In August 2006 Craft Australia launched its second online forum, Youth@craft·design, targeting youth and emerging makers. The forum identified new pathways to sustainable practices in the arts and included the sage mentoring of emerging makers who have successfully negotiated these issues in the establishment of their artistic careers.

A significant component of the site was the online gallery showcasing the work of students and emerging artists. Craft Australia invited practitioners to participate in the program with the view that a selected artist from each category would be awarded a feature story, profiling their work, in 716.

Labour by singing light by Gaida Macs highlights the practice of Rosary Coloma and Eleisha Nylund, joint winners in the student category.

Eleisha Nylund

Eleisha Nylund, who has just recently completed her Bachelor of Fine Art at the Queensland College of Art, Griffith Uniuversity, tells me that her interest in the Craft Australia Award was piqued by one of her lecturers, Elizabeth Shaw. "If it wasn't for her encouragement and her helping me to have confidence in my designs and technical skills I would not have entered."

Following her Mullumbimby high school education, Eleisha initially enrolled and took painting as her tertiary Major; only succumbing to the lure of gold and silversmithing in second year, almost by chance. Her epiphany came when she had "some random kind of realization and clarity about what I wanted to do with my life." Besotted with metal she received and continues to receive significant support from her family and her partner. View images

Eleisha describes herself as an aspiring perfectionist. Her work has its roots in the Bauhaus and de Stijl movements with a contemporary twist; she is strongly attracted to strong formal structures particularly the grid. Her designs are boldly architectural and combine precious and semi-precious materials with resins and acrylics. She is currently working on range of production pieces - rings which meld forged silver and acrylics.

The struggle between original concept and resolution of a work is one of her biggest challenges. Her imaginative designs often require considerable technical proficiency which can be very hard on the body - all that hammering. However, Eleisha maintains that her focus on the processes, methods and logical order that the work demands is as essential as the original genesis of the design.

She also relies on her brother for critical feedback about her work. She says, "he will point out if elements aren't aligned correctly or if a rivet should have been half a millimeter to the left." Eleisha's favourite piece of her own making is Composition with silver, cubic zirconia and synthetic sapphire - a work which was very time consuming and difficult.

In order to keep abreast of opportunities, workshops and competitions Eleisha, like many other emerging makers, rely on online resources such as the Craft Australia website, membership of Craft Queensland and Artworkers Alliance. Living in regional New South Wales it is imperative for her to stay connected with the scene in the capital cities. To this end she is currently preparing for a group show featuring contemporary jewellery at Redlands Gallery in Brisbane in August 2007.

When asked about her plans for the future, Eleisha is aiming high - "In five years I want to have my own studio and be successful enough to be living off making my jewellery. In 10 years I want to have a similar technical sophistication and quality of work akin to George Jenson or Cartier".

Rosary Coloma

Twenty six year old Rosary Coloma from Sydney says she has always been interested in the visual arts; her favourite toys as a youngster were her various kits - "my art supplies kits, my lego kit, my play dough kit, ... and the piece de resistance - my Punky Brewster kit, which was actually a jewellery accessories making kit."

This passion was re-activated when she visited Object Gallery in Customs House on a school excursion and ended up enrolled in a workshop run by Keith Lo Bue, "Precious Little: Poetics of the Found Object". This experience was her first contact with the "community of professional and student makers and artists." She was hooked. View images

Following a trip to Europe, she returned to Australia and started her studio major, Jewellery and Object making at the Sydney College of the Arts. Rosary speaks highly of her lecturers at SCA (especially her Honours Supervisor Bridie Lander), "Their dedication and passion as artists and educators was inspiring."

After graduating, Rosary worked at Gaffa Gallery in Surry Hills where her technical making skills were honed and she also got work experience in administration, co-curating and gallery management.

Rosary believes that this experience has been invaluable; the positive encouragement, support and practical assistance provided by like-minded designer/makers and gallery owners has been critical to her ongoing practice. Like most in the art community, she likes nothing better than obtaining information about the field by "having a few beers at the pub with fellow artists, craftspeople and makers."

Not surprisingly, Rosary's inspiration comes from observing social behaviours and watching, thinking about and responding to the built environment and how spaces affect the way we interact with one another. Her work is spare and clean, almost industrial in a refined way (shades of Blanche Tilden?). There is also a quirkiness about some of her pieces - they move and interact whilst being worn - reminding the wearer of their position and the space they occupy. Rosary likes the idea that the wearer is also part of the creation of the work. This probably stems from her previous background as a pianist - wanting to further engage the audience perhaps?

Rosary has shown recently at JMGA Craft Queensland, Gaffa Gallery, Buda Castlemaine in Victoria, and is presently showing some of her work at Metalab and Beautiful on the Inside.

Her next adventure has already started - Rosary is currently embarking on a 2 year working holiday through the UK and Europe where she has already organized to be an access tenant at the Pennybank Workspace of the Clerkenwell Green Association (a UK based craft-support organization). In addition, she is also lining up studio visits, lots of gallery viewing and possibly an informal or formal apprenticeship.

Also see Rosary's profile on the Noise website

Gaida Macs
June, 2007

Gaida Macs graduated with Honours in Sculpture from the ANU School of Art in 2004. Currently living in northern NSW, she is preparing work for a number of exhibitions in 2007.