Artist's statement
It's amazing how space and shape affects an artist's perspective.
Sunshine, trapped in pigment, rises from my studio floor. The North wall, a large fogged glass window, catches the diffused light from the sun's periphery. In the darkest days of winter, the hazy light bathes me as I work metal into the many facets of adornment.
Recently I've been drawn to brightly colored stones, Blue and Citrus Chalcedony, Vesuvianite, Chrysophrase, and many others with unusual names. I like to mix them together varying shapes, sizes and color combinations. They're usually set up against or joined with an organic shaped hollow form. To me, these hollow forms create the look of movement, like seaweed flowing back and forth in slow motion underwater.
I create and use hollow forms in much of my jewelry. Beginning with a flat piece of metal, I cut out various shapes with my jeweler's saw. I save these cut shapes in cardboard patterns allowing me to re-use them on other projects. Using a grooved block of wood and my hammers, I form the metal by bringing up the sides until they are joined, then I solder the seam. After soldering, I further shape the metal, creating curves, arches and other moving forces. This gives the jewelry depth and form, while being light and comfortable to wear.
From the corner of my eye, while sitting at my workbench, the sunlight pierces through a small West facing window. It's light lands directly on my desk, flooding colorful stones, scraps of sterling, and many tools strewn about after a long day of creating.
Alison B. Antelman