Autumn Leaves I
Britannia silver with enamel by Jane Short
H 60mm x W 50mm x L 100mm
2014

These leaves are part of a body of work that captures forms and colours that I find truly beautiful in nature.

The leaves are made from britannia silver sheet, chosen for its wonderful malleable properties. Each leaf form is made by folding the metal in half. The textured detailing is applied to the surface before the metal is opened out to reveal a three-dimensional form. The metal is then annealed, a heating process to soften the metal. The metal is formed and shaped over specially designed wooden formers with nylon hammers that I make specifically to fashion the silver into the organic, flowing forms.

In this collection I have incorporated enamel, which is coloured glass, crushed to a fine, sand like consistency and then fused onto the metal surface at temperatures of around 800°C