Mary Preston

Mary Preston's current work reinterprets what’s familiar and formal in the lace bow as used in historical jewelry, whether in a sentimental 17th century lover’s knot, a tie for a floral corsage, a jeweled, enameled ribbon imitating a detail of fabric trim, or simply a starched, ironed ribbon sewn to the bodice of a dress.

Much like ribbon itself, my brooches begin as two dimensional planes of metal—flat patterns with eyelet edges.  But unlike the distinctive and methodical tying of a bow, my works involve a calculated chaos, formed by hand into seemingly random clusters. 

The resulting knots and tangles, while reminiscent of ribbon, remain untamable and unruly, each embodying its own spontaneous gesture.