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Meet the Maker: Stacey Bentley

What first inspired you to get into jewellery making?

I first began to think about taking jewellery and silversmithing as a subject at Edinburgh College of Art when I was studying a foundation course at Leeds College of Art and Design. I was initially interested in painting but I found that I enjoyed working on small scale sculptural structures that could be placed on the body.

The jewellery course at ECA encouraged drawing and painting as an important part of developing jewellery designs, therefore I felt I had the best of both worlds, which is reflected in my work at present.

What is it about enamel in particular that enthuses you?

Initially, the range of colours that can be achieved by the process of firing glass onto metal attracted me to the medium. As I researched the material more thoroughly during my MA, I became fascinated by its painterly qualities which satisfied my intention of creating spontaneous ideas for jewellery.

I am also enthused by the textures and interesting surfaces that can be achieved by playing with the temperature of the kiln, the amount of enamel applied to a structure and unusual materials added to the medium before firing.

I also love how enamel is a permanent material yet it can be corroded by rusting the iron underneath the enamel, creating subtle colour changes over time. This is part of my ongoing research at the moment.

You talk about challenging people’s preconceptions about enamel - what do you think these pre-conceived ideas are?

Enamel is most commonly associated with a glassy, shiny finish which is applied to precious metals such as gold and silver. Enamel was initially used over two thousand years ago to embellish a piece of jewellery with colour and value as well as creating something beautiful that portrayed the wearer’s wealth and status.

I believe that these ideas are still associated with enamel today and this is one of the reasons why I felt it was necessary and relevant in today's world of contemporary craft to challenge enamel traditions.

Are there any artists you particular admire, and who inspire or influence your work?

I am particularly inspired by Helen Carnac’s work. I love her sense of spontaneity and immediacy captured within her enamel panels. I love her experimental mixed media jewellery which she exhibits as wall installations.

I am also inspired by fine artists such as Antoni Tapies. His paintings in particular interest me because of his incorporation of unusual textures, which are achieved by adding gritty materials to his paints. I admire the work of Jamie Bennett also. I enjoy his striking colour palette as well as the textural surfaces he creates through electroforming.

Tell us about the collection you’re presenting in Meet Your Maker.

The pieces I am exhibiting in Meet Your Maker are a collection of sculptural rings, brooches and neckpieces as well as a group of small and large scale enamel wall panels.

The wall panels represent my memories and observations from walking through the city of Edinburgh. These are drawn with improvised tools into industrial liquid enamel and are fired in a kiln. Layers of drawings are built up and then abraded back to reveal the markings underneath. These drawings are then recreated in iron, steel and silver wire structures that hold textural enamel elements. The enamel surfaces are matted and gritty, eliminating enamel's traditional glassy lustrous quality. I want to achieve a sense of urban decay which I witness on a day to day basis.

The brooches and rings are a series of experimental iron structures coated in industrial liquid enamel. Some are ambiguous structural forms incorporated directly into the body of the brooch or ring. Others are enamel experiments that have been set with red gold onto a cast silver brooch back. I use oxidised silver to represent the industrial element of the city. Each piece is unique and unpredictable.

What are your plans for the future?

At present I am undertaking an artist in residency at Edinburgh College of Art, where I am currently making jewellery for galleries and commissions. Alongside this I am researching the rusting processes of iron and the effects it has on the permanence of enamel. I plan to keep making and researching with an aim to help to promote enamel as a contemporary and exciting medium for jewellery.