Regina Middleton's simple and reverent jewellery is influenced by her explorations along the coastline near her home in Torquay, Victoria. She uses objects which she finds washed up on the beaches to cast and create intricate pieces in silver and porcelain. We think her latest collection 'Collect, Imprint, Adorn' is a stunning reflection of how jewellery can communicate an essence of history, place and the evolution of time.

We interviewed Regina about her practice and work...

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your practice?

I have been making jewellery for nearly ten years, and although my practice has very much evolved in that time I have always been enamoured with found materials and have felt a natural pull towards creating pieces of adornment. I live in Torquay with my husband and our very loved dog Ary. The ocean shoreline is where I find most of my inspiration, may it be in colour, shape or form.

When and how did you first get started as a Jeweller?

The first summer after high school finished my best friend and I spent every day at the beach, eating salad, sun baking and beach-combing in between swimming in the beautiful Indian Ocean. A few friendship pieces were made with what we collected, and I was hooked. Shells with holes were my favourite as were curiously weathered forms! From there I went on to complete a bachelor of design majoring in jewellery at Curtin University in WA, and an honours in fine art at Monash University.

What has the journey been like since those early days?

Moving to Melbourne nearly ten years ago saw a massive shift in my practice. With the ocean being so far from my immediate surroundings I found inspiration along the street, in parks and the dumpster at Uni. For some time I was exploring up cycling electrical and telecommunication wires. The colours were insanely inspiring.

Looking for beauty in the abandoned has always run through my practice. As is the connection between time and place and objects that have been able to mark that experience, or at least spark a memory of that time.

The obscured history of an object has always held my intrigue. I think that is why weathered forms with text always excite me the most. Imbued within them is an allusion to the their history.

Can you give us some insight into your creative process and where  you draw inspiration from?

My creative process tends to begin with a hunt, a gathering, a collection of sorts. From there I love sorting my finds. Familiarising myself with their differences and putting them together like a puzzle. I find this is great way to explore their forms further and establish which stand out and speak to me the most.

Shape, form and detail are driving factors, influencing the starting point. Interestingly, there are certain shapes that I find over and over again; the way the plastics breakdown and weather produce similar results.

I can’t help but also see the comparison between the way in which my holdfasts (the anchor that many seaweed species use to fasten themselves onto the oceans floor) could be branches, twigs, veins, antlers, etc. Nature is about repetition and this has always spoken to me.

The repetitive nature of making jewellery is also where I find my zen. 

Any advice or words of wisdom for other makers out there?

Keep at it, immerse yourself in your craft and the people within it and don't be afraid. Trust your instincts. Explore, play and breathe. 

We are really excited about your upcoming workshops at Guild, can you tell us a bit about these?

My upcoming workshops at Guild will be exploring our connection to materials and found objects. We will be casting an object/objects/materials to create a precious ring or pendant in silver. Participants are more than welcome to bring their own objects or I will have some for them to sort through and find what they connect with the most to choose to cast. The objects I bring will be clearly recorded and grouped into where they were collected from and when.

I really hope I can share the idea of mementos; markers of time and place as precious things to be held onto. We will also be able to explore leaving impressions from these objects in wax and in turn creating a ring or pendant to be cherished or gifted with the intention for another to cherish.

Any other projects or news you want to share?

I am working towards a solo exhibition later this year with that which the oceans rejects, that which I find along the high tide lines. It will be about time, place, sentiment and materiality. The works will be both wearable and not so wearable.

My precious plastics will also be taking shape into explorations outside of adornment for the body. I am hoping to create some new artworks and prints from my drawings and placements of found objects.

Photography Credits: From Top - Images 1,2,3,5,7 Timothy Marriage | Image 6 Kristoffer Paulsen | Image 4,8,9 Regina Middleton.

Find Regina on Instagram and in the Guild shop.

Regina will be running two workshops at Guild on Saturday 4 March, 2017 - 'Make a Silver Ring' and 'Make a Silver Pendant'. We are offering a 10% discount if you book two or more spots in her workshops before Valentines Day (14 February). 

Here at Guild of Objects we think that ceramics and jewellery are a match made in heaven. We've put together some flashcards of our favourite handmade pieces. Click on the images below to view our online jewellery edits.

We're offering free shipping within Australia on all jewellery orders until February 14th, 2017. Enter the words GUILDJEWELS in the discount code in checkout.

Good vibes coming your way! 

To make your Christmas shopping easier this year, we are offering FREE SHIPPING on our Jewellery and Clothing collections until December 19, 2016. 
 

Enter the codes GUILDJEWELS or GUILDTHREADS at checkout to get free shipping within Australia on all jewellery, clothing and scarves.

For all other orders within Australia, our last shipping dates before Christmas are:
Standard Shipping - last orders placed by Thursday 15 December .
Express Shipping - last orders placed by Monday 19 December .

