Lisa Rossiter
www.wroxdesign.com
I have always been a restless soul, needing to move and travel and change, so I’ve tried a lot of different art forms and a lot of different career paths in my life. Working in metal is my current thing and it seems to have evolved from two past, and somewhat opposing pursuits: math and modern dance, that is, geometry and movement.
My favorite form of dance was contact improvisation and my jewelry designs are also most often improvised at the bench. I may start with an idea in my head or notebook, but I can't sketch very far; I prefer to find the jewelry coming to life as I play, watching the real designs materialize in the process of creating them. I often start with pieces and parts, cutting out shapes from silver sheet, wire and tubing, and consider the arrangements. Starting with these elements focuses me and provides a foothold so my imagination can go. I try to be open to what seems right at the moment instead of trying to impose a preconceived order.
I once overheard someone say I was from New York and you could tell by my jewelry. I’m not from New York. I lived there briefly, but you cannot even see the sky in New York so I did not last long. I do feel a certain affinity for the urban industrial aesthetic though. I like grey and bold heavy lines. Silver is my metal of choice; a soft muted backdrop to the energy of stones or used alone to focus on design and form.
I love the physicality of working with metal. It’s hard. It resists and it’s necessarily a slow mindful process. I like to feel my muscles ache from sawing and hammering, bending and sanding. There is something very rewarding in engaging in this kind of labor. It takes me away from the cerebral arty flight of the design and forces me to be very present in the work. With my jewelry making I aim to be a skilled craftsperson more than a conceptual artist. I use hand tools; jeweler’s saws, hammers and files and lots and lots of sandpaper because I prefer the results of slow deliberate finishing work. I also prefer the process of handwork. I make jewelry because I am happy in the process of making it.
www.wroxdesign.com
I have always been a restless soul, needing to move and travel and change, so I’ve tried a lot of different art forms and a lot of different career paths in my life. Working in metal is my current thing and it seems to have evolved from two past, and somewhat opposing pursuits: math and modern dance, that is, geometry and movement.
My favorite form of dance was contact improvisation and my jewelry designs are also most often improvised at the bench. I may start with an idea in my head or notebook, but I can't sketch very far; I prefer to find the jewelry coming to life as I play, watching the real designs materialize in the process of creating them. I often start with pieces and parts, cutting out shapes from silver sheet, wire and tubing, and consider the arrangements. Starting with these elements focuses me and provides a foothold so my imagination can go. I try to be open to what seems right at the moment instead of trying to impose a preconceived order.
I once overheard someone say I was from New York and you could tell by my jewelry. I’m not from New York. I lived there briefly, but you cannot even see the sky in New York so I did not last long. I do feel a certain affinity for the urban industrial aesthetic though. I like grey and bold heavy lines. Silver is my metal of choice; a soft muted backdrop to the energy of stones or used alone to focus on design and form.
I love the physicality of working with metal. It’s hard. It resists and it’s necessarily a slow mindful process. I like to feel my muscles ache from sawing and hammering, bending and sanding. There is something very rewarding in engaging in this kind of labor. It takes me away from the cerebral arty flight of the design and forces me to be very present in the work. With my jewelry making I aim to be a skilled craftsperson more than a conceptual artist. I use hand tools; jeweler’s saws, hammers and files and lots and lots of sandpaper because I prefer the results of slow deliberate finishing work. I also prefer the process of handwork. I make jewelry because I am happy in the process of making it.
