Mitsue Slattery: Bark, Leaf, Bud

Artist list

Mitsue Slattery

Mitsue Slattery was born in Japan and became a permanent resident of Australia in 1997. Her artistic journey began with carving wooden masks like those used in Japanese traditional theatre. In 2000, Mitsue began her studies in jewellery at The Western Australian School of Art and Design where she developed a fascination with metal. Since graduation in 2002, Mitsue has been working extensively with silver and copper to make jewellery and objects. Her works have been selected for numerous national exhibitions including Contemporary Wearables ‘13 where the selected piece was acquired by Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery for their permanent collection. Mitsue’s work has been published in Lark Books’ acclaimed series 500 Silver Jewelery Designs and 500 Wedding Rings.

“I am fascinated by the mutability of metal, especially silver. It changes from molten to solid then to thin sheet and wire. From here, different forms and textures emerge through techniques such as hammering, knitting and heating. I am drawn to the seemingly infinite potential of this flexible material. For my recent body of work, I endeavoured to represent images of bark, leaves and buds onto silver using folding, weaving, crochet and reticulation. The work that evolved echoes the beauty of its natural inspiration.”
Mitsue Slattery