For all International orders, our last shipping dates before Christmas are:
 Express Shipping - last day to place order is Thursday 15 December .

And remember, for every $100 spent from now until December 24, you'll get an entry into the draw to win a $500 voucher to spend at Guild! This includes both online and in-store purchases. We will draw the lucky winner Xmas eve.

Did you know we do gift cards?

Sometimes it's too hard to choose...that's when a Guild Gift Card comes in handy.

Our super cute gift cards - designed and made by The Hungry Workshop - are the perfect gift for those people who are hard to buy for. Let them choose the perfect locally, hand made piece that is just right for them.

These can be used in-store or online for workshops or any items in our shop.

Vivien Hollingsworth from Flos.Botanical Studio gets up a 3am to go to the flower market. She chooses to do that with her own free will. And we are so glad she does, because the result of Vivien's trips to the flower market are absolutely stunning. We love receiving her weekly, seasonal posies at Guild - they are always a surprising combination of textures, colours and fragrances.

We're also super excited to have our first flower related workshop by Vivien coming up on Sunday 11 December. She is teaching Native Wild Wreath Making and we can't think of a better way to decorate our doors for Christmas. There are still some spots left, so if you are interested in making a gorgeous, fresh wreath this year then you can book your spot here.

We interviewed Vivien about starting her floristry studio and how she finds her inspiration...

Can you please tell us a little about yourself and your craft? 

I am 27 and I am a florist. I work full time in my business Flos.Botanical Studio.  I live and work out of my home in Northcote, I have a studio space out the back of my house and two very kind housemates who let me take over our backyard with my work. I grew up in beautiful lush Warragul in Gippsland but have lived in Melbourne for 8 years now.  I studied floristry at Holmesglen Tafe and before that I did a double degree in Visual Arts, painting and Arts, visual culture.

When and how did you get interested in floristry? 

I have always loved flowers, my mother is an avid gardener and my extended family are berry growers. I grew up with a love and understanding of the seasons. It wasn’t until I finished my degrees and was working in uninspiring arts admin and considering what to do next that I decided on a whim to enroll in floristry. Once I began I knew that I only wanted to be a florist. It is the perfect medium for me; I love the pace, the connection to the seasons and getting to make impermanent compositions.  When I was painting and sculpting my work was often about site and landscape. Now working with flowers I get to make work about the same thing and it completely satisfies my creative energies.

Can you describe the early days of setting up your business?

I have been working for myself full-time for just over a year now.  It has been far more challenging and rewarding then I could have imagined.  The flower scene in Melbourne is very close and supportive, I have been lucky enough to freelance for some really talented people who have been extremely supportive while setting up my studio. I have consciously tried to cultivate clients who suit my aesthetic and work with brands and people who I respect. The flower industry and be quite commercial so trying to carve out a space where I can be both financially viable whilst maintaining my creative practice has been a balancing act.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Working with flowers creates a certain rhythm.  On Thursdays I head to the market around 3am and collect and buy for my jobs that week. I really love going to the market and I find all the characters you meet there really energizing. I love seeing all the surprising and seasonal blooms as they start coming in with the change of weather.

Once I get back to my studio I have some breakfast, begin conditioning the flowers and organising them for the jobs. Then the fun part, I being making my arrangements for the weekends jobs and weddings. As well as my day to day routines I also regularly head out of town. I have family in Gippsland and the Dandenong’s so I am especially attached to those regions and try to go to both at least once a season to see the landscape change.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

For colour pallets I look to the landscape and gardens. I am often working to a brief and design from a client or bride which can be a great inspiration and challenge to work with. I try to find ways to tweak the pallets and integrate a more natural but also surprising composition.  I also like to draw from art, particularly the Dutch masters and Australian landscape artists as well the constructivist and contemporary artists who work with still life. I am also heavily inspired by those around me, especially my friends who are practicing artists, and the beautiful produce of the flower growers at the market.

If you could do anything tomorrow what would you do?  

Move the country and plant paddocks of rambling roses.

If you could teach your kids one thing, what would it be? 

To learn the importance of growing and making things, and the skills to do it.

What are you reading at the moment? 

I am dyslexic so more than reading I listen, to Radio National, podcasts on politics, history and feminism and the occasional audio book when I can sit still long enough.

If we rummaged through your grocery bag, what would we find? 

Avocados, liquorice and probably some snips - I always have a pair of snips in-case I find something beautiful to cut.

Can you tell us the first thing that pops into your mind when we mention the word …

Breakfast:  coffee

Weekends:  work

People:  support network

Pause: weekends in the Rhodendron Garden

Sound:  The birds on mums Deck

Smell: Lilly of the Valley

Place: Mum's garden

Texture: Grasses

Ritual: Seasons

Color: Burnt Orange

What’s one thing you can’t live without at the moment? 

