Brass, sterling silver, resin, steel and flocking.
The artwork in the Fern Series is intended to inform the public about the ecosystem of the Tillamook Forest in Oregon. By demonstrating the health of these environments the public will be exposed to the realities of our forests and how consumerism is impacting the conditions of these precious habitats. By creating a piece that demands further inspection, I am hoping to engage the viewer to learn more about the urgency of the issue.
Environmental Destruction of the Tillamook Rainforest, I made with brass, silver, resin and flocking. At first glance it looks like a soft velvety flower surrounded by elegant pierced ferns but under further inspection the viewer recognizes teeth. A bone, a re-creation, an object that appears to be natural but is actually reconstructed. The blue flocking appears as a mold like substance. To create the flower, I manipulated and reconfigured a beaver jaw. The bone is symbolic of mountain beaver, whose population was devastated due to poachers, but is now federally protected. The male fern has a similar fate and is currently listed as a vulnerable species.
In the Tillamook region alone, 215 species face extinction due to logging, urban development, agriculture, industrial pollutants and over fishing. With the human population increasing, these demands are devastating fragile ecosystems worldwide. Clear-cut forests can be seen in satellite images. By destroying and eliminating the size and conditions of habitats, hundred of species’ are experiencing a rapid decrease in population, some of which are listed as an endangered species. It is my hope that this necklace will influence people to become active and vocal about saving the remaining habitats.
Sterling silver, brass, resin and flocking.
Brass, sterling silver and indigo dyed snake vertebrae.
We Are All Connected, is a statement necklace made of brass, sterling silver and indigo dyed snake vertebrae.The Northern Cascade ferns express the flourishing life that is abundant in the Pacific Northwest and the snake vertebrae represent the inevitable cycle of life. I created this piece as a reminder that everything in the natural world is interwoven, not only the living but also the deceased. People are too removed from nature and it is having detrimental impacts on our environments. We forget that we are part of one larger organism. While wearing the piece, it is my hope that the wearer not only feels embraced by nature, but is also conscious of how we are all connected.
Sterling silver