Benalla Art Gallery has provided yet another opportunity for a local artists to display their work, with an exhibition running throughout May.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Its latest offering as part of its Gallery Shop exhibitions features stunning handcrafted jewellery by Mansfield-based artist Sue Plumb.
The display features a collection of unique silver rings, earrings and pendants.
Using a combination of hand-forged silver and traditional Japanese mitsuro hikime wax casting, Sue incorporates gemstones, pearls and organic materials to create the work for her exhibition, titled Shapeshifting.
“We think of ourselves as concrete entities, and yet, we move through life in transient form, a series of mutable manifestations in one lifetime, within and without,” Sue said.
“From infancy through adulthood, our reality is in a state of flux, like molten metal in a crucible.
“In this exhibition, I explore these transitions of state as a metaphor for our lived experience.”
Sue is inspired by botanical form and natural materials. Her work aims to preserve simplicity of design, organic line and form.
Above all she strives for beauty, because just as in the natural world, beauty brings us joy.
She works predominantly in silver and believes in the integrity of the handmade and the importance of the emotional connection between object and user.
Speaking of one of her pieces, Sue said, as personal adornment and worn on the body, jewellery was both intimate and functional.
“It must offer the wearer comfort, but also pleasure and delight,” she said.
“It is time that forges a bond between artefact and person.”’
Triplets, by Sue Plumb.
Although Sue spent her early childhood in Australia, she went to art college in England, where she was introduced to jewellery making.
She then pursued her new passion, first at a gold and silversmithing school in the Netherlands, and then at RMIT upon her return.
Sue is drawn to the philosophy and aesthetic of the arts and crafts movement of the late 19th century and its reaction against a decline in standards associated due to industrial manufacturing and mass production.
After a long career in art and design education, she now lives in Victoria’s high country and has returned to her creative roots with renewed enthusiasm.
Audiences can also work directly with the artist for her Mother’s Day Message workshop on Saturday, May 10 from 10am to 1pm.
The cost for members is $90 and non-members, $100. Bookings essential. To secure your place, email gallery@benalla.vic.gov.au.
All works in the Gallery Shop are available for purchase from Benalla Art Gallery, by calling 5760 2619 or emailing gallery@benalla.vic.gov.au.
18°C