Scott Cairns

Région : 
Slave Nord
Collectivité : 
Yellowknife
Types d’art : 

Histoire de l'artiste

My interest spans from jewelry making to blacksmithing, to woodworking and machining, amongst other things. I love working with a diverse suite of materials, including a selection of various metals.

I started learning about silversmithing and silver jewelry-making when I was about 15 years old. I did a jewelry apprenticeship after school in Edmonton, where I was living at the time.  I have as much of an interest in repairing things as building them, and ran a busy jewelry repair for a while. I then attended University, which consumed most of my time.

When I make my jewelry, I don’t work with a standard model or a set of patterns. My real passion behind all this is learning new techniques that I can make something with.  A “new technique” to me can signify blacksmithing as a whole, or a new specific skill within metalworking. I am always trying to find new ways of forming metal.

It might be nice as an artist to focus on specific styles, but because my creative curiosity comes from learning new skills, I end up making a lot of different designs. I am mostly self-taught, but I keep an eye on the many great instructors in the blacksmithing and jewelry-making world. I didn’t have access to the internet when I was learning the basics of my craft, but it’s a great resource to have access to these days.

Art helps me unwind after work, but my career in geology has also influenced my jewelry. The knowledge of geology and the art of cutting stone go hand in hand. I can bore people for hours and hours on end about the history of the stones used in my jewelry! Recently, I’ve been interested in working with lapidary materials sourced from the Northwest Territories. There are some volcanic and sedimentary rocks from the East Arm that have quite interesting colours and patterns, suitable for gemstones.

There’s a satisfaction in completing a piece and it coming out close to what I had imagined. There’s also great satisfaction in building subsequent pieces to master the techniques I used in the first place so that I can get the piece to look exactly like I had envisioned. Learning is the part that I enjoy the most. Learning more techniques means having more flexibility, which opens up more doors. It’s where the real joy is for me!

Biographie de l'artiste: 

Scott lives, works and creates in Yellowknife. His diverse art practices range from working with sterling silver, semi-precious stones, gold, wood and steel to create handcrafted jewelry, knives, kitchen utensils, custom tools and various other items. As an artist with extensive knowledge of geology, stone cutting remains a main interest for Scott.  He sells some of his work at local craft sales, which he enjoys just as much for the opportunity to chat with members of the community.

Dernière mise à jour : 30 juin 2022

Galerie de l'artiste