Snips, hot chocolate, garden roses and burgundy foliage.  The dream combo.

What are your words of wisdom?

Surround yourself with smart talented and motivated people and will encourage you. We all have something to offer and once you find your medium work hard to get better at it. We owe it to each other to share our passions and skills.

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Vivien is running a Native Wild Wreath Making workshop on Sunday 11 December - book your spot here.

Flos.Botanical Studio stocks seasonal flower posies at Guild. You can secure your weekly bunch here.

Follow Flos.Botanical Studios on Instagram.

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Photos by Bobby + Tide and  Samee Lapham (Radical Yes)

Thanks so much to everyone who came along to the opening evening of 573° by Georgie Moyes and Claire Lehmann last Thursday! The weather was perfect, the drinks were cold and the work looked beautiful. Here are some shots of the night.

Big love to Linsey Rendell for the photos.

Read our interviews with Georgie Moyes and Claire Lehmann.

Claire Lehmann is a graphic artist and ceramicist who studied art history and multimedia and is now exploring the industrial design of ceramics. She is influenced by architecture, sci-fi and 1970s interior design. Her work reflects her interests in shape, texture, process and weight.

We are looking forward to the reveal of Claire’s most recent work in a joint exhibition with Georgie Moyes entitled 573° this month at Guild of Objects from November 17–19.

Please come help us celebrate the launch of Claire and Georgie’s exhibition at a special preview on Thursday November 17 from 5–8pm.

Can you please tell us a little about yourself and your craft?

I’m 38, I live in Northcote and I alternate between ceramics and freelance work as a graphic artist/retoucher. I’m in my last month of studying a Diploma of Ceramics at Holmesglen Tafe. I previously studied a Bachelor of Art History and then Multimedia. I’ve always made art, but cut back when I started working in design. So after 13 years in front of a computer I’m finally circling back around – older, slightly wiser and definitely better at Photoshop. I have a studio in North Melbourne and have been making ceramics for six years. My focus was initially on tableware, but now my focus is shifting towards lighting and hopefully more sculptural, non-functional ceramics.

When and how did you first get interested in ceramics?

One of my sisters asked me to do a short course with her at Carlton Arts Centre. I turned up and within six months I’d moved to part-time work so I could spend the rest of my time making ceramics. It was a convergence of my love of homewares, using my hands and a challenge.

Can you describe the early days of setting up your business?

Initially, it was all about repetition and learning from lots and lots of mistakes. I’d take orders and figure things out as I went. I’d stick to shapes and colours I knew I could manage and I was definitely being risk-averse. Studying ceramics has been great because I’ve tried things I wouldn’t have attempted otherwise and that’s definitely opened up my practice and my interests. I named my business Sunday Ceramics after Sunday Reed who is a personal hero (and was a mega babe). I think my interest in opacity, weight, structure and material tolerance ties in with my love of design. In another life, I would have studied industrial design but I think I’m glad I didn’t. I kind of enjoy approaching these areas with no knowledge and no set ideas. Things just happen organically. And when a shape doesn’t work, I problem solve – do I change the design or do I change the process? The problem solving keeps it interesting.

What does a typical day look like for you?

On pottery days I wake up, have a nice breakfast, do life admin and get to the studio around 10:30am. I like to have different projects going at the same time and I move between them. Usually there are chats and coffees with other studio people, some Radio National and history podcasts, and then suddenly it gets dark and it’s pens down, the day is over. I guess I go into the zone for 5–6 hours and when I come back hopefully some nice ceramics have been made.

Where/what do you draw inspiration from?

I’m interested in shape and texture and I draw inspiration from architecture, art and design. I also love collecting interior design books from the 1970s and 80s.

If you could do anything tomorrow what would you do?

I’d go to the beach and read a book and try to forget about my to-do list.

If you could teach your kids one thing, what would it be?

I try to teach my nieces and nephews to be kind and to have fun.

What are you reading at the moment?

Longform. Always. When I’m on holiday I read books, but in the meantime it’s all about longform journalism.

If we rummaged through your grocery bag, what would we find?

The usual stuff – vegetables, cheese, but also maybe a screwdriver or some random pottery tools.

Can you tell us the first thing that pops into your mind when we mention the word …

Breakfast: slow scramble
Weekends: studio time
People: smiles with friends
Pause: never
Sound: rain
Smell: my lover’s hair
Place: my garden
Texture: hands
Ritual: ceramics
Color: white

What’s one thing you can’t live without at the moment?

The supportive and creative people around me.

What are your words of wisdom?

Life wisdom: Be kind. Try to listen. Trust that it’s all going in the right direction. Ceramic-specific wisdom: Even if things fail, put them in the bin, learn and move on. Aka let it go.

Find Claire on Instagram and online.