THE ARTWORKS FROM SYLVIE ATTARD

Please introduce yourself to our readers. How did you become interested in jewellery, and what inspires your work?
My name is Sylvie Attard aka Flavy and I am the creator of the brand - Flavy Art. I make one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry made of precious metal wire and gemstones for luxury home decoration. When I was a child, I was hypersensitive and lonely, gifted for literature, philosophy, ancient Greek, piano and art in general. I felt so different that integrating into society seemed impossible. After a professional career in tourism then in export, I still had serious communication problems and it made me sick.., it gripped me inside. So I changed my life or rather it was manual work which has imposed itself to me. I started creating jewellery. Creating with my hands emptied my head and plunged me into a state of euphoria, even trance that I had never experienced before. In 2015, I started to make paintings and artworks (or “huge jewellery”) thanks to disability. Indeed, an operation of the spine left me with a heavy handicap to manage. But after 2 years in a wheelchair, I managed to find ways to make artworks in an almost vertical position. This is how my Brand Flavy Art was born, celebrating my rebirth.

How would you describe yourself as an artist, jeweller and sculptor?
I was always told that I have an artist soul. My hypersensitivity has become an asset and my creativity the lifeblood. I can finally communicate, put all my heart, my doubts, my questions, my joys and my hopes into my works. For 20 years now, I have been creating with the same happiness and always the same fervour.

How did you get into jewelry making as opposed to another creative outlet like painting or sculpture?
I like painting especially the mixed-media but my favorite medium remains the mineral and the metallic wire art. The alliance of the earth and the metal, the sense of touch, the 3D work, the rigour it requires, all this makes me vibrate.

At what point did you realize that you wanted to become a jewellery designer?
For sure, when I met the master artisan in the USA. It was a decisive meeting for the rest of my career. He passed on to me the love of work well done, the precision, and the taste for challenge.

What led to your interest in art jewellery and metalsmithing?
Gemology and metallic wire work. Minerals because I have been a gemologist at heart since I was a child. The beauty of Mother Nature and the diversity of the mineral world never cease to amaze me. Metal wire art because it offers a multitude of techniques : crocheting, weaving, netting, sewing of fine gold and silver threads, fork lace, beading, embroidery with gold thread, hammering, patina on metals, transformation of fine grids of metal to achieve a fabric effect and touch.

What does your creative process look like??
I work with a network of lapidaries that I have known for years and which cut gemstones wonderfully. Thanks to them, I have a huge selection of gemstones. I select the stones that attract me instinctively and immediately I know what I will do with them. When the lapidaries cut beautiful specimens of stones, they also offer them to me. It's a two-way job where everyone wins. Other times, for custom work (with designers for example) I make a sketch and I have the gemstones cut to measure to meet a specific request. In the 2 cases, I make a sketch and then I adapt the techniques to be used for the setting of the stones and the wire work 3D work requires technique and aesthetics as well. Each piece is a real challenge. And that's what allows me to surpass myself.

How do you get started on a new piece?
I always start from a drawing and dream of projects. It's curious but that's the way it is. My imagination is very pictorial and intense. Nature inspires me enormously and everything that surrounds me such as architectural elements, geometric shapes.

How do you know when it’s “finished?”
When I have expressed everything and in my opinion there is nothing more to add or to remove. It's very sensitive.

What excites you about the art jewellery field?
This is before an infinite possibility of creation and all the great diversity of techniques used. I wouldn't have enough of a lifetime to learn and achieve everything.

What message, if any, do you hope to convey through your work?
With commitment, you can overcome everything and turn your weaknesses into strengths. Even if you don't know how to express yourself or if you don't dare, you can let your heart speak. Sincerity is all that matters and I think the audience feels it very well. Many times, customers have cried with emotion when they see my works and that's the best gift they can give me

What do you hope people will see in your jewellery?
The heart, the light, the sincerity, the taste for life.

What are your future plans for your jewellery and sculptural artwork?
I am always looking for collaboration with interior designers and with the haute couture community for custom projects. I want to work with the Middle East and I plan to participate in "Downtown Design" in Dubai next year. My last collaboration with Dacryl, designer of synthetic crystal panels was a revelation because working with 4 hands opens multiple horizons where each one is enriched by the world of the other. I love it.

Where to Purchase Sylvie Attard 's Jewellery
Live directly from my workshop or from the website of my brand Flavyart - www.flavyart.com. You can also e-mail me at sylvie.flavyart@gmail.com