British artists, Nic Fiddian Green's jewellery offers an altogether more intimate examination of his equine subject. Carving semi-precious stones for the frst time, he has fashioned unique pendants from single blocks of lapis lazuli, jade, amber, opal and soapstone.
Working in wax, he has created cufflinks and pendants cast in both gold and silver. Though small scale, these works are imbued with the same sense of nobility and life as his large-scale work. They represent an important new step in the artist’s journey through the carving process. Each work has been expertly and exquisitely sculpted to work successfully both as jewellery and small sculpture, independent of function. When the work is not suspended from the neck, it rests in a dedicated stand.
In Fiddian Green’s studio, near Petersfeld, Hampshire, the jewellery took shape in sections of small bronze sculptures with fragments of cut lead sheet hammered over their form. Experimenting with scale and form and testing the boundaries of equine abstraction, he worked with sections of material, with only part of the horse’s eye and nose visible. These experimentations led to more confdence and success and Nic finally tackled the bronze sculptures with 24ct gold in hand.
With the help of the skilled goldsmith, he fashioned an exquisite head and handmade link chain. Like Alexander Calder, Fiddian Green enjoys the hands-on application of the jewels – not something he can do very often with his sculpture, such is the grandeur of its scale. Making the jewellery has influenced Fiddian Green’s work; he has recently made small sculptures in 24 ct gold, using the same method as for the jewellery.