Hammer formed vessel. Pierced, reticulated and fused, enamelled lichen.

Britannia silver

180mm high approx

Photographer: Paul Mounsey

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Each of the ‘Lichen’ pieces are hand cut, formed and curated; making each item of jewellery a unique and one-off artwork. To find out about commissioning a ‘Lichen’ work please use the button below

The Source of Inspiration

The ‘Boscawen-Un’ Vessel was the result of a life long interest in the ancient monuments of our landscape. From that piece I have developed a range of other pieces of ‘lichen’ jewellery and silverware. Standing stones often provide habitat for lichen and moss, a plant form which is usually overlooked but is particularly interesting when studied in close detail.

Cornwall has an abundance of both ancient monuments and lichen. In the course of my research I have looked at many monuments around the country including Avebury, and Holy Cairn and Torhouskie in Dumfries & Galloway, but I mainly focused on the Boscawen-Un Circle, a place that has particular resonance for me, in Cornwall where I live. The vessel is intended to evoke the idea of a monolith, a stone that has stood for generations, and feelings of ancient stillness.

The Design Process

The design process for this piece involved several visits to the Boscawen-Un Circle to observe, contemplate and meditate, and to document the stones through photography and sketches, particularly concentrating on their lichen growth. My observations and documentation of lichen has been extensive both on standing stones and in other environments.

I had an idea of the form I wished to create, and although this was never intended to be an exact representation of a standing stone it is intended to symbolise that of a monolithic form. From my original sketches of vessels I then progressed to working directly with the silver.

The lichen developed through working and experimenting directly in the material. I used numerous techniques and piercing patterns before settling on the final outcome. Many of these silver test pieces I then used to create colour tests in the enamel.

The Production Method

The dish was hand raised and planished using a variety of stakes and hammers, and then textured using a rock to beat the surface of the silver, before refining with texturing hammers. The lichen was pierced from sheet silver, hammered, reticulated, fused, and then vitreous enamel is applied & fired. The ‘lichen’ was then applied to the body of the vessel and is intended to appear as if growing on the vessel.