Mary Curtis

On thursday the class had a special guest speaker, a tutor and practitioner jeweler Mary Curtis. Although I was late for her seminar I was able to get some notes down about herself and work. One thing That I took notice about her discussion was the importance of presentation and composition and something to be taken very seriously. Till now I didn't really payed attention to the presentation and composition until Curtis talk, It's now become an important aspect to me as an art student.

Decoration seems to an important tool within her artwork and it gives her work a different and creative look. Curtis uses sources and materials that don't associate with the jewelry world and uses them in her works to create a new meaning and idea in her work. Her influences of decoration comes form the traditionally portrait paintings and At her "Made in Waterview" exhibition in 2004 she quote "This new body of work challenges the way we relate to objects of utility by changing them into objects of decoration." Her work "Red Wallpaper Bow brooch"(2008) is an example of her unique and creative use of materials to give an ordinary brooch more unique style.

<http://www.objectspace.org.nz/programme/show.php?documentCode=2239>

Curtis likes to positioned and decorate her exhibition to give her artworks a more observing and unique setting and background. She uses the setting to engage and absorb the exhibitors and visitors more into the artwork. Did a little research and found about an Italian artist Enzo Cucchi collaboration work with architect and designer Italian Ettore Sottsass "Artwork 1" which is a human figure sculpture in clay but only the legs are present. The neon lights aren't part of the artwork but its a decoration of the sculpture to give it more appeal and notification.

<http://www.designboom.com/eng/funclub/cucchi.html>