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Meet November Artist of the Month: Charity Ridpath

Posted on December 1, 2021 by Contemporary Craft

Our December artist of the month will challenge your notions of jewelry, trash, and the relationship between the two. Jewelry artist Charity Ridpath takes single-use plastics, such as bags, containers and cups, and turns them into nature-inspired, wearable compositions. Read more about Charity, her practice, and her inspiration in the interview below.

Art/Craft is the language I use to explore and learn about the world and how I fit into it.

What is your artistic background?

I grew up making things. I love learning new creative skills and techniques, so I know a little about a lot of things! A few years ago, I earned a BFA in studio art with a specialization in Metals. It was there that I learned about and started making Contemporary Art Jewelry. 

What are your favorite materials to work with/types of items to make?

I love working with unconventional materials, especially things that would otherwise end up in the trash. I don’t feel so precious when working with this material, so I feel freer to experiment and make mistakes. It is also a challenge to transform it into something that no longer looks like trash, so it keeps my focus for a long time! Currently, I work with single-use plastics to make both wearable and highly sculptural jewelry. My go-to materials are bubble wrap, clear plastic salad/fruit containers, and plastic bags. 

Single use plastic materials and a Winged Seed Necklace

From where do you draw your inspiration?

I draw inspiration from nature in general. Right now, I am looking at a lot of images of geological formations and mushrooms. When I am manipulating a piece of plastic, and the results remind me of these forms, I feel like I am on the right track. I also love learning about archeological digs and wonder what they will unearth from our time. I think this influences how I look at my own refuse. What story will it tell later?

What is your creative process like? 

I start out by making small material manipulation samples. I cut, heat, score, fold, sew, layer, and iterate. At first, my job is to make ugly little trash sculpture sketches until I start seeing potential. With each iteration, I try to recreate the part I saw potential in until I have a technique I like. Usually, I gravitate towards designs that reference something natural. Sometimes a design or sample becomes a piece of jewelry right away. Sometimes it connects to something bigger and sparks more in-depth research before it is used in work.  

Diatom Hoop Earrings and Atmospheric Perspective Earrings

What is the most rewarding thing about your practice?

It gives me a reason to follow a winding path of interest or research. It gives purpose to my explorative nature. It also helps me seek out, meet and learn from people I may have never encountered but enrich my life and understanding of the world.

And what challenges do you face as an artist?

I am susceptible to putting my mental and physical health at risk to get more done. To combat this, I have been creating a personalized set of expectations. This includes making my own metrics for success and sustainable expectations for how much I can produce. It also includes listening to my body when it asks for breaks and valuing introspective time as much as time spent on networking. It’s a challenge but also a work in progress!

Work in progress

Outside of your practice, do you do any other creative activities/what are your interests?

I do! I love collage, watercolor, making up sci-fi stories with my partner, singing, weaving, printmaking, cooking, writing, and gardening. Though not explicitly creative, I also hike and participate in weekly trash pickups, both of which inspire ideas that I bring to my bench. 

What role does the artist have in society?

I think artists and their art can explore the unknown, unclear, and uncomfortable without pressure to find an answer.  

Quartz Bubble Wrap Ring

What is art/craft to you?

Art/Craft is the language I use to explore and learn about the world and how I fit into it. It is also a tool I use to cope with uncertainty and feeling overwhelmed. 

Tell us about your favorite artist or artists that inspire you.

The ecological land art created by Agnes Denes just floors me. I love the example she sets, that art can be a “benign solution” to a problem. How Theaster Gates thoughtfully uses the cultural history of materials to build installations and functioning buildings that support communities is incredible and layered. His work has forever impacted how I look at the environments and materials around me. Dario Robleto has this inspiring ability to turn a natural or scientific system into material poetry. After learning about one of his pieces, I always feel like I understand something more about science, humanity’s history, and myself. 

You can learn more about Charity over on her website, https://www.charityridpath.com, and you can follow her on Instagram @deartoday.

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