AMONG THE ARTS AND CRAFTS

Ladies' Mirror, Volume I, Issue 4, 2 October 1922, Page 43

AMONG THE ARTS AND CRAFTS

Gold, Silver, and Gems % A Woman and Her Work

IT was William Morris who said in an address to Art Students on one occasion that the happiest people in all civilisation are “those whose necessary daily l " work is inseparable from their greatest pleasure.” This is certainly the case with the worker in Arts and Crafts, who can satisfy an inborn love of beauty. while at the same time designing and executing objects fitted for daily use. And it is the beauty of form and ornamentation, their eminent suitahility to the object made, as well as the perfection with which each detail is carried out, which combine to dignify the hand-made article, and differentiate it from something simi-

lar which has been turned out by machinery. The love of jewels and of fine work in silver and gold has come down to us from very remote times. There is scarcely any ancient narrative which does not allude to jewels, and the necklaces, rings and other ornaments found in the tombs of races that long ago disappeared from the face of the earth, prove that they were made by artists of great skill. Christianity gave a great stimulus

to work in all the precious metals. Massive and costly crosses, croziers, candlesticks and other objects of ecclesiastical use were designed and carried out by • men of marvellous c i-:ti ...i _„i_ t „ 4. u 3MH, VVIIUSC VVUI ft. Ilcls IiUL UtV-II 3UI ~ passed by the most modern craftsmen. In those days, - the artist lived in cloistered seclusion. Monks shut themselves away from the world to

illuminate their missals, to enamel and encrust with gems reliquaries and chalices such as moderns do not even attempt. To them Art was indeed a religion. Time did not count, Perfection was their aim, and they achieved results that we at a distance of centuries can only marvel at—so wonderfully beautiful are they in design and execution, Work in modern times is done under vastly different conditions, but the artist is well able to adapt himself to them, and at the same time remain true to his ideal, With this in mind, it was with some pleasureable anticipation that the writer recently visited a feminine expo-

rient of craftwork, as exemplified in jewel making and setting, for a chat about a calling of some interest to women. ' Miss Reeve was seated at her work bench, busy with a hammer on a piece of silver, which would eventually, after going through various processes, develop into “something rich and strange.” She impressed her visitor as one very much in earnest. It is easy to see that her whole heart is in her work, and she has evidently approached the earnest study of her art with an enthusiasm that has only deepened with her knowledge. . Miss Reeve began her art studies in London immediately after leaving school. Textile designing at the School of Art at the Regent Street Polytechnic Institute occupied several years, and she then took the silver medal for design, which is the highest award given at the school, and carries with it a year’s scholarship. She then decided . to devote . her time to craft work, and as enamelling had a special appeal for her. she put in some close work at that beautiful branch of metal work. Followed a visit to New Zealand, and in Wellington, where she remained for some time, her beautiful enamelled jewel-

lery attracted a good deal of attention, Lady Ward taking an especial interest in her . work. She was back in England before the war broke out, and during that world struggle she did clerical work in the office of the Admiralty. For some time, Miss Reeve, like many other artists, was strongly attracted by the rich possibilities in enamel work on metal. In this she had great success, particularly in translucent enamel on silver. Since then she has applied herself to gold and silver work, and she owned to a special interest in making rings in either metal, enriched either with precious or semi-precious gems or blister pearls, or with both. The work, she explained, is very slow; in this there is nothing modern about it. With infinite patience the trained hand must execute the carefully thought out design. And the requirements are few in number. Raw metal, heat, a few simple tools—that is the material part. But the trained hand, guided by the trained brain—these must be present also. Miss Reeve believes in putting her personality into her work. She is continually finding out how to improve even her best—difficult as that may seem when her work reaches such a high standard of excellence. She finds that infinite patience is required, and this would not be avail- _ able unless accompanied by a deep love for the work and for the intricacies of fine detail.