Flora, Fauna, Resin and Me
Growing up in Bundaberg QLD, Rene Skelton never had a strong sense of place but, through her work as a resin jewellery artist, found a way to connect.
In her adulthood, Skelton spent long periods living overseas, until she found herself beginning to miss Australia in a way that surprised her.
“I started to miss it as a physical place. The plants, animals, bird songs, smell, weather and sun – and I started to find a fondness and nostalgia for my youth through its uniqueness.”
Establishing her own resin jewellery design studio, Concrete Jellyfish, she drew on this newfound inspiration from Aussie flora, fauna and everyday life to create eccentric and uniquely down under wearable art.
“I wanted to create something special and iconically Australian – something Ken Done would even be proud of.”
Skelton’s Australiana collection goes under the banner ‘so cool, it’s Kitsch’ with her colourful kookaburra and prickly pear earrings among the ranks of bestsellers. This is jewellery you’ll be noticed for, with bold colours and unforgettable designs.
She says the method is definitely a labour of love, but pieces are made to last, be treasured and handed down to the next generation.
“Each piece is individually hand poured, coloured and cured in a custom make-in-house mould.”
This month lucky Darwinites have the opportunity to spend a day learning how to sculpt, mould and cast their very own kooky Australiana resin accessories including brooches, earrings, pendants, rings and key chains.
Skelton hopes workshop goers find the creative process as inspiring and connecting as she has.
“They’ll learn how to work with resin and silicone moulds, how to transform an idea into a piece of wearable resin art and hopefully, also a little bit about what it means to them to be Australian.”
