A miniature bird cage hangs in the window of silversmith Tessa Rand's Gibsons studio. Each element of the intricate cage - the mesh panels that slide open, the dangling key for the old fashioned padlock, and even the tiny bejewelled bird - is crafted as a collaboration by the Martopian Collective.
No, it's not a new political party. It's a group of artisans, mostly metalworkers and silversmiths, who encourage and help one another. Each has his or her own distinctive style, yet there's lots of cross pollination. Each has some skill to bring to the group.
The link between the five member silver chain of artisans is one man, Martin Schmieg. (The name Martopian comes from "Martin's utopia.") Although he is quadriplegic, he has developed jewellery-making skills. Once a lawyer, Schmieg has always enjoyed creating through his photo-graphy and painting. After his injury, he discovered that his care attendant, Rand, knew a lot about silverwork - a craft he was already attempting.
Together the two have figured out innovative ways for him to work. A vise, normally mounted on a bench, is clamped on to his wheelchair and it swings in and out as he needs it. On one hand he wears a cuff that has been fitted with slots that hold the various files or a modified miniature Dremel tool. It's a question of "macgyvering" the apparatus (named after the TV character who invented amazing tools using only readily available materials), says Rand, who has been working with Schmieg since 2007.
"I was the first one who was brave enough to strap a blowtorch to his hand," she laughs.
The artisan wears a pendant he has made, a chunky piece that frames a translucent stone. The piece was inspired by Van Gogh's Starry Night. He lets the stones speak for themselves.
"It's like making a silver picture frame for them," he said.
On the other side of the pendant is a design, seen only by the wearer, one's own little secret next to the heart.
Rand is a digital artist and silversmith as well as a care attendant. Her specialty is silver and crystal keys, power symbols, that hang as pendants. Using flat-finished silver and semi-precious stones, she crafts the keys in a variety of sizes. She also makes antique weapons such as daggers or axes to be worn on leather around the neck.
"Tessa is the idea person in the collective," said member John Ennis.
On his fingers he wears his own David and Goliath rings. The larger one is a solid piece of silver with an inlaid cabochon, a stone that has been shaped and polished but not faceted. It's a guy ring, for sure. Ennis has machine skills and a basic knowledge of metallurgy. He met Schmieg after being hired to renovate his Roberts Creek barn into a cedar-lined studio.
Kadie Peake, another Martopian, makes jewellery that is contemporary in design. She shows her ring with its hinged, rectangular lid suitable for keeping secret things, literally at hand.
Like a locket that sits next to the skin, it keeps essential oils warm at body temperature. Peake also makes silver feathers through a process similar to sculpting that does not require a torch, but uses chisels and hammers to create a three dimensional effect. She first came to the Coast for a workshop offered by Rand and Schmieg. They liked her work so much they invited her to visit again, and soon she decided to make a permanent move.
Kaija Heitland is a tattoo artist as well as a silversmith. Her intricate designs can be seen on some of the members' arms. She also makes jewellery in an art nouveau style using her favourite stone, tourmaline, and she lives her art proudly with her visible tattoos, piercings and pendulous earrings.
All of them are able to act as Schmieg's hands whenever necessary.
"It's important for me to work with other people," he explains. The group agrees. "We're a circle of artists. We all stand alone, but we're awesome standing together."
