Anna Maria Pitt

Making connections in metal

• Every day Anna Maria immerses herself in nature
• She enjoys turning an idea into an object
• She uses multiple components to make whole pieces

Anna Maria Pitt began her love affair with silver while polishing her mother’s silverware at the kitchen table for Christmas. It seems fitting that she later had a eureka moment at her own kitchen table with her children. Playing around with component parts, she figured out the construction of one of her signature pieces, the Poppy Bracelet. Since then, her work has embraced design and assembly. She mainly uses a cold connecting technique, working with repeat forms to build up her geometric yet feminine jewellery. Though architectural in style, her work is inspired by natural forms. She has exhibited widely in Europe and completed a residency at the Museum of Design and Applied Arts, Iceland.

Interview

©Anna Maria Pitt

©Hlynur Snaer Andrason

When did you set up your workshop?

Since graduation I’ve had my own workshop. In the UK it was a garden shed, but when we moved back to Iceland I opened a larger studio in the old centre of Reykjavik. It is a beautiful location in the heart of the city with dynamic energy all around it.

How do you express tradition and innovation in your work?

I’m more preoccupied with innovation than tradition. I like to explore new ways of composing my pieces with an open mind. Being curious and adventurous is important for me in my development as an artist and prevents me from feeling boxed in or limited.

Do you master any specific techniques?

The cold connection technique is at the core of my work, where I create large, holistic pieces from assembled parts. I often create multiples which are then layered and connected into a piece. I also incorporate a variety of surface textures into my work.

What might people not normally know about your work?

Because of my aesthetic, people are surprised that everything I make is handmade. We live in an age of mass production and there needs to be an active artisanal counter-culture that challenges that. Every piece I produce is therefore made with love and care.

Anna Maria Pitt is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2012

Works

©Anna Maria Pitt

©Anna Maria Pitt

©Anna Maria Pitt

©Anna Maria Pitt

©Anna Maria Pitt

Where