Handmade Contemporary Jewellery & Silverware
Hannah Felicity Dunne
‘Working at my studio in North Somerset, I use traditional silversmithing techniques to make sculptural silverware and jewellery. I keep a visual diary, a collection of photographs taken from my travels and local walks. My work is an interpretation of my experiences of the places that inspire me, the pieces reflect my perception of the natural world. My silversmithing process begins with sinking and hand-raising a sheet of silver usually into a bowl or vessel. The abstract forms of the piece are created using a combination of hammers, punches, sandbags and stakes. I take details from the photographs I’ve collected and draw patterns from these, that I hand carve into my hammers and tools. As I hammer the silver refining its shape the carved textures are transferred on to the surface of the work. My approach is intuitive and experimental. The final forms and textures are not pre-planned. I allow the silver to guide me feeling its movement and response to the tools. I find the process completely absorbing and mesmerising, feeling a direct connection to the material. As I work I continuously observe the visual and tactile qualities, the piece is finished when I feel harmonious with its fluidity in form. Using the same hammering techniques I make sculptural cuffs, bangles and rings, wearable pieces of silversmithing. My fine jewellery range is created from multiple links of delicately hammered gold and silver wire. Working in a variety of scales I find new approaches to my work both my larger pieces and finer jewellery inform, influence and compliment each other. My work is a continuous journey of exploration of form and texture in metal, evolving over time with my experiences.’
Handmade contemporary jewellery and silverware.
Sculptural forms with intricate textures and fine jewellery with tiny details.
