Lisa West

Lisa completed a Diploma in Applied Arts at Hungry Creek in 1991 and has been working full time as a jeweller since 1993. Lisa chooses materials based on their colour and workability rather than their perceived value, often combining mother of pearl shell and colourful rocks, such as jasper and tigers eye, with silver and pure gold. She also makes glass beads using the lamp work technique and then strings them into spectacular necklaces. 'Most of the things that I make are influenced by the flora and fauna around me. The qualities of unprocessed materials such as shell, stone and fine gold influence what the finished piece might be. The distinctive curve of a shell may suggest one thing, the colour and patterns on a lump of stone might be reminiscent of something else.' Lisa exhibits at galleries throughout New Zealand.