Materials: sterling silver,22K gold,fossilized Alaskan treeform coral
Dimensions: 12 1/4" x 12" x 3 3/4"
A teapot form, forged,soldered, planished, hand formed, hammer textured, mizzy-wheel textured
Photo credit: Bart Kasten, Helen Blythe-Hart
Susan Coddon
Atlanta, GA, USA
Inspiration springs from all areas of my environment. The spark may come from nature, architecture, music, poetry or even a geometry textbook.
I am particularly interested in connections and how a single object is transformed when it is linked to its twin or to a variation of itself. These linkages create movement and fluidity in my jewelry pieces.
In my sculpture and hollowware, the illusion of movement comes through twists, turns and curves. Artfully treated, a cold hard piece of silver, gold or copper can seem to Waltz, Cha Cha or do the Twist.
In 2006, my work was exhibited in the Atlanta Teapot show at the Signature Gallery. In 2007, my teapot “Ikebana Inclined” was published in Lark Books 500 Metal Vessels. In 2010, I was finalist in the bead category of the Saul Bell Award, an international design competition. November, 2012 - March, 2013, my work was chosen to be included in “Design Challenge: The South’s Next Wave” at the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
These containers and vessels definitely hold their place in the world of stunning art objects as well as in the world of metalsmithing.
Since the dawn of time humans have created containers to hold things that were important to them, from large vessels to hold food and harvests to intimate containers for small precious things. They might hold memories, ashes, medicine, beverage, fruit or food - but all spring from the imagination and skill of the maker. Some have specific religious functions, some are meant for everyday use. When one thinks of a vessel or container the inclination is to think of something with solid walls - yet many of these works involve the exploration of positive and negative space, and the use of negative space to help create the illusion of the wall of the vessel.
As the world’s largest jewelry related internet site, Ganoksin strives to develop exhibitions showcasing work from around the world. This exhibition was open to all metalsmiths, professional and amateur, advanced and beginner. Participants are from The Netherlands, the USA, Canada, Australia, Costa Rica, the United Kingdom, Israel, Hong Kong, Colombia, Romania, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia and Denmark. While most of the pieces are by an individual metalsmith, some are collaborations, one of three artists spanning 50 years.
In total 319 artists contributed 729 show pieces for the permanent online exhibition.
Objects in the exhibition include boxes, lockets, urns, ash containers, bowls, wine cups, reliquaries, match holders, vases, teapots, pitchers, sugar bowls, baskets, nests, pillboxes, clutches and a range of sculptural forms. A variety of techniques are showcased covering a wide range of metalsmithing techniques. Materials used include everything from gold and silver to less expensive metals. Ornamentation includes the addition of enamel, chasing and repousse’, gemstones and found objects.
The exhibition was curated by Beth Wicker, President of the North Carolina Society of Goldsmiths in the United States, and Adjunct Instructor at Northeastern Technical College in South Carolina. Director of the exhibition is Hanuman Aspler, founder of The Ganoksin Project, the world’s largest internet jewelry site.
