Maike Barteldres - Jewellery

Originally from Germany, Maike went to the UK as an au-pair and stayed for the next 20 years. She studied jewellery design in London and gained a masters degree from the RCA. After 10 years of making and teaching jewellery in Bristol she travelled to New Zealand, fell in love with the country and emigrated in 2007.

Maike has been living on Whangarei Heads for the past 10 years and is now using predominantly New Zealand stones for her work.

Artist’s statement:

PEBBLES

The first artistic act is to walk along the beach and pick the right pebble...

I believe that stone is not a dead material but animated, though at a very slow pace.  When working with a pebble, I have respect for the enormous space of time it took for the rock to form and then to be shaped by the elements.

My attitude towards nature has changed since moving to New Zealand.

Trips to the beach with the dog are part my routine. Pebbles are part of my daily life. The different types and qualities of the stones and the emotional connection to the beach they come from suggest how to use them and influence the design.