Frances Allison
Seesaw Ring
Silver, plastic, paint, concrete
1998

Daffodil Ring
Silver, 9ct white gold, plastic, paint, concrete
1998

Artist's Statement
[Walking back through where the homeless slept in cardboard boxes, I passed someone huddled in a grubby sleeping bag. Against the concrete, the full moon shone on a single daffodil placed in a bottle beside the sleeper.]

As I made these rings I thought about pathos, about beauty in hardship, about balance, about the precarious balancing act of life with a small son, teaching, work, lack of time, the preciousness of our home.

Since the birth of my son I've spent a lot of time looking at children's toys. There's something hellishly attractive about a bright piece of plastic. My pot plants are combinations of bits borrowed from toys, added to and adapted. I enjoy combining plastic with precious materials, it goes against all my training.

Then there's the attractive miniature nature of some toys: talismans.

My own memories of charm bracelets are sweet.