Some artists are renowned for their
meticulous, detail-oriented work.
Suzan Rezac is one of these artists.
She is best known for her
metal inlay work but all
of her various collections of jewelry
exhibit the highest standards of detail,
precision and quality.
Her metal inlay work features a
smorgasbord of metals and alloys,
and each contributes its own
beauty and charm to the whole.
Her jewelry can feature silver,
various carats of gold to achieve
multiple nuances of color,
bronze, brass, copper, and
alloys such as shakudo which is
comprised of roughly
4% gold and 96% copper,
and shibuichi which is usually
comprised of
25% silver and 75% copper.
These alloys are easily patinated
to allow for an increased range of
color and effect.
All of these metals are combined by the
artist and her pieces are often
comprised of several hundred
individual pieces of inlay.
The sheer amount of labor
is astounding.
The results are fantastic.
meticulous, detail-oriented work.
Suzan Rezac is one of these artists.
She is best known for her
metal inlay work but all
of her various collections of jewelry
exhibit the highest standards of detail,
precision and quality.
Her metal inlay work features a
smorgasbord of metals and alloys,
and each contributes its own
beauty and charm to the whole.
Her jewelry can feature silver,
various carats of gold to achieve
multiple nuances of color,
bronze, brass, copper, and
alloys such as shakudo which is
comprised of roughly
4% gold and 96% copper,
and shibuichi which is usually
comprised of
25% silver and 75% copper.
These alloys are easily patinated
to allow for an increased range of
color and effect.
All of these metals are combined by the
artist and her pieces are often
comprised of several hundred
individual pieces of inlay.
The sheer amount of labor
is astounding.
The results are fantastic.
Her "Wreath" necklace is an excellent example
of the variety of metals that are inlaid.
It features shibuichi,
18K red, yellow and green gold,
shakudo, copper, brass, and bronze.
of the variety of metals that are inlaid.
It features shibuichi,
18K red, yellow and green gold,
shakudo, copper, brass, and bronze.
Her "Hibiscus" pendant/brooch features silver,
shakudo, shibuichi, and 18K gold.
This necklace entitled "Seafloor" is another
of our favorites. It features
shakudo, 18K gold, shibuichi, and silver.
This work is even more amazing when one
considers that each design has to be
created twice - once to create the
negative spaces and once again
to fill those spaces with individual
pieces of inlay.
It's a mind-bogglingly laborious
endeavor and lovely beyond measure.
We're inspired!
I saw Suzan Rezac give a lecture, I think at the Museum of Art in Boston, and have been inspired by her since. Her work is metalsmithing at its finest. I think the reason we don't see more artists doing this is because it is so difficult to pull off so well. When I think of great metalsmiths she is in the top ten. Thank you for highlighting her work. sarah doremus
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah, I agree with how you've phrased it, as 'metalsmithing at its finest.' Her work is truly amazing and I'd be thrilled if I have the opportunity someday to see her in person. Thanks for your comments.
ReplyDeleteCara