Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Greetings from van Walraven Goudsmid

Greetings Everyone!!

Meet the newest member of the Jewel Envy family, Peter van Walraven (me). I'm very excited to begin my journey as a professional goldsmith here. I guess this is where I give a little introduction to myself and how jewellery became a passion of mine, the birth of van Walraven, Goudsmid.


Like many young teens and adults, upon graduating from high-school I had no clue what I wanted to do as I was torn between arts and sciences. I had a born talent for the arts but I also had a burning curiosity for earth and space sciences. I chose earth sciences and proceeded to graduate from Laurentian University in 2011 majoring in geology; I followed the money. After 5+ years traveling/working to remote locations like Greenland, northern Ontario and Northwest Territories, I found myself still painting, drawing and creating to fill that artistic void.

In 2015 it hit me, I needed to create art, but I wanted to also share what I had learned about our little rock, Earth. The epiphany came to me that winter, that gemstones were the link between the two domains of my life. In 2016 I enrolled with the Canadian Gemmological Association and earned my place as a certified gemmologist (FCGmA) and soon after I enrolled in the Jewellery and Metals program at Georgian College. Now three years later I can proudly say I am a certified goldsmith, graduating best in class and in show from Georgian College Graduate Goldsmithing and Silversmithing Certificate program. I finally found where art and science became one for me.
 

I want my work to not only say it all, but also explain it all. I know with jewellery the story is as precious (if not more precious) than the material within. I want my patrons to be able to understand the stories of the stones and metals they wear. Seriously, it is mind-blowing when you realize what you wear may be older than Earth itself. My style is all about duality and versatility, something you can wear in a professional setting, or not. I draw inspiration from my experiences working within the Earth Science sphere along with graffiti and concept artwork. However, I draw the most inspiration from the story. This is why I enjoy commissions. It is a real treat to be a part of someones special story, and to be able to help make a visions into something tangible and adored.













 If you made it far in reading this, thank you (First blog post here). I am both ecstatic and humbled to be here within this colourful community, and I hope to be able to share what I have learned with everyone here at Jewel Envy.


Cheers, Peter van Walraven 
Check out more at
@pt_raven my Instagram
Facebook page for van Walraven Goudsmid is coming soon.

PS - Goudsmid is goldsmith in Dutch... as you can probably tell from my last name, its where my roots lead too.

No comments:

Post a Comment