Rowena Park
Rowena Park set up her first jewellery design studio while studying for a degree in 3D design at Brighton University. Since graduating in 1982 Rowena has designed and sold jewellery throughout Europe, the USA Canada, Australia and Japan.Rowena explains her choice of jewellery materials:
"I work mostly with clear acrylic using the optical qualities of the acrylic to compliment my use of colour, pattern and texture. The making techniques include cutting, grinding, and shaping using both machine and hand tools to achieve the basic shapes. I also bend some of the shapes using heat and formers. To re-polish the surfaces I use wet and dry paper followed by buffing on a wheel and a final hand polish.
I have always loved working with colour and texture, always trying to put some of what I see around me into my work without being too obvious, and also being concerned with producing desirable work that will be enjoyed. Each piece is hand made by me and while I can closely repeat my designs no two pieces will ever be exactly the same and are unique and original to me."
"Currently the way I am creating the final look is by using hand cut stencils which allow me to lay in transparent glazes and opaque colours, working directly onto the back of the acrylic as if working on glass. Using white and yellow gold leaf and lacquer behind this layer achieves the metallic and iridescent effects.
Past inspiration has included fairgrounds, natural stones and fish to name a few, and presently I am working from material gained from trips to India and Manhattan. Some of my most recent work has used imagery drawn from landscapes and worked freehand rather than with stencils to create a more painterly feel which has a very lively quality. I never quite know what is coming next as it often takes a long time for the ideas to filter through and might also involve developing a new technique."
We have selected a range of cufflinks, necklaces, bracelets and earrings to showcase on our website.
