THE RAINE DROP

HandShake

2011-03-04T21:30:00.000-08:00

I have been lucky enough to be selected by Peter Deckers for an exciting project. Myself and eleven recent graduates from around New Zealand have been given the honour of choosing our 'Superhero' Contemporary Jeweller to act as our mentor for the next year. I am delighted that Dutch jeweller, Andrea Wagner, has agreed to be my mentor.

I will be spending the next year focusing on this project, posting my correspondence with andrea onto the Handshake blog.

2011-03-04T21:25:00.000-08:00

A recent piece made for the Jewellery Bootcamp Exhibition at the National,Christchurch. Unfortunately, not long after the opening, a devastating earthquake hit the city of Christchurch, home to the National Gallery. Thankfully owner Caroline Billing and staff our safe. Our thoughts are with you all.

Shape shifter

2011-03-04T20:45:00.000-08:00

2011 has got off to an interesting start. In February this year myself and thirteen other recent graduates were invited to attend Jewellery boot Camp in Ashley Gorge, Christchurch, NZ. The Boot Camp leaders included Caroline Billing of the National Gallery, Contemporary jewellers Areta Wilkinson and Warwick Freeman, Art Historian Damian Skinner, Curator Karl Chitham, Photographers Mark Adams and Haru Sameshima.

It was the first gathering of it's kind here in New Zealand, in which recent graduates were given the opportunity to present work and ideas to such an influential group. The aim was to develop professional practice, critique and advise.

Overall, the emphasis was to discover the 'essence' of our practice and make it great. It was an extremely intense weekend, there is still much to process. I am eternally thankful for the generosity shown this weekend and look forward to discovering how the experience will influence my practice.

Tubular Bells

2010-11-20T21:08:00.001-08:00

Engaged

2010-11-08T00:55:00.000-08:00

Kristin D'agostino and Raewyn Walsh have taken fifteen New Zealand jewellers one step out of their field and into another. Touch, Pause, Engage introduces contemporary jewellery from New Zealand to Australia. The exhibition was recently held at Gaffa Gallery in the heart of Sydney. Myself and four of the fifteen jewellers involved, were lucky enough to attend the opening. All up the work was very well received and much engagement took place. Many Thanks to Zoe Brand, curator of Keeper gallery at Gaffa.

Brutal

2010-11-08T00:31:00.000-08:00

Place is a new gallery in Belfast focusing on sharing knowledge and ideas about architecture and shard environments. Whilst in Belfast, I attend a talk about Brutalist architecture. This really resonated with me as I grew up with a fascination with various buildings that were quite drab and grey but structurally fascinating all at the same time. The Ulster Museum is a great example old juxtaposed with the new. Read more here.

Mechanised

2010-11-07T23:58:00.000-08:00

This was the first thing I saw when I walked into the recently refurbished Ulster Museum. I will have to look up the artist again...I believe the piece was called Car Crash.

Irish Ilses

2010-11-07T23:49:00.000-08:00

I have recently been overseas, visiting my home town, Belfast in Northern Ireland. There was not much spare time for making but lots of time to reflect and gain new inspiration. Feeling like a tourist in your own country can feel quite strange but also make you look at things a new and appreciate it all the more....

Submersible structures

2010-08-10T01:20:00.001-07:00

Quadrahull Brooch

2010-08-10T00:52:00.001-07:00

Opticaliant Brooch

2010-08-10T00:48:00.000-07:00

one of the kooky creations for my Sub-Merge Jewellery Box

Out of the Abyss...

2010-07-16T03:40:00.000-07:00

My first Jewellery Box Showcase at Masterworks Gallery, opening 21 July, don't forget your snorkel and flippers....

Through the Looking Glass

2010-07-04T01:21:00.000-07:00

This is the piece I have had on show for the Regal Casting Contemporray Jewellery Selection at the Jewellery Show, Skycity. Sub- Aquateous is a brooch on ebony stand with a rotating glass lense.

the New Cool

2010-07-04T01:14:00.000-07:00

A whole bunch of newbies including members of the AK jewellery grads posse, Kristin D'Agostino, Raewyn Walsh, Gillian Deery, Nadine Carr, et moi, will be part of this great show in Christchurch opening this week, looking forward to heading down there.

Busy Bee

2010-06-09T02:49:00.000-07:00

I am busy beavering away for two shows coming up in July. The first is the 'Hatched' opening 6th July at The National in Christchurch. The second is my Jewellery box showcase opening 21st july at Masterworks Gallery in Auckland. Watch this space!

