Brooch
Brooch
Necklaces
Laura Baxter
Laura Baxter's career started early after graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University in 1996 with a Bachelor degree in Three Dimensional Design; in her first year as a professional jeweller she exhibited at Chelsea's Craft Fair, the British Craft Trade Fair, Harrogate, and the Autumn Fair in Birmingham. Now her most recent exhibitions include COLLECT, London (2006-08), a solo show entitled 'Silhouettes of Nature' at The Open Eye Gallery in Edinburgh and a joint exhibition of '8 Contemporary British Jewellers' in Gallery Si, Japan.
Laura's professional experience features many awards; most recently she won Best Domestic Design at Origin in 2007. Her commissions include private and public commissions; in 2004, to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Chelsea Craft Fair, Laura was commissioned to make 100 brooch pins by the Crafts Council but her wall installations and jewellery also feature commissioned collections in USA and Tokyo.
Her work is featured in several published works, the Jewellery Handbook of Brooches by Sarah Stafford, Adorn by Amanda Mansell to name the most recent, and press articles including Elle Décor magazine and The Times newspaper.
I make precious jewellery, wall panels and decorative installation pieces inspired by botanical forms. Twigs, buds, blossoms and leaf structures are abstracted and magnified at different scales to create graphic silhouettes of nature. The work reflects the way in which plants change and grow throughout the seasons and explores the potential of working with light and shadow. The intention of my work is to create pieces which capture the essence and beauty of plant life. Profile, shadow and silhouette play a major part in making the work come alive; casting duplicate images of plants and delicate shadows of foliage.
Laura Baxter, 2009