ARTIST OF THE MONTH-AUDETTE

    ARTIST OF THE MONTH

    Every month we introduce you to one of our consignment artists. There is no salt and pepper, we reveal the rawest story on our artists' creative journey. How they met and fell in love with jewellery? What inspired them and how? What was the making process like? What are the tips on being a successfully established jewellery artist? Visit our Facebook and Instagram pages to stay up to date on our latest collections. Go to INTERVIEW ARCHIVE to read more stories.

    Artist of the Month (8): Dominique Audette

    September 26, 2017

    The Origin Story

    When Dominique was just 16 years old she began working part-time in a small boutique selling jewellery from Québec jewellers and artisans, and was confronted for the first time with jewellery as a means of creative expression. It was so different than jewellery she had seen in commercial stores... a revelation! Dominique immediately began to draw her own designs and eventually began training at a workshop, after which she also acquired a bachelor’s degree in art history.


    Fire ring - resin, sterling silver.

    In the early 80’s Dominique began designing and manufacturing once more, then gradually began teaching. Over time teaching became her dominant occupation, but she also kept a small workshop alive at home. Then while teaching drawing courses to jewellery students, Dominique discovered the subject lacked any kind of reference book, which spurred her to write Dessin De Bijoux published in 2006. The book was then translated to English; Jewellery Illustration was published in 2010, and Draw Better followed three years later. Dominique now shares her time between teaching and creation!


    Draw Better: Learn to Draw with Confidence by Dominique Audette, published in 2013.

    Working Method

    Dominiques working techniques do not differ greatly from traditional methods of working at the bench - tracing, sawing, filing, soldering, and casting for example. Her creations are distinguished rather by the insertion of resin, which allows her to incorporate large masses of coloured surfaces without weighing down the piece too much. This process requires plenty of preparation in a particular order, because each new item requires different steps according to the model and the number of colours. The challenge therefore, is for small-scale parts to successfully integrate multiple resins. Dominique’s pieces stand out to us especially for their volume and unique use of colour!

    Check out this series of photos for the Barcelona ring that show some of the steps involved in taking a piece from start to finish.

    Inspiration Dominique feeds her creativity by looking at images of all kinds, and by visiting museums and galleries. Sometimes she remembers a colour scheme, a volume or a certain texture, and then slides a pencil over a page until an interesting assemblage of shapes arises. These drawings are reworked until they form an idea for a workpiece, after which the technical aspects of building the object can be considered. This method results in jewellery that always has an important graphic aspect.

    The aesthetics of the 20th century (especially Cubism and the 1950s) have always attracted Dominique, but her style is not confined - her influences are diverse and vary greatly from one another. Travel is another inspiration; she always returns from travelling with a wild desire to draw and create!

    These photos show the creation process for the Sienne ring, which of course begins with drawing!

    Advice

    For all the new designers out there, Dominique has some wise words to share!

    “Believe in what you do. Trust yourself. Defend your point of view. Dice, try and persevere. Accept criticism, because it is very constructive. Remember that it is up to the jeweller to influence and impose his style. Gain more knowledge of administration and taxation… otherwise, partner with someone reliable for this less sexy aspect of the craft.”


    Private collection: L’Oiseaunoir ring - resin, sterling silver.

    Thank you Dominique for your impressive work and joyful interview! For more examples of Dominique's work click here.

    We were born to do this.

    We believe everything we create should mean something; should be created with intent and conviction. We believe in creating jewellery that is just as important to us as it is to those who wear it.

    Creativity challenges us to think differently.
    Creativity challenges us to be better.
    Creativity is the only worthwhile endeavour.

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