Colloquy

COLLOQUY was a group exhibition that featured pieces made by 13 leading silversmiths from Great Britain and 6 from Canada.  The show opened in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in March 2022, then traveled to Cardiff, Wales that June.  The theme was one of communication and finding mutual inspiration amongst members of the group.  I was particularly struck by the use of colour in the work of several exhibitors -- for example, one participant was a world-class enamalist, while others experimented extensively with mixed metals and with patinas.  I took this as my cue to create two objects where colour predominated, and to do so using a technique unique to the group.  The Jade Syrup Pitcher was the first of these to be completed (below).  It has been carved from a solid 7" x 5" x 4" block of British Columbia jade, then the green gold setting of a peridot has been fit into the jade and locked in place by a rivet wire.  The second piece that I created specifically for Colloquy became part of a collaborative wall display of nineteen 4" x 4" panels, one from each participant (lower right photo).  In my panel, I created an inlay of stone and wood in the shape of a weathered pine tree, precisely fit it flush into a slice of Newfoundland stone which implied a scene, then constructed the sterling frame (lower left photo).  

Jade Syrup Pitcher. The pouring action of this piece feels balanced; with the user's left hand under the scroll-like ball shaped handle, one's right hand lifts the curved lip (opposite the spout), which effortlessly pivots the piece.
Detail of the Jade Syrup Pitcher showing the green gold setting of a peridot and one end of the silver rivet that locks it in place.
The pine tree inlay itself consists of tiger-iron (hematite and tiger-eye) and naturally weathered wood.
This collaborative wall display illustrates the wide range of styles and techniques offered by the nineteen silversmiths in Colloquy (photo credit: Dewi Tannatt Lloyd).