artist statement

I work with fine silver. Its softness is a crucial quality needed for the main technique I developed throughout 25 years of jewellery-making: weaving. With unexpected characteristics- no weave is the same.

The weaving process itself feels very much like a search, intrinsically born of the state I am in. A good state would be one through which I allow the weaving to flow and grow 'inevitably '... Into unique wearable art pieces that will never be repeated, as they reflect that specific moment, each moment manifesting itself, treasured in its uniqueness, revealing itself to my wonder of the here and now.

Not that there is little effort involved: my hands are 'like contortionists dancing ', someone with a poet's heart told me once while watching me work.

The wearable quality of the pieces I design and make is of utmost importance to me- rather than seeing this as a limitation, I welcome it as the universe that helps give shape to my body of work.

People often say things like, 'I never take them off, ' and I take that as the greatest compliment! Showing them off pales to insignificance; the real kick is in the pieces becoming part of one's history.

Someone once described my work as 'rootsy but urban, classy but understated.'

If that's so, it might be because I was brought up between the city and the country. With growing up in Brazil: a country often described as 'a land of contrasts, a place of extremes.'

Another commentator said my woven pieces made from 'interlaced silver and gold ribbon reminded them of the social fabric of Rio de Janeiro State: a place where strands of wealth and poverty, ethics and violence, culture and corruption are constantly intertwining. '

The middle is a place of constant friction: where the challenge is. And, through the creating and making process I strive to reach, even if momentarily, a place of balance.

I wish to inspire and evoke wholesome thoughts and emotions as to bring kindness and beauty into the world. This is my highest aspiration.

"I love your intertwined work. There's something very poetic about it. Each piece is unique... random and yet, consistent. " Sean Taylor, writer

Patricia Gurgel-Segrillo is a proud member of the Cork Art and Design group and of Visual Artists Ireland, registered with the Crafts Council of Ireland and the London Assay Office, and is thankful for the support of the New Irish Art Project and for the assistance of the Cork City Enterprise Board Ltd.

Commissions are welcome: please contact one of the outlets listed here. Alternatively, send me an email and I will be happy to assist you. ~ Patricia Gurgel-Segrillo