David Holmes new work entitled
'Circus' is up in AVID Jewellery, and looking beautiful. Here is what David has to say about the process behind this series of work:
In the process of making the jewellery for this focus exhibition I
have rediscovered the wonders of the traditional art of cuttlefish
casting. First you carve your image into the soft cuttlefish bone, then
you pour molten silver into the bone leaving the image of the carving
behind and a natural wave patterning on its surface from the texture of
the cuttlefish itself. The hot metal burns out the bone as it hardens so
you can only use it once. This means if you don't get everything right
you have to start the process all over again.
I love the mysterious mood I managed to get with my circus figures by
using this method of casting. I made the chains to hang the figures and
hold this mood by creating different sized and shaped links,
manipulating each link individually and then bringing them together to
make abstract patterns along the chain's length. This gives the diverse
links of the chain a sense of unity. The chains and figures could stand
alone as the brooches do but putting them together gives the performers
something to work with - something to hold on to and to fly from.
I hope you enjoy wearing them.
David Holmes
Dunedin, July 2012
