Tuesday, April 08, 2008

The Alchemist's Hand


Artist: Jane Rainwater
Title: The Alchemist's Hand, 2008, 9" x 12"
Medium: Canvas, Lead, gilding
My work mines humanity’s obsession with metallic gold. Gold has unique physical properties as an element and deep spiritual resonance in the cultural history of the world. I use gold as a metaphor to illuminate issues surrounding the environment, wealth and greed, cultural traditions, and alchemic transformation. I make objects and collages using gold jewelry, scientific diagrams, maps, fabric, and found objects. In “The Alchemist’s Hand (How we make art),” a parallel is drawn between the physical alchemic process (lead into gold) and the creative process (idea into ‘valuable’ object.)

The historical price of gold jewelry

I found this idea to be quite clever! Not super crazy about the actual necklace but this idea is great! Each hand-crafted necklace is base...