Artist Profile - Alice Hughes

My jewellery is about the plants, shells and organic life of new Zealand. When you wear, what I call my Alice in Wonderland jewellery, you will be in touch with the powers of nature of this mystic and distant land, and you will be able to experience the exotic ferns and other unusual life forms of such a far away place.

To make the jewellery I look at the plants and shells that I have collected, and then I carve into wax pieces using these artefacts as inspiration. Sometimes I even press these exotic forms into the hot melting wax in order to make an impression of the form in the wax. These wax pieces I then send off to be cast into silver.
New Zealand is a magnificent place, a hive of nature and an abundance of health and life. It is full of unusual birds, fish, plants, and earth ikiuformations. I am pleased to be able to travel to such a place and reveal this natural world to others through my jewellery.

The power of nature is very strong and we need to be close to it to share its healing power. We have an instinctive need to get close to the sea, shells, land and trees. We feed from it and feel revitalised, reborn and refreshed. Maybe if we go back to our original sources we can start again. Breathe in my jewellery and feel the exotic powers of New Zealand engulf you.