Inspired By....Canadian!

The 7th annual national juried show of jewellery and metal work at Zilbersmuck gallery was based on what, in or about Canada, inspires you. My entry titled Burnt Stew Trail was inspired by my favorite run on Whistler Mountain. It was awarded honorable mention for Variation of Techniques. Thank you to this years exhibition jury!

Artist Statement:

My love of travel can be pinpointed to 1997 when I moved to Whistler for a ski season before starting university in the fall. As a novice skier, Burnt Stew Trail became my favorite run. I could take the chair lifts all the way to the top and spend an hour slowly winding down the mountain enjoying breath-taking views of the Rockies.

My ring/necklace pays homage to this trail. It converts from a ring to a necklace to represent how I learned to open up to the experience and enjoy the wilderness around me. I used mokume gane to emphasize the mountains and patinaed copper to represent the rainforest foliage that peaked out across the landscape. The folded ring shows the mass of the Rockies while the open necklace is meant to illustrate the undulating path I took down, what was then, one of the longest runs on Whistler Mountain.

I had always considered myself a city person and could not have imagined how this trip would later inspire me. Once I began to see what was around me, and I felt at ease immersed in nature, I realized what Canada had to offer and I have continued to explore its beauty ever since.