Tracing my fingers along the glass of the jewelry counter, deja vu fogs over: I am a kid, I am in a candy store, and I have a neglected cavity. As a grown adult who purposely puts up blinders when strolling through pay check suicide, I am in a Newport beach boutique and I cannot help but stop and gawk. Foreign shapes, renovated hardware, odd finishes- pieces that rub you the wrong way but feel right. Large bangles and rings that make you question how you get them on and burn you with their natural ability to define style. When I first fell (hard) for Elke Kramer's work, I promised myself to keep the love affair hush hush, as her pricey gems are hard to come across which equals an extra zero on the tag... But after receiving my first piece from a near and dear friend, it was time to explore and share the inspiring work of the artist known as ELKE.
The Australian native infuses her travels to 7Th world wonders with brave and balanced formation. Her spring 2011 line focuses on her journey through the Far East, titled "The Shake of Ophelia" which she collaborated with (a personal fav) photographer Chris Morris. Her pieces embody beetroot, bloodstone, ash, jasper, and knotted patterns. The collection's story focuses on the life of a traveling spice merchant in Africa (below). Her extremely popular Trompe L’oeil range (2008) combined an unlikely family of chunky resin shapes, geometric art-deco inspired pattern, traditional tribal aesthetics, and even hand stitched elements (above).
The pieces are masculine, graceful, and fearless.
