about my scrimshaw work

A sneak peek of a new line of scrimshaw jewelry I've been working on, plus a few examples of pieces past.

Here's little more about my artistic inclination towards this traditional craft.

As an artist, I have always preferred drawing, having always loved simple line & form. Scrimshaw is a perfect medium for this, & combines my love for small, detailed work as well. I also love to see the hand in things, & appreciate & play up the wabi-sabi inherent in working with natural materials.

Bone is more porous & tends to have more irregularities than ivory, which creates beautiful striations & distress marks when ink is applied to its surface.

pieces past, all spoken for

I studied biology as well as art, & grew up very connected to the natural world with parents whose idea of a family outing often included camping, hiking, canoeing & climbing mountains. I take great exception to poaching, the inhumane treatment of animals & the abusive practices of factory farming.

In an effort to find the most ethical natural material possible, I do not use ivory & tusk, the traditional materials for the craft, although reputable pre-ban & fossilized sources do exist. A local bead merchant helped me find my first bone sources, from water buffalo that were raised for food in either Asia or Africa, the hides & bone used to make other useful & beautiful things. I sometimes use vintage bone pieces that have been salvaged from old jewelry & decorative items, in an effort to recycle & re-use this precious resource.