Material Matters: Wood and Resin

Whilst walking through the bush I found a stick with a beautiful lichen growing on it. The colour of the lichen was such a delicate green and it was so lace-like I wanted to experiment with and preserve its exquisite qualities.

So I covered it in clear resin.

And then cut it up so that you could see the growth rings of the wood as well as the lichen.

 I threaded the slices of resin and wood onto an oxidised sterling silver rod with spacers to turn it into a necklace. Its currently attached to black cotton, but I think Ill attach it to some oxidised silver chain instead of the black thread to make it look 'finished'.

I was also curious to see what would happen if I cut a circle through the resin and turn it into a ring. The rectangular shape is surprisingly comfortable to wear and I was walking around the studio not even realising that I was wearing it.

The results were a lot of fun and I would like to continue to explore this idea. I particularly like that the pieces speak of capturing the essence of time.

I did find working with the resin was problematic because of the fumes. Ive been told that there is an EcoResin available that I must find out more about. Ethically I also find that working with resin also goes against my principles of using natural materials whenever possible.

For tips on working with resin refer to my previous post about resin and machine embroidery.