Artist's Statement
We find textile techniques
used on wire to be a constant and inspirational force
in our work. After many years as a knitter, a weaver and a hand
spinner, it was just a natural transition to use fiber-related
techniques on the wire. We weave, twist, knit, knot, tat and even
sculpt the wire into jewelry that is intended to be timeless and
elegant. Precision and craftsmanship are critical to the success of
this type of wirework.
We loved working with wool and silk, but, we find
that jewelry design and fabrication interests both of us like nothing
else. It is exciting see the piece of wire take on shape, shadows and
highlights as it crosses and interweaves with other pieces of wire,
stones and beads.
Most of our work is done with a few simple hand
tools, however the anodizing process for titanium and niobium requires a
110-volt anodizing machine. The electrical current passing through bare
titanium or niobium creates an oxide layer that works as a prism. The
colors are somewhat predictable, but not really repeatable, so no piece
is like any other.
We are both inspired by early metal work from the
Egyptians, who were the first wire workers, the Vikings, who were among
the first who did nalbinding and the chainmaille artisans, who created
armor from the Roman times to the Middle Ages.
Our design process is a journey of discovery. It
consists of sketching, modeling and making practice pieces to get the
proportion, technique and detail figured out before the pieces are
rendered in gold or silver wire. We incorporate the historical
tradition and techniques for knitting, weaving, lace making, knotting,
braiding and chainmaille in our work.
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