all i’ve ever wanted to do is make things
EXPRESSION IN THE UNEXPECTED
As a child – a raft of driftwood lashed together with rope and propelled by a bed sheet that took two days to tie dye; months spent mastering the 70’s craze of macrame in collections of bright orange belts, itchy jute necklaces, key chains, spider plant pot hangers and owl wall hangings. When I was eight I delivered newspapers. Armed with my father’s pliers and the copper wire which held the newspaper bundles delivered to our back door, I made my first jewellery pieces.
Later, my creativity found its expression in the unexpected: cooking in tree-planting camps throughout northern Canada; cooking for crews installing camps for the UN in Angola; for climbers, skiers, adventure-seekers in the interior of Antarctica and also at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. People ask me how I made the leap from cooking to making art. There is no leap. They are the same, just different materials.
the process of hunting, gathering and making
With each new opportunity, I push the creative parameters, whatever the work, because I believe everything done well includes an element of the unexpected. I draw, sculpt, weld, paint, print. Whatever it takes. Today the compulsion to make is no different, stronger in fact, it has turned into a profound interest in shapes.
For the last several years I have been making jewellery that offers the possibility for people to see themselves differently – confident, bolder. I travel to the source to find the materials that inspire me : wood, metal, hair, skin, horn, stones, bones. The unique features of these natural materials inspire the creative direction of my work. Once these materials are gone, so too are those designs.
PRESS AND MEDIA
| Vancouver , BC 2014 | BRITISH COLUMBIA CREATIVE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD | |
| Canada House London UK 2017 Exhibition of Canadian Designers Showcasing the work of top Canadian designers in applied arts | LONDON DESIGN WEEK | |
| Invitational fundraising event for PALM SPRINGS ART MUSEUM | ART OF SHOPPING | |
| An exhibition of hand made objects for wearing and living curated by Tania Gleave Claudia Schulz Hats, Uli Rapp jewellery, Vacide Erdre Zimic jewellery, Peter Kiss lighting and vessels, CLOTH by Medina, Tania Gleave functional objects + jewellery | HUNT GATHER MAKE POP UP SHOP |