Bianca Bohanan

Bianca Bohanan
Ornami

Artist’s Statement

I began exploring jewelry design and creation as a hobby while still pursuing a career in international relations. My work required frequent travel around the world, and when I had some free time, I enjoyed nothing more than visiting local artisans who were generous and open in sharing their tips and techniques with me. Although I have taken courses and workshops, I must credit the remarkable professionals that I met in my journeys as the enduring contribution to my creative ability.

Otherwise, I am mostly self-taught. In 2019, I established Ornami, to design and craft jewelry and accessories as both one-of a kind as well as in limited production. Ornami means « ornamentation » in espéranto, evoking pancultural traditions and techniques used in making items for personal adornment. My designs incorporate elements that reflect my formal studies in history as well as my interest in multicultural art forms and imagery. The outcome is almost always an abstraction. Creating a unique piece begins with imagination. But the theorems of the imagination are shaped by singular experiences, always circumscribed by the techniques, tools and materials available. This is why my work is only a suggestion of a vision which can sometimes be uncertain or crude in its execution, but nevertheless seeks a relationship with the beholder.

Process

I am a single proprietor of a small studio producing both unique, one-of-a-kind jewelry and limited-production items. I work primarily in sterling (.925) silver and brass with semi-precious stones, because these materials are not only beautiful to the gaze, but a joy in handcrafting. I will use goldfill 14/20 or pewter if either the design or the client requires. Metals are sourced in sheets and wire from Canadian suppliers in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia in order to close supply gaps quickly, but I also recycle post-consumer silver from old coins, cutlery, and vintage pieces of fine jewelry to karat up or down in small ingots that are then put through a very old-fashioned manual rolling mill for further transformation. On occasion, I go to Canadian suppliers for sourcing stones, but I have an extensive collection on which to draw, thanks to frequent travel to Brazil, Colombia, India and Sri Lanka, Vienna, and other select locations. In terms of technique, I am still in the process of mastering modest metalsmithing techniques and use of the hand tools you usually find in any small workshop : some of my favourites are cherished gifts from East Indian, African and Caribbean artisans who I met during my travels, and who took the time to show me how those simple instruments could yield amazing results in making cold connections, in work-hardening metals, and other alternatives to brazing or soldering. It is fun to experiment with “new” methods, like water-casting, to render ideas into actuality in a novel way. Every day, I ask – where next?

Bianca Bohanan
Ornami

Artist’s Statement

I began exploring jewelry design and creation as a hobby while still pursuing a career in international relations. My work required frequent travel around the world, and when I had some free time, I enjoyed nothing more than visiting local artisans who were generous and open in sharing their tips and techniques with me. Although I have taken courses and workshops, I must credit the remarkable professionals that I met in my journeys as the enduring contribution to my creative ability.

Otherwise, I am mostly self-taught. In 2019, I established Ornami, to design and craft jewelry and accessories as both one-of a kind as well as in limited production. Ornami means « ornamentation » in espéranto, evoking pancultural traditions and techniques used in making items for personal adornment. My designs incorporate elements that reflect my formal studies in history as well as my interest in multicultural art forms and imagery. The outcome is almost always an abstraction. Creating a unique piece begins with imagination. But the theorems of the imagination are shaped by singular experiences, always circumscribed by the techniques, tools and materials available. This is why my work is only a suggestion of a vision which can sometimes be uncertain or crude in its execution, but nevertheless seeks a relationship with the beholder.

Process

I am a single proprietor of a small studio producing both unique, one-of-a-kind jewelry and limited-production items. I work primarily in sterling (.925) silver and brass with semi-precious stones, because these materials are not only beautiful to the gaze, but a joy in handcrafting. I will use goldfill 14/20 or pewter if either the design or the client requires. Metals are sourced in sheets and wire from Canadian suppliers in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia in order to close supply gaps quickly, but I also recycle post-consumer silver from old coins, cutlery, and vintage pieces of fine jewelry to karat up or down in small ingots that are then put through a very old-fashioned manual rolling mill for further transformation. On occasion, I go to Canadian suppliers for sourcing stones, but I have an extensive collection on which to draw, thanks to frequent travel to Brazil, Colombia, India and Sri Lanka, Vienna, and other select locations. In terms of technique, I am still in the process of mastering modest metalsmithing techniques and use of the hand tools you usually find in any small workshop : some of my favourites are cherished gifts from East Indian, African and Caribbean artisans who I met during my travels, and who took the time to show me how those simple instruments could yield amazing results in making cold connections, in work-hardening metals, and other alternatives to brazing or soldering. It is fun to experiment with “new” methods, like water-casting, to render ideas into actuality in a novel way. Every day, I ask – where next?

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