erin dolman incorporates copper, 18k gold, acrylic, photographs and tidbits from nature in her etched sterling silver jewelry, creating one-of-a-kind pieces from her home studio in british columbia.
dolman’s highly textural work seems almost braille-like. inviting. the urge to touch this unusual collaged jewelry is strong. she describes her “under glass” series – a ten year labor of love:
I have been working on a series of one of a kind jewellery pieces over the past ten years, which I call my “Under Glass” series. Rather than relying solely on the use of traditional jewellery materials these pieces utilize layers of natural objects, text and images to create a collage like effect. Moth and dragonfly wings, bones, feathers and skeletal leaves are collected on walks in the woods surrounding my home. Vintage books, prayer cards and old photos are hunted at flea markets and thrift stores and become more precious than gems. Each piece is comprised of three or more layers of sterling silver, copper, acrylic and hand carved, cast elements. Each layers is hand cut with a jeweller’s saw, filed to fit and held together with tiny rivets or bolts. Protected by their layers of metal and acrylic these fragile, delicate objects become fragments of a story, preserved like specimens under glass.
Beautiful work, but Erin could find herself in legal trouble if she sells any pieces made with feathers from native birds to anyone in the U.S. I’m not sure how strict the laws are for commercial exploitation of wild birds in Canada, but here it could mean fines of thousands of dollars for both seller and buyer. Seems harsh until you think about how a century ago millions of birds were slaughtered just to make fashion accessories and conversation pieces. Our laws don’t exempt naturally molted feathers or those from birds that died of natural causes because 1) there’s no way to prove that the bird wasn’t killed to get the feather and 2) any level commoditization of wild birds or their parts could have disastrous consequences for species already under pressure from habitat destruction, climate change, pesticides, cats, windows, etc. If you must use real feathers in your art, cage birds and poultry are the only legal and ethical way to go.
I’m stepping off my soap box now…
Absolutely beautiful work, I especially love the use of the map as texture and the patina. Definitely inspiring.
peace,
River