Ingrid Verhoeven » Fashion in Belgium

MY STORY

My work is influenced by the colors and shapes that I enjoy having around me. I like the precision and craftsmanship so many objects and art pieces – past and present – are made with. I also find pleasure in the playful and ordinary things I encounter in everyday life. This combination of playfulness and precise technique can be found in my collections.
Earlier work clearly communicates my affection for Modernism and Constructivism. And although gradually my work has become gentler and more female, still today these schools remain sources of inspiration. Both images are compilations of ‘sketches’ I made throughout the years. The picture also contains a favourite painting, in small print, of Wassily Kandinsky.
All rings, bracelets and necklaces, made in the workshop after March 2012, are marked with this graphic logo.

The jewelry is designed and produced in the private workshop in Antwerp. Some pieces, like the paper pieces, lacquered dots, rings and bracelets, take a few weeks to finish because they need time to dry and harden.

Important for me, and fun, is the research I do. Throughout the years I collected (and continue to do so) images of Art and Applied Art of favourite Artists. This study helped to build up a personal graphical style.

I do sometimes look at other (antique) jewelry, but my main sources of inspiration lay elsewhere.

The second step in the design process is sketching. Not only by making tests in metal, as shown above, but also by drawing and writing about the work

Besides working with classical materials like silver and gold, I look for other ways of bringing print and color into my jewelry. This often results in working with ‘ordinary’ office supplies, such as vintage Dymo tapes and Letratone prints, the latter were used a lot by graphic designers and architects in the Eighties. I also use ink, paint, markers and dry color pigments.

These non-common materials and various sources of inspiration, form a base for my work.