Juliet Hardwicke

SECOND NATURE

I am captivated by the beauty found in nature, the rhythm of the seasons and the anticipation of things to come. My studio collection is inspired by the shapes and colours of the plants and flowers I grow in my allotment and encounter on daily walks. Capturing tiny details in photographs, I translate these forms into designs through sketches and models.

As well as reflecting my love of gardening and being in nature, individual pieces are linked to memories of significant places and events from my life. The shapes I fashion from copper are elongated and distorted, alluding to the way these memories shift and change over time. Individual elements are then enamelled, the heat of the kiln dictating the final appearance of each piece. This organic process is an ongoing investigation, deliberately experimental and undertaken with a willingness to leave a certain amount to chance, much in the way a gardener sows seeds and waits in anticipation of the rewards.

Second Nature is a celebration in metalsmithing and jewellery design of my connection to nature. Each piece offers an impression of something familiar yet illusive, inviting us to look afresh at the beauty of the world around us and contemplate the fragility of our environment.

Pictured: Juliet Hardwicke, Snowball vessels, copper and enamel
Photo: Shannon Tofts