influence your work.
TE x
How wonderful to find inspiration like this in your materials. At the moment I'm still carving from lino and soft rubber - which doesn't give much away for inspiration except from how the carving process effects the print. I'm looking fwd to learning to carve from wood though - I think this will bring about more inspiration.
ReplyDeleteWow! Those colours are truly amazing ... so very autumnal! :)
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see what treasures you make out of this gorgeous material!
ReplyDeleteThanks ladies! it really is lovely stuff. Each piece has it's own individual tactility and surface fluctuation, because it is an organic material. Makes each piece of jewellery truly unique. :)
ReplyDelete@Chantal - I think the way the actual printing process influences your work is very inspiring! I've always wanted to try carving a printable material. It adds a completely new dimension to the making. The carved piece is art, that then goes on to create more art! Thats awesome!
Are these bones with which you work ethically sourced?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your question Fenn. Because animals are not killed for their bones, recycling these by-product materials in a mindful and caring manner to create beautiful art, is very ethical as far as I am concerned. Saying that, everyone's ethical boundaries are different. And some people may see using a by-product of the meat industry as in-ethical. I am a vegetarian and in no way support the meat industry, but I believe that using beautiful organic material that would otherwise be thrown away is neutralising some of the harm. The petrochemical based plastics that many jewellery products are made from do much more harm to the world. As does a large part of gold and silver mining industries. Again, animals are never killed for their bones, they are a by-product. I also use recycled metals where I can. In terms of the horn I use, it comes from domestic water buffalo that are far more valuable alive than dead as work animals and the horn is harvested after they die naturally. The bone I use is more often sourced from found vintage objects than bought raw anyway, so that in a way, I am double recycling!
ReplyDeleteI hope some of this answers your question. Ethics in design and production are a very complex issues and like I said, everyone has their own boundaries. Sustainability is also a factor in the ethics of production and creating (hand-making!) products out of a biodegradable, organic material is a much more sustainable alternative to mass producing petrochemical plastic products.
My own broader ethical stance is that of minimisation. I try to minimise the harm that I cause the planet in the best way I can. Not only through my work but also through what I eat, what I buy and how I get around. I also believe that THE most important thing we can do for the world is to raise wise, ethical and mindful children.
TE x