Lisa Ridout is a Toronto-based artist and a graduate of the George Brown College Jewellery Art & Design program in 1992. Lisa dedicates herself to producing innovative handcrafted precious metal chain work.
"The jewellery I design and make by hand is a derivative of the way I see everything in life to be connected. For me, this interest of "connectedness" started very young. I learned how to knit at a very early age and I have always made things with my hands".
The traditional skill of chain making is a delicate and time-consuming craft. The chain is entirely handmade by drawing silver into wire form of varied thicknesses, then turning and weaving rings into delicate patterns. Drawing on historical patterns, as well as new combinations of her own creation, Lisa blends her love of stones and crystals into her sterling silver pieces.
"Movement, flow, structure, tension, shape, colour and texture are all facets of one’s life," says Lisa. "I choose to express those feelings together in a piece of jewellery that is worn while living one’s life and experiencing the journey. Hopefully, my jewellery serves as a marker in your lifetime. When and how you received it, who gave it to you and why that particular design ended up as yours, is again, all about how your world is connected. The links and connections woven through my chain jewellery reflect my ongoing design process. As in the fabric of life, each idea, concept and relationship leads naturally into the next."
Currently, some of Lisa’s preferred charities are:
- Daily Bread Food Bank
- Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club
- Field Hockey Canada
- Habitat For Humanity
- Mount Sinai Hospital
- TVO (TV Ontario)
- World Wildlife Fund
- Toronto Symphony Orchestra