< Create a culminating project that encompasses prior skills learned at Freestyle >
What is Senior Zenith?
Zenith is the final project for all Freestyle Seniors. We are tasked to explore a research topic and develop a project that explores the design process in a creative representation of the work we do at Freestyle.
When I thought about what I wanted to do and how I could reflect on the skills learned at Freestyle in a culminating project, I landed on a topic that was self-expressive and could show the process of design but also reflect myself- being known for the jewelry that I wear. Through creating jewelry, I was able to clearly show the design process of drafting, creating, and presenting in a way that felt authentically me.
Inspiration-
I gained inspiration from the 2D artists of the surrealist movement and contemporary jewelers- Elsa Perretti and Sergio Bustamente. The movement and motion that these artists can convey through metal is really what inspired a majority of my pieces- and having many of these artists’ pieces already in my jewelry case helped in the creation of this collection. After modeling potential designs in ProCreate, with the help of my teacher who was in the jewelry industry for over 20 years, helped me figure out what was plausible to create in a classroom environment. With that in mind, silver clay, a malleable clay of silver particles and an organic binder that when fired, becomes a solid, 0.999 Fine Silver piece, was the most practical medium to work with.
Process-
I started by sculpting the concepts I drew out with polymer clay, a cheap alternative to get the design down before I started working with the actual silver clay. This helped me to understand how the clay would move and how to work with clay on such a small scale. I then moved on to the silver clay, rendering out the pieces I had practiced before.
