Ocean Inspirations - JellyFish

7.5 x 1.75 x 0.4 cm

sterling silver and farmed abalone shell

Sitting in her studio cabin in the wood in the rural north of BC, Trish created these earrings inspired by her time on Vancouver Island at the various beaches. First she selected natural farmed abalone shells that matched as closely as possible in size, thickness, and shape. Then she marked where she wanted her hooks and tendrils to go and hand drilled the holes. Using 18g sterling silver wire she hand-formed the hooks and tendrils. She made the jump rings by winding silver wire around the correct sized mandrel and then cut each jump ring and attached them to the hand made hooks. She placed all the sterling-silver components in the tumbler to ensure they were work-hardened and polished to a good shine. After they were tumbled, she attached the hooks to the top of the abalone piece. Finally she attached each tendril with jump rings to the bottom of each abalone piece, being careful to ensure movement when the earrings are worn.

Trish Paulson is a Metis woman and mostly self-taught multi-media artist residing in the Pacific Northwest of BC. She started her exploration into the arts as a young girl and has progressed into silver and copper smithing in her little studio cabin in the woods.

Inspired by culture and connection to the land, Trish draws on her plant knowledge as an applied biologist technician and her years of mentoring and teaching traditional plant medicine. Her mediums include leather/hide, textiles, silver, copper, digital graphic art, and all manner of natural items including stones and sticks. The most recent addition to her repertoire of skills includes hand-engraving silver and copper jewellery.

She most recently won the Honourable Mention award in the category of Jewellery for her hand-engraved sterling silver cuff bracelet "Sweetgrass, Salmonberry Blossoms and Cedar" at the Skeena Salmon Art Show.

Trish's work is defined by the concept that jewellery enhances our connection to our identity by keeping us connected to nature. Trish plans to expand her skill base in the coming year to improve her drawing, painting, creative writing, and photography skills.