Featured Artist: Rachel Gorman

We're excited to introduce the newest member to join the Pieces of Eight workshop, Rachel Gorman. She joined us late last year and is currently taking a break from studying her Masters in Gold and Silversmithing at RMIT University, Melb. We thought you might like a sneak peek onto her work bench to see what she's making.

At the moment, Rachel is busy at her bench preparing her pieces for the upcoming exhibition at Pieces of Eight, 'Twice Bitten'. The exhibition will run from 1 April - 26 April. Rachel's current work sees her combine delicate floral forms in enamelled metal and ceramics. Some of the images are pieces for the exhibition, while others are new works in progress.


Some words from Rachel:

"My jewellery practice is largely based on natural forms, particularly flowers found historically in jewellery and ornamental production. I enjoy making pretty things, feminine things: delicate and sometimes fragile forms.

Costume jewellery, Greek and Roman ornamental tiles, petals and rosettes and Indian textile prints are some of the places I have sought inspiration.

The joy of making for me is in the process; in collating images and collecting objects. A segment, an outline, a detail from these sources becomes the basis for a particular piece of jewellery.

Whether it is metal, ceramic or enamelling processes that articulate these forms, they carry with them some trace of obsession, some kind of infatuation with a subject, form or material".