Artist Statement

There has always been either too much happiness, or too much sadness in my life. I have never been able to control this experience, and I struggled to find a way to experience inner peace, within these two extremes. Then, I discovered that art making was a creative solution for me. I am now thriving in this  expression of my feelings through my art. When I manipulate material in art, I can explore all my ideas, both happiness, and sadness. I can tell a wide spectrum of stories, through my jewelry art. 

 

Most of my works are inspired from my own life experiences. In my opinion, we call certain objects ‘art’ because they have unique, or soulful qualities and they embody a concept placed within by the creator. In this series, Storytelling Through Jewelry, I have been inspired by personal, emotional stories that focus mainly on the relationship between parents and children.

 

This topic is one that every family may encounter. It is a theme that is two-sided, full of both pros and cons. We can never recognize how deeply our parents love us. In their eyes, their children are as precious as gems, in fact, their most precious gems.  On one side, parents have love over and control over their children, yet parents can never control the time when they must release children from their hands. On the other side, a child feels the protection and the warm love from parents, yet that can also mean that love and protection feel like a restraint, even smothering.

 

When creating my jewelry designs, I like to use mixed materials, not just metal. I think a mixture of materials can not only make a visual impact, but also helps me convey the meaning of the work more clearly. For example, in my work Love is Like Cotton, I use cotton to express ideas about love, since love can sometimes be perceived as soft and warm as cotton. In Gem in Hand, I made use of  gems to represent the preciousness of children to their parents. It’s important for me to understand the properties of the material. Each material conveys different qualities or concepts,  and it’s important for me to manipulate and express ideas through diverse media.

 

As my body of work develops in the future, I hope to respond to these emotional and material concepts in order to  create even more meaningful jewelry. There are always many unsatisfactory experiences in life. Instead of embracing negativity with sullenness, I strive to imagine my life from another point of view. 

 

I choose to express my challenges through the creation of artwork. I hope that as my artistic skills develop, so too, will my understanding about life. As I explore these difficult ideas through art, I can let them go.