Sarah Renshaw
For years I have been interested in metalsmithing,
it started as a little kid striping the paper of twist-ties in order to get
metal to use. It was a way to relive anxiety and frustrations of struggling
in school. I than began to start searching for wire and metal everywhere I
went, and using it to escape from reality. It was at this point that I fell
in love with metal. When I went to college I signed up for a metalsmithing
class and found that it was in fact something that I wanted to pursue as a
life long career.
I have struggled with math throughout my life and one of the few times that
I understood it and really got excited about it was in learning about the
mathematician/ inventor Buckminster Fuller. Fuller’s work in 3-D geodesic
domes has inspired me in many different aspects concerning strength and durability
in my art. I also really like the simplicity of his forms and the efficiency
it stands for. Another artist that has inspired me is Eduard Monet. Monet’s
work in series inspired me to incorporate the idea of continuing to work with
the same concept yet explore it deeply enough that it becomes a series of
work. I enjoy taking an idea and seeing how far I can push it.
In my jewelry making I prefer working with sterling silver. I am attracted
to the coolness and flexibility of this material. It also assists me in creating
simpler forms. At the beginning of my jewelry-making career at Murray State,
I expected my personal esthetic to be toward more finely detailed pieces.
However, I’ve found that I have been more successful in working with
simpler forms. I like detail differently, and I appreciate fine craftsmanship
more than I did before.
As a jewelry artist, I hope to develop my own line and to continue exploring
my fascination with simpler forms working in series.