State of Flux Workshop
State of Flux Workshop is a workshop, gallery and retail space dedicated to contemporary jewellery and objects. Run collaboratively by its five members and situated within the Salamanca Arts Centre precinct in nipaluna/Hobart, the space operates as a studio and retail environment creating a hub for connection, support and engagement within the community of contemporary art and jewellery in Tasmania. Members Jane Hodgetts, Anna Weber, Emma Bugg, Gabbee Stolp and Trudi Brinckman each maintain their independent practices within the studio. The workshop provides an industrious setting to create, exhibit and sell their work whilst also encouraging direct, personal connections with their audience. Visitors are welcome to engage with them in the gallery space and you may just be able to witness some making first hand. State of Flux Workshop do not offer classes but instead host exhibitions and artist talks featuring local, interstate and international practitioners. They connect with the broader national and international contemporary jewellery community as well as engaging with artists, studios and galleries. Feel free to check out their next offering here and mark them on the map for your next Tasmanian adventure.
Sue Beardman
Welcome to the next iteration of Crafted Stories - a series dedicated to the makers, creatives and minds shaping contemporary jewellery. This edition features Sue Beardman: a practitioner of contemporary jewellery, objects and small sculptures. Sue has generously shared thoughts from within her established practice and deeper insights into her work ‘Fractured Landscapes – New Pathways’, allowing reflection on the importance of research, community and curiosity - where each piece becomes part of an ongoing dialogue between making, meaning and connection. Name: Sue BeardmanLocation: Living and working on Gadigal country in Sydney's inner westSocial Handle: @sube.form Current favourite material or toolRecent projects have included elements of texturing – so anything within my line of sight that helps with that. Could be emery, files, micromotor attachments, whatever. There’s a lot of testing on scrap.In this vein, friends have asked whether I’d make their wedding bands. What they are seeking may lend itself to some form of hammered mark making. There’s plenty to experiment with and, thankfully, lead time. Each new process takes time to play, practice and get a feel for.This will no doubt change again with the next brief or direction. It’s all learning. Short description of your work style or philosophyI’m interested in how we connect, cope and exist in the world. Most projects come back to that whether at an individual level, with another, in local communities or more broadly. Each of these levels were at play in ‘Fractured Landscapes – New Pathways’. At a more visceral level, my practice explores how ideas translate through design, the material palette and the tactile nature of turning these ideas into physical form. I love how pieces transform and become their own through the different stages of conceptualising, designing and making. It’s also interesting to see threads emerge through different pieces and series of work. Is there a specific tool or material that plays a unique role in this work?In ‘Fractured Landscapes – New Pathways’ I wanted to reflect aspects of the physical landscape – etched trails, burnt hues, dried sticks, clusters of fungi, trails and corridors weaving and connecting as foundations for regeneration. In terms of tools, it was the basics. I wanted the chenier to feel worn so filed the smooth surface. Burrs were used on the interweaving corridors to suggest trails. Oxidising gave the hue. Given the diversity in the landscape, it was a matter of selecting and that came back to design preferences. It would be interesting to bring out the reds and variations in scale.This project was unusual in being a more literal response to a physical environment. The environment is the beautiful, threatened Fitz-Stirlings area in WA’s south west. The words I wrote about the piece speak to childhood memory and to the current work of Bush Heritage Australia. What part of the process do you find most critical to the outcome?Time – not always but often. Time spent conceptualising, researching, drawing, modelling. I’ve learnt this through great teachers and mentors. Although a range of study and life experience has led me to this current field, I’m relatively new to it and want to thank the people at Sydney’s buoyant contemporary jewellery and metalsmithing workshops for nudging me from the joy of a ring in a day to the next thing. Play – most of the time. Play with sketches, models, materials, finishes. And play with words – I write to help distil ideas and inform design development. I’m happy in the thinking and conceptualising space and could stay there. Play helps to move on and opens new possibilities. Connections – so many but here I’m talking about community. Connections made possible through our studios, workshops, exhibition spaces, JMGA, teachers, makers and enthusiasts. A network of relationships that contributes to meaning. Have you experimented with new materials, tools or techniques recently? If not, are there any that you've been considering? I’ve previously used spray paint on metal and have been wanting to try drawing on metal. I’m learning about that process (harder than I’d imagined) and doing tests with texture, paint and pencil. My sister is an exquisite drawer and painter and I’m realising yet again how much embedded knowledge and skill she has, developed through years of practice. She also has incredible observational skills, muscle memory, patience and a light touch – something I’ve always seen and now need to try to channel. ‘Fractured Landscapes – New Pathways’ was selected as a finalist for The Alice Prize 2026 and is on display at Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs until 8th June.
