in the atmosphere: A Changed Direction

NZ Rhyolite ready for sanding and polishing. I love working with Rhyolite and have completed two settings in two different forms of this stone.

When I started this blog I did not realize the convolutions the path of my life would take. The gyrations of fate have landed me in a tiny, prettily peaceful town in North West Queensland. In a beautiful environment with that most precious of assets, time, I am now resurrecting this blog in a different form.

Four years ago, I resettled in Australia with ambitions to return to my former occupation. I designed four collections of porcelain work using images from the coastal region in which I was living. Apart from some commission work, most of this work is still unfired. Eventually I realized my problem accessing a kiln on a regular basis was going to be an ongoing problem. I finally acknowledged the futility of building up a stock of greenware in the hope of a kiln falling out of the sky and decided to spend my time getting to know the area in which I was then living. I joined the local Gem Club.

When we lived in the Middle East I had taken every opportunity offered to go out with a group of naturalists. These trips occasionally included a geologist who was willing to share his knowledge with mere amateurs. This person opened up a new world to me. I like the outdoors and have collected pebbles all my life, as all artists, particularly potters tend to do. Shells and beach debris, are another major influence on my designs. In my new life on Queensland’s central coast, one of the most beautiful areas in the world, I looked forward to weekends spent fossicking in the mineral rich environment.

NZ Daisy Stone – another form of Rhyolite.

This did not happen. Instead I spent my Saturday afternoons learning the qualities of various gemstones, how to identify stones, cut and polish cabochons, and eventually the arcane art of faceting. Of course, once one has a collection of fine stones, silversmithing follows. I would have liked it to be goldsmithing, but that skill, alas, lies far in the future when the price of gold crashes.

Monday evenings were spent learning silversmithing. I had already some small skills in this as we’d covered metalwork during my art course many years before and I had successfully combined porcelain and silver on occasion.

During this learning period the number of failed projects littered my life like so many dead Dry Season leaves. I am a slow learner and the difference between clay and metal is vast. Like all craftworkers and true artists lapidaries and silversmiths are sharing people and I will be forever grateful to my tutors and guides during this period.

Persistence always pays and now I am completing my second collection of settings, and have designed and begun my third collection. It is an exciting time. I hope you enjoy the journey and the knowledge and skills I can share with you. I look forward to any constructive criticism or comment.