Jane Dodd
Much of Jane Dodd’s current work is inspired by European decorative traditions and the cultures from which they sprang. Gothic combinations of sculpted animal and human forms, horn and antler shapes, and heraldic devices, suggest myth, folklore and fairy tales; concerns identifiable in Dodd’s work for some time. However the mix of materials, especially the use of wood, shell, stone and pearl, is new to her work and has pushed it in innovative directions.
‘I work in a largely figurative style, negotiating a few separate but over-lapping lines of enquiry. Often my work has a story telling aspect. I consider myself a metal smith but have recently used wood, shell and stone to bring more scale, texture, colour and plasticity to my work.’
Jane Dodd was born in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1962. She has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Otago and studied jewellery at Unitec, Auckland, graduating in 1994 with a Diploma in Design. After 15 years at Workshop 6, a shared jewellery workshop in Auckland, Jane has recently returned to live in her home town.
Since the early ‘90s Jane has exhibited widely in solo and group exhibitions in New Zealand and internationally and her work is held in Te Papa Tongarewa : Museum of New Zealand, The Dowse, Hawkes Bay Museum as well as many private collections. Her work recently featured in the exhibition Wunderruma, which travelled to Munich, Germany, and The Dowse, Lower Hutt.