The Terrain Series
The Terrain Series draws inspiration from the winter landscape. During winter, snow softens the contours of the ground and seems to reshape them as wind drifts and strips the snow across the land throughout the season. These pieces started out as experiments to capture the experience of standing in the midst of an expanse of snow-covered ground, with smooth and occasionally lumpy layers that glint and sparkle in the sunlight.
I tried various shapes to frame each mini terrain. The pendant below has a trillion shape and is formed on a convex curve to compliment the layered contours.
Each pendant is made from sterling silver that is layered together and fused until the silver becomes distressed on the surface to mimic the texture of snow-covered ground.
Lighting ends up being the most critical element for each pendant. Dramatic lighting changes how to contours appear from every direction. Conversely, flat lighting gives imparts a flat and muted appearance, just as the sun plays on the landscape outside. None of this is a revelation, but it is interesting to see the phenomenon play out on such a small scale.