KIRSTY SUMERLING

Kirsty Sumerling

Artist's Statement

A recent MA graduate from Edinburgh College of Art, jeweller Kirsty Sumerling has a delicate aesthetic that appreciates transient beauty and impermanence; combining shards of decay with contemporary structure. She is interested in the contrast between the indeterminate results of patina and the controlled process of workmanship.

Intrigued by the effects of time and decay, especially places and objects that have fallen into a state of disrepair, she explores this condition of neglect in enamel, playing with both control and unpredictability. "I create structures that frame embedded time and change within a surface. A state of impermanence is encased beneath the surface indicating that a transformation has occured over a period of time".

The resulting work is unpredictable and unexpected; a product of a process deliberately out of her control. Undetermined paintings of rust-coloured patterns, created by nature and left to chance, are trapped within linear frameworks. By isolating sections of a surface, much like the viewfinder of a camera, or the framing and judgement of the photographer, the viewer is compelled to focus on the unusual natural beauty framed within.

This jewellery focuses on the beauty of surface decay and the resulting work appears as a series of snapshots of surfaces frozen in time

Further Images

Framed Patina Ring

Framed Patina Ring

White precious metal, 18ct yellow metal, copper 50 x 25 x 35mm

Indeterminate Surface Ring

Indeterminate Surface Ring

White precious metal, 18ct yellow metal, copper, enamel 50 x 50 x 50mm

Framed Abrasion Brooch

Framed Abrasion Brooch

White precious metal, 18ct yellow metal 70 x 60 x 20mm


Painted Decay #2 Brooch

Painted Decay #2 Brooch

Silver, 9ct red gold, copper, enamel 60 x 70 x 15mm

Framed Fragments Neckpiece

Framed Fragments Neckpiece

White precious metal, 18ct yellow metal, corten steel, enamel 130 x 80 x 40mm

Linked Neckpiece

Linked Neckpiece

Enamelled base metal, white metal rivets


Framework Brooch

Framework Brooch

Enamelled base metal, silver frame, 18ct yellow gold

Framed Brooch

Framed Brooch

Enamelled base metal, silver frame, 18ct yellow gold

Framework Brooch

Framework Brooch

Enamelled base metal, silver frame, 18ct yellow gold


Indeterminate Surface Ring

Indeterminate Surface Ring

Enamelled base metal, white metal, 18ct yellow gold

Framed Fragments Neckpiece

Framed Fragments Neckpiece

Corten steel, white metal, steel, 18ct yellow gold

Decayed Pendant

Decayed Pendant

Enamelled base metal, steel cable


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