I've submitted more snapshots like the one above for re:production, a show of photographs providing an insight into the mind and workshop of a maker at Gaffa gallery Sydney

Mechanical Mania

2010-04-27T23:34:00.000-07:00

This is one of many wonderful creations by very clever fellow Stephane Halleux

Jean Tinguely

2010-04-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

I have been digging the work of Jean Tinguely at the moment, I always seem to be drawn to anything and anyone French....

Good Things

2010-04-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

Some wonderful things I have found that have been making my brain buzz.....

Caviar Spoons

2010-04-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

These are some spoons I recently made for a show called One Cup at Hand Held Gallery. I couldn't help but think a character from Delicatessen (the one who had a special device for eating snails) might like to use them....

Also, thank-you to Meng Koach who has been taking some great snaps for me. He is currently looking for great people to write about on his online zine. Check it out here.

Broach of the Month Club

2010-03-15T00:18:00.000-07:00

I am officially a part of the 2010 Broach of the Month Club 2010 maker posse. This is a club instigated by jeweller Kristin D'Agostino. It is a great honour to be a member. Ceramicist John Parker is the first wearer of my brooch, yay! It looked pretty great on his tailor made paua shirt. Check out my "Sub Aquatica" brooch alongside all the other fabulous brooches here.

2010-03-14T01:51:00.000-08:00

These are the amazing fish tanks I found on the previous jewellers webpage and can be found here. They are the most uber cool fish tanks ever. The tank itself is blown into a really cool shape and you can pick all these different styles. It would be even cooler if you could pull bits out and wear them as brooches....I want one!

Cool Jewels

2010-03-14T01:47:00.001-08:00

I discovered a very cool link after looking at some wonderful jewllery by Marta Miguel Martinez Soria on the Kit and Kaboodle jewellery network. I really like her experimentation and playfulness and found some fantastic fish tanks on her site that I thought looked pretty cool

In search of the jaguar shark...

2010-03-09T02:22:00.000-08:00

I have discovered having movies on in the background while I make in my shed at night is fun and good inspiration. What else would I be watching but 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" on my screen. One day one of my fabulous creations will be floating in the background of a Wes Anderson film set...one day.....

2010-03-09T01:55:00.000-08:00

I have been busy making some 'sub aquatica organisms' one of which is for the Masterworks Broach of the Month Club. Image will be launched soon. You can find out more about the project here

Tree bogeys

2010-02-15T01:06:00.000-08:00

I recently discovered this little fellow going out of this tree in amongst a nice grove in a bird sanctuary. I looks a bit like the tree is wearing a very cool organic brooch.

oodles of doodles

2010-02-15T00:57:00.001-08:00

I have been getting back into my doodlings again. Sometimes these are just free, random ideas and other times it's all about figuring out how to attach one bit to another bit while I've got something in the pickle...

biologist, naturalist, philosopher, physician

2010-02-10T00:26:00.000-08:00

I am digging Ernest Haeckel's drawings at the moment. A good source of inspiration for gadgets and gizmos. Very much like some weird underwater creature from the Life Aquatic, a film I am very obsessed with that i am sure i will do a few posts on in the near future...

Weird Science

2010-01-27T15:04:00.000-08:00

Table Rabbit, 2003

Freddie Freeloader, 2005

Kicking off the year with a bit of delving into some inspiring assemblages by Nobuko Tsuchiya. I'm loving the mix of old chemistry apparatus and plastic water bottle tops and other found gadgets and gizmos. Nice titles too.

"Composed of found materials that include vials, plates, string, pipes, air ducts and satelitte dishes her sculptures take on a cosmic sensibility, as if one of these pseudo-scientific constructions could play host to a tiny race of aliens."

Unmonumental

2009-10-05T02:44:00.000-07:00

These are some piano key pendants that I made recently for an exhibition curated by Zekiah Heath and Aroha Lewin titled "Of it's Time". The ebony keys were salvaged from a rather retired looking piano at an inorganic rubbish collection. I loved the form of the keys so much that I simply sanded and polished them with a silver attachment to make them into pendants.

2009-10-05T02:32:00.000-07:00

I thought I would begin by posting some of my graduate work that I would have been making this time last year. I enjoyed this combination of lots of hand fabricated components mixed with random finds from junk shops, antique alleys, $2 shops and pet stores. Also gave flame working a go to make some nice organic forms to captur the ephemeral, i.e the human breath. they pieces are not directly wearable a everyday jewellery, rather objects that encourage contemplation about the relatioships of the placement and utilisation of the object and the human body.

2009-10-05T02:07:00.000-07:00

hello first post, I aim to get this thing running up soon so I can get chatting to all you other jewellers!