Introducing Kate from Aes et Lapis Jewellery. Where every item is handmade!! From her home in Brisbane, she creates jewellery pieces as unique as the person who will be wearing them.
Find out why Kate started creating and why she is so passionate about the value of handmade.
Tell us about your creations and your handmade process.
I love working with natural materials, particularly sterling silver, copper, bronze, brass, stones, and sometimes leather. Most of my creations start with me playing around with different shapes and materials. I do sketch some projects but not all, many of my creations sort of grow organically and sometimes I am surprised which way the creative process takes me. Regardless of whether I have a fixed design in mind or whether I allow the project to unfold in its own time, I always pay attention to several aspects, from the energy and feelings I wish the piece to channel to the quality of materials and my own work.
All my jewellery is made from raw materials that are transformed with traditional tools and techniques; with the exception of certain things like chains and the occasional bail or ear hook I make everything from scratch. My favourite techniques are saw piercing - cutting out intricate designs with a teeny tiny blade and jeweller's saw, foldforming - working with a thin folded sheet of metal and creating unique shapes by hammering either on the open or the folded side, and texturing metal - using anything from texturing hammers to burs to dried skeleton leaves with my rolling mill.
I like transforming my silver offcuts into stud earrings and little embellishments. This is done by cutting the scraps into small pieces, melting them into a blob of silver, and hammering or pressing the blobs into a range of impression dies to create a variety of shapes and textures. These are then cut out with the saw, sanded, polished, ear posts soldered on, and usually darkened with patina. While patina is less popular here than overseas, I love using it as gives the texture depth and highlights the contrast. These little pieces are usually the only designs I am happy to make in batches, most of my items are complete originals and no two items will be the same.
Tell us a bit about your journey to becoming a handmade artist.
I have always been a creative person; my hands were always busy with something. My journey to metalsmithing began with wire-wrapping. It was fun but after a while I wanted to explore working with solid metal. My learning journey involved a lot of experimentation based on online lessons and videos. Some call this being self-taught but saying that would fail to acknowledge the huge amount of learning and advice I benefited from through the many online lessons and tutorials.
I like exploring different techniques, from etching to texturing to saw-piercing to stone setting. I think that's one of the joys of creativity - I don't think I can ever run out of new things to learn and explore.
Pushing oneself to learn a new technique can feel intimidating, but only until one realises that mistakes are stepping stones through which we grow.
What is your inspiration or where do you find inspiration?
My inspiration comes mostly from the beauty of the natural world, particularly trees, leaves and ferns. I love different textures, such as tree bark or the pattern of ripples the sea leaves in the sand during low tide. I tend to stop on my walks to admire a vein texture on a leaf, or the way the sea shimmers in blueish grey just before sunset. Anywhere I look in nature I find inspiration. Some of my pieces are inspired by thoughts, emotions or memories, or favourite places.
Where did you learn your craft?
Bit by bit from a range of artists and craftspeople who generously shared their learning with the world. My favourite teachers are Lucy Walker of the Metalsmith Academy, and Nicole Ringgold who is an expert in fabricating botanicals in silver.
Why is handmade artistry so important to you?
As a maker, I have deep urge to create, it's a way of channelling my thoughts and emotions. All the inspiration has to be expressed, and when I am deeply focused on creating, I get into "the zone", time ceases to exist and it's almost a meditative state. Handmade to me is also a celebration of human skill used to create something beautiful and original.
My hands touch every part of what I make, and that makes it unique. I am a perfectionist but, in my creations, I strive for high quality with a soul rather than machine perfection; even when it comes to earrings I prefer creating "sisters" rather than "twins". I greatly value handmade because each item carries something of the person who made it, it is in many ways deeply personal, there is a connection between the maker and the wearer or user. All this makes handmade artistry meaningful to me.
Kate is a much loved member of the MadeIt Collective, posting regularly in our Facebook Group ~ MadeIt: Handmade not Massmade Australia ~ and sharing their new creations as they are released. If you haven't connected with Aes et Lapis Jewellery make sure you join our FB Group and say hi !
