Terhi Tolvanen
Continuing on with my contribution to the blog last month, today we’re looking at another artist who’s work I find very inspiring. Terhi Tolvanen is a well known contemporary jewellery artist from Finland, who has been creating work for over 20 years.
I find her work interesting because of her use of organic materials, and the obvious influence the natural world has on her aesthetic, but also because she sometimes subverts the material, almost turning it on it’s head, to look somewhat mechanical. Evidence of the hand is always present, albeit naturally, without it being heavy handed (excuse the pun).
Within her process, the material directs the outcome of the work, which is something I really identify with in my own experience. Whatever ideas we might have coming in to a process, in terms of concept or design, inevitably the nature of the material dictates what is possible, and where you can take it.
All images from Terhi’s website
Karyn