After 25 years in the business, jeweller Janice Derrick still has a passion for metalworking.
She is sharing that love with her third solo exhibition in TT, Looking Back to Move Forward, at The Y Art Gallery, Woodbrook until November 19.
Not only does the exhibition mark her 25 years in business, but also her 50th year of life.
Derrick said those milestones made her think about her past and how happy she was about her work over the years. And she thought it would be a great idea to revisit or re-interpret those designs.
“I thought it would be a really nice exercise for me to look back at everything, because I do believe a lot of what influenced me then is still influencing me now. It’s just how I interpret it that changes.”
Derrick said her more recent pieces were small so it was nice to see the larger, bolder pieces she made in the past. It has reignited her interest in them and the exhibition, which contains pieces from 12 different collections, would probably inform what was next for her.
[caption id="attachment_983222" align="alignnone" width="684"] Metalworker Janice Derrick working on a piece of jewellery at her home studio in Cascade. Photo courtesy Janice Derrick -[/caption]
She described Looking Back to Move Forward as a throwback to her 2017 exhibition with woodworker Richard Hubbard, for which they made bowls, platters and other serveware.
So in addition to wearable jewellery, there were pieces such a “wall necklace” of a fine silver bowl and heavy brass rings: the bowl alone took over 70 hours to make.
There were also a few pieces from her 1999 collaboration with ceramic designer Bodo Sperlein in San Francisco, for which they designed bone china homeware.
“He wanted to see jewellery utilising his work, so among other things, we did a ring and a necklace using his cups. There is also a handbag that was featured in British Vogue in 2000. These are just a few of the pieces we made.”
[caption id="attachment_983215" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Most of Janice Derrick's pieces are made from fine and sterling silver. - SUREASH CHOLAI[/caption]
All Derrick’s jewellery is handmade, mostly from fine and sterling silver, and 18- and 22-carat gold.
“It’s expensive work and it’s very labour-intensive. It’s looked at almost like a painting or sculpture. It’s just another form of art.”
She said she would like to see more forms of art – other than painting, drawing and sculpture – being taught in secondary schools. But she was aware few schools had the resources or facilities to explore other disciplines.
When Derrick was 16, her mother got a job in the UK, so after finishing Form 5 at Bishop Anstey High School, she went to complete her studies in England.
Since she always wanted to do something creative with her life, she did a one-year foundation course which involved ceramics, textiles, photography, glass, 3D design, graphic design and many other topics.
At one point, she visited the Br
