Renee Gaudet is an independent maker of contemporary handcrafted jewelry. Renee Gaudet Designs’ mission is to create quality pieces that stand as wearable sculptures. RGD believes in an evolving creative process that transforms mistakes into inspiration for a new design, striking a balance of curious exploration and architectural precision.
ARTIST STATEMENT
As an artist I use a creative process of constructing hollow boxes then deconstructing those hollow forms. This technique is inquisitive, allowing for curious exploration of dimensions and new perspectives. As a final product my jewelry captures an architectural precision, with its linear forms and refined edges. This however, defies the playful nature of how it was made. My mission is to create quality handcrafted pieces that stand as wearable sculptures. I imagine all of my small metal sculptures as post apocalypse creatures, providing a symbiotic relationship with the wearer.
BIO
Renee grew up in Sarasota, Florida and loves Florida. She learned a lot from her tropical environment growing up between the ocean and swamps. If you stand still for too long, plants will consume you. So she is always on the move exploring and learning. She first learned about metalsmithing in the Fall of 2013 at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina. She gained a broad but deep understanding of the materials and the metalsmithing process. This gave her a strong foundation to continue learning on her own. As a student she learned a technique called hollow form and fabricated her first hollow form ring. She built a bulky ring that was hideous, but hollow. Her intention was to throw it in the scrap bin, but she wanted to destroy it first. She sawed away at the corners, which revealed the angles, depth and dimension of the hollow structure. Though, raw and undeveloped this mistake inspired the architectural aesthetic of Renee Gaudet Designs.
CURRENTLY
In 2019 Renee Gaudet graduated from the Profession Craft Program: Jewelry at Haywood Community College in Clyde, NC. She further expanded her skills as a metalsmith and focused on business development for Renee Gaudet Designs. She is currently the sole owner, designer and maker for Renee Gaudet Designs and looks forward to sharing her new work very soon.