I have a minor problem - I want to make lots of different things. Great, you might think - but no, because you see I get most of my ideas when I'm driving to and from my day job and as it's an hour each way, I've often forgotten part of the idea by the time I could do something about it! I find myself thinking through a process to try or part of a design or a technique but when I get into my studio - pouffff - gone!! I don't know if I've always been that way, or whether too many ideas are crashing around inside my brain or whether, in fact, it's an age thing (hopefully not, I prefer the scatty idea!).
On a slightly larger scale my pull comes from wanting to spend all my time working in anodised aluminium because I love the painterly aspect of the way I use it and the feeling that I owe it to my roots to continue to work in silver and other metals in a more traditional way. Hmmmmm, a thinker, because I still love creating a beautiful piece of silver jewellery, but I feel excited by the unpredictable nature of dyeing aluminium. There's something about creating a design, whether it's freehand painting, digital images or a mixture, dyeing it and then watching it take on a luminosity when it's cut and shaped. I sometimes end up with a bit of an uninspiring dyed sheet which suddenly comes to life when made up into jewellery. It never fails to surprise me. The only time I get the same buzz from working with silver is when I reticulate it, because again, I can achieve some really beautiful textures that are seemingly out of my control. Scientifically I suppose I am in charge of the processes which result in these happy surprises, but I have learned to recognise that I work best when faced with material I've created. I've tried having a formal design and then working to it, but I've generally been much happier cutting up my material, silver or anodised aluminium, to make the most of the process I've used on it.
Well, onwards and upwards, maybe I'll go and reticulate some silver or perhaps dye some aluminium - you never know what I might come up with............
