I created this one-of-a-kind handmade brooch called Smile! from two pieces of metal with crinkled edges and a faux pearl. The mount is a cut piece of ceramic tile, and I used the back of the tile as the front of the brooch. I found all the bits and bobs needed to make this brooch on the streets during my daily walks.
Normally I create wall sculptures and 3D sculptures from the wood, metal and tiles I find on the streets of Melbourne. However, through Instagram I met handmade jewellery designer Lynn Powers from New Orleans. She encouraged me to try making jewellery from the objects I found on the street, but I never had.
How I became a brooch designer
Then in 2019, I saw that the Contemporary Art Society of Victoria was holding its Australian National Brooch Show at the Fitzroy and Eltham public libraries. I displayed five of my brooches–and found that making them is great fun. In 2020, my brooches were in Wearable Art at The Old Auction House in Kyneton and online in Survival Kit at the University of Melbourne George Paton Gallery.
In 2021, as part of Geelong and Melbourne Design Weeks, my brooches were featured in exhibitions at The Reimaginarium in Geelong and again at The Old Auction House in Kyneton. A special series using handmade 19th-Century nails from a friend’s roof are in the 2021 Australian National Brooch show from May to October 2021 at the Fitzroy and Eltham Public Libraries.
Where you can find my brooches
My brooches are always available through Incube8r Gallery, in the Fitzroy shop and online. They are also stocked by Dimora Designs at the Fyansford Paper Mill in Geelong.
