Erin Austin - Living #1

Artist: Erin  Austin
Materials: brass, floral tube, water and flower (not included)
Size: 10
Dimensions: 3.5" x .5" x .5" (without flora)

Artist Statement:
Living #1 allows the wearer to stop and smell the flowers at any time. A reused floral tube keeps a picked posey alive for extended enjoyment. Flowers placed in this receptacle are held above the hand on a brass extension that mimics the natural strength of the floral stem. Instead of the water turgidity and pith structures the plant normally relies on to remain upright the wearer must replenish the water and remain thoughtful about how they hold their hand in order to protect the delicate specimen. Alas, the flower is not actually living and will wilt with time providing the wearer the opportunity to closely observe the joy and destruction associated with picking a flower.

Posies pictured: Evening Primrose and Nasturtium

Artist Bio:
Erin Austin is a metal artist currently located in Humboldt County on California's north coast. Surrounded by redwoods and flanked by the Pacific Ocean, Humboldt provides the perfect backdrop for inspiration from the arts and sciences. At the center of Erin's work lies connection: connection to each other, connection to nature, and all of the excitement, disappointment, growth, and loss related to those connections. Frequent ideations in her work include the cycle of birth and rebirth, humanities infatuation with controlling and consuming nature, the notion that we are somehow separate from nature, our responsibilities to the natural world, the evolving psyche and the way we interpret the world and our relationships with others as we age, and invitations to be still and present in the moment.

This ring is part of Battle of the Rings: Ring Smackdown 2021, an online exhibition and competition. Shop the entire collection HERE, view the matches HERE, and learn more HERE.