Sally Leung
Welcome to the next iteration of Crafted Stories - a series dedicated to the makers, creatives and minds shaping contemporary jewellery - featuring Sally Leung (she/her) a first generation Hong Kong-born, Australian residing on Gadigal land (Sydney, Australia). Her brand Lyleu Jewellery is driven by a childhood love for horror movies resulting in a lifelong interest in the darker side of nature. Sally has generously invited us into the quietly mystical world of her practice, offering insight into her conceptual drivers and tool choices. Sally noted that jewellery as a choice of medium is part of a conscious effort to remember life's moments, whether pivotal or mundane. For a deeper visual exploration, each collection is accompanied by a lookbook, available on the Lyleu Jewellery website. Name: Sally LeungBrand: Lyleu JewelleryLocation: Gadigal country (Sydney, Australia)Website: https://www.lyleujewellery.com/Social Handle: @lyleujewellery Current favourite material or tool: Kate Wolf and Ferris’ gold wax and Kate Wolf’s micro carvers. I invested in the micro carvers about a year or so ago to do more detailed work. My next addition would be the regular sized carvers by Kate Wolf as well. I can’t recommend the carvers enough. They’re worth it! Short description of your work style or philosophy: I find inspiration from horror movies, mythology, art, nature, and personal experiences. If I feel like I’m having a creative block, I’ll watch my favourite horror movies and just try and sketch something with no particular goal in mind. This process frees up any feeling of hesitation or anxiety about starting something new. Above image from Heavenward - Photography by Britt Murphy How does your creative process influence your day-to-day life?Everything can become a source of inspiration. Being a jeweller makes me notice the jewellery other people are wearing or even just the way someone styles themselves, can sometimes inspire an idea. Watching movies is probably one of the biggest influences on my work, as well as art. Could you describe a recent moment in the studio that sparked a new idea or approach?I’ve had an idea to expand on the Hilt ring, one of my popular ring designs, and play around with scale and shapes based on the main features of this ring. The design was initially inspired by the cross section of a sword, and is quite minimal. I want to expand on this idea and see where the original features can evolve to as I play around with the shapes and scale in wax. I’ve been thinking about revisiting other older designs and updating them with the techniques I know now. This idea has been particularly motivating for me at the moment. Current Projects / Work in Progress Are there any concepts or pieces in progress that you’re particularly excited about?My most recent collection, Nature’s Return, has been a collection in progress that I’m really excited to develop. The concept is about physical human defence mechanisms being handmade, like armour and weaponry, and how plants and animals develop physiological defence mechanisms just through evolution. I’ve always thought of jewellery as “armour” in a way, because of how humans have attached sentimentality and symbolism to jewellery throughout time. Jewellery in ancient times could be thought to have special powers or be cursed, and they were also used to show someone’s social or relationship status. This concept is about combining these hand forged metal wearables with plant and animal physiology to show how we naturally look back at metaphysical concepts and symbols in nature to find meaning in our lives, and then imbue them into the jewellery or clothing we wear. Above image from Nature's Return - Photography by Sally Leung How do you decide which ideas to develop next?I look at what I’ve done before and what is missing from those concepts. I usually have an idea brewing in my mind for a while, and if I don’t manage to flesh that out for one collection, I try again in the next. As a result I think each collection has shown signs of the one that comes after. Sometimes I go really far back and I can remember what I was trying to do in another collection that I didn’t have the technical skills for at the time and try to rethink it and apply what I know now to it. That applies to both technical skills and conceptual ideas. I also apply just a general feeling that I’ve had in that period of my life and try to make something that feels expressive of that or empowering in some way. Are you experimenting with new materials, tools, or techniques at the moment?Hand engraving has always been a dream of mine. I have started to put together some engraving tools and instructional books, or look for tutorials online to get me started. It’s really hard. But I’m determined to just get good at straight lines for now!
Tool Room Spotlight: Genevieve Morrow
We are delighted to congratulate Genevieve Morrow, our inaugural Tool Room Spotlight recipient - an artist whose practice exemplifies how the right tools can meaningfully transform outcomes at the bench. As the People’s Choice Award winner for Review. React. Respond., presented in collaboration with JMGA NSW, Genevieve’s work resonated strongly with audiences for its clarity, intention, and evolving technical confidence. To support this next phase of her practice, we were proud to gift Genevieve a considered selection of professional tools designed to refine accuracy and elevate finish. Arriving at Tool Room as a guest maker, Genevieve was guided with care by Studio Manager Deanna Wawn and welcomed not only into our workshop, but into our wider community. This exchange - between maker, mentor, tools, and space - is central to what we stand for. When the Right Tools Transform ResultsHer selection included a full range of sandpaper rolls, precision saw blades, a brass brush for cleaning post-solder surfaces and essential finishing tools. Each chosen to support control, consistency and longevity in her making process. Most notably, Genevieve’s wax work has levelled up. With the addition of micro-carvers, reamers, wax wires, and ring templates, she now approaches sizing, sculpting, and casting with greater confidence and freedom. These tools have opened new possibilities, allowing ideas to move fluidly from concept to form. With the right tools at hand, ideas move confidently into outcome. Cleaner edges. Sharper detail. A more refined finish emerging in each piece. That is exactly what Tool Room is about. See below some of the tools that help Genevieve transform ideas into beautifully crafted pieces.