CPM client Aleks Ashton is an up-and-coming creative who is most certainly on track to make a name for herself. Winner of this year’s PPC Imaginarium Award in the jewellery design category, she is a student of the Liz Loubser Jewellery School and also owns her own brand – Night Shine Candy.
Aleks took part in the PPC Imaginarium Awards for the first time last year, securing the runner-up prize for her entry titled “Cyberglyph”. The piece is a modern-day, abstracted rendition of the Rosetta Stone, in necklace form. Influenced by Ancient Egyptian pectoral necklaces and collars, its style is clean and elegant with a funky twist. Part of what makes this a remarkable piece is Aleks’ thoughtfulness and attention to detail. The ancient writing forms depicted on the original Rosetta Stone have been replaced here by silver elements deconstructed from logos of contemporary computer programming languages. After such a positive first encounter with the Awards, she wanted to make “something fabulous” for 2018’s submission.
“Concrete is a very rewarding medium to work with. At the core of the competition is a desire to see concrete used in technically and aesthetically innovative ways. I gave myself a good deal of time to play and experiment with all sorts of mixes and techniques. I also made sure to ask folks at Cemcrete for technical advice.” Diligent and determined, she took the feedback to heart and applied what she’d learnt from her past experience to create 2018’s winning entry.
The piece – christened “Tiara of the Heart and Head” – utilises a glass fibre reinforced mix called Texcrete, combined with crushed Azurite, Turquoise and Lepidolite and applied onto a base of woven brass wire. Aleks used sterling silver for all the metal accents and finished it off with a sea-green velvet ribbon. In keeping with her characteristic attention to detail, she went the extra mile and also made a set of sterling silver bobby pins just for this Tiara.
The design, inspired by neurons and capillaries, is a celebration of the physiology of life. “My mother is a wonderful cardiologist and I have a master’s degree in research psychology. Over the years we have had many conversations about psychological wellbeing and its impact on cardiac health and vice versa.” As for the form it took, she exclaims: “I couldn’t think of anything more fabulous than a Tiara!”
Aleks is quick to credit her teacher from the Liz Loubser Jewellery School and other people as sources of her inspiration. “Marchand Van Tonder and the designers at Tinsel Gallery (next door to the School) are phenomenal artists and it is invigorating to experience their work on a regular basis.”
Her humility is admirable but it’s plain to see that her playful curiosity combined with an academic mind and keen eye are crucial contributors to her successes.
“I feel a need to celebrate life, or the things that make life worth living. