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ERNESTO OVALLE
MEDIUM: JEWELLERY
BASED: AUCKLAND CITY
Ernesto Ovalle is a Master Goldsmith and Sculptor originally from Bogota, Colombia. He moved to New Zealand in the late 90’s and found it quite an ‘environmental’ shock for someone who grew up in the concrete jungle of Bogota. “All the nature moved my mind in a different way”.
Ernesto comes from a family of Jewelers and Watch Makers. His grandfather and uncles were all jewelers and the knowledge, experience and expertise of working with different metals that has been passed down through the generations to Ernesto is now being passed onto his son, Sebastian. Ernesto added to his family training with a Master of Fine Arts in Bogota and he has also studied alongside Peter Minturn in New Zealand.
Ernesto cleverly integrates nature into his fine jewellery with some pieces created using white Ammonite, Paua shell and grains of black sand cast in resin. He gives a second life to the New Zealand Copper Penny by incorporating it into rings. Ernesto also offers a range of contemporary Greenstone.
This versatile Artist can show his love for the West Coast through his creations. “I love to recreate the land in my pieces, the gorgeous simplicity of grains of black sand from Muriwai with Ammonite or Paua” |