2014 – 30 Sept – 18 Oct – 'Entwine' by Nicola Bannerman

Nicola, has always held a deep fascination with the recurring patterns in the natural world. She draws inspiration from the simplest spiral, to designs of great complexity where wonderful symmetry can be found in what at first glance may seem to be random formations. The inspiration for ‘Entwine’ started in the garden, noticing repetitive patterns in leaves and spiral growth in flowers. These pattern possibilities in nature are endless, some occurring in surprising places – spirals in snails and cyclones; strong geometric angles in huge mountain ranges and exquisite crystals. The rotational symmetries in the huge varieties of sea anemones are another world of inspiration. Sculptural forms, inspired by the natural world, are an ongoing exploration in Nicola’s contemporary jewellery. ‘Entwine’ further develops that exploration not only through jewellery but with a transition into full sculptural pieces, well beyond the scale of wearable items. You will find in this exhibition Nicola’s passion for crystallography, a subject taught for many years at the Gemmological Association of Australia, realised in geometric sculptural forms inspired by garnet crystals. Wire is her preferred medium, allowing the creation of highly intricate, lacy forms; silver for its beauty for jewellery, copper for its malleability for sculpture. Whether in large or small scale, the wire brings a lightness and airiness to the form. In jewellery, where some delicate wire designs are too tiny and fragile to exist on their own, the wire is pressed into sheet metal leaving a delicate impression of the wire forms.   Celebration Drinks Saturday 4th October 2014 – 4-6pm