Every November and December, I plan to feature some of my favourite artists and crafty types. I like to think of it as a 'win/win/win' situation: you get to see their lovely work, and maybe get some ideas for your Christmas shopping; they get a little extra publicity from being featured; and I get the pleasure of showing you their gorgeous work.
Our second featured artist is Janne of Closet Gothic and Garnets and Steel.
I found her work on
Trade Me a year ago (only a year ago! How long this year has been) when I was searching for steampunk jewellery. I had discovered steampunk on
Etsy, and I was curious to see whether New Zealanders had discovered it yet. Lo and behold – amongst the artists who had an occasional steampunk piece was an artist who did nothing but steampunk – and every piece was distinctive and stunning.
I could not resist commenting on one of her auctions, complimenting her work and wishing her a merry Christmas. She replied kindly, and at the beginning of 2010 I asked her if she had heard of
Felt.co.nz, where I was selling. Janne joined me on Felt, and since then we have exchanged a handful of E-mails and I have continued to admire her work.
Below are Janne's answers to my questions.
How do you describe yourself as an artist?
I've been an artist all of my working life, a graphic designer and then in 2008 I completed a Master of Fine Art in contemporary art with RMIT University in Melbourne so I paint when I can as well. The MFA is with me every single day in the way I process my design thoughts.
I started making jewellery 18 months ago and quickly discovered the Steampunk genre. The Steampunk ethos resonates with me; it recovers values that I've held in esteem for many years – a deep admiration for Gothic Revival design, a celebration and a lament for the age of steam and a delight in small things mechanical. The joy of recovering broken watches from the far reaches of the bedroom drawer and remaking them into alluring and gorgeous jewellery is addictive and way too much fun.
Please describe your creative process.
I'm a hunter and collector and I search all over the World to find my components which are becoming more and more difficult to find. I use many vintage and antique watch movements and parts, all have been upcycled from broken originals as I refuse to take apart working timepieces.
Opening an old watch is an exciting process; I never know what is inside that vintage case! It's like a lucky dip – a filthy old watch case can reveal a perfect mechanism, glittering with tiny rubies, and with engraving typical of the era. Wonderful! At that stage everything is thoroughly cleaned though I like to leave some of the original patina in place.
The design brain starts ticking from the moment I sight the individual watch movement and I can usually envisage that piece on a ring or necklace with embellishment of precious stone or vintage cabochon.
Why do you do it?
I'm addicted, pure and simple.
I started making jewellery when I bought a chain off Trade Me, intending to use it to hold precious family memento jewellery. I was immensely disappointed when I received it and had that fatal thought "I can do better than that!". Here I am 18 months later, with a studio that looks like a watchmaker's, wrecked hands, selling my work Worldwide and with a huge smile on my face!
What do you want people to feel when they see/experience your work?
I want my buyers to see what I see and appreciate the immense beauty of these vintage mechanisms, testimony to the superb design skills of the watchmakers of the past.
Do you have a favourite quote that pertains to you or to your work?
"I find the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have"
– Thomas Jefferson
all by GarnetandSteel on Etsy
Is there anything that you would like to say to other artists? Love what you do and just keep working to get better at it. When making your work always ask yourself 'how can I do it better?' When you no longer look forward to making your art, walk away from it for a while. If you come back to it and the work is still not talking to you, don't beat yourself up – find a new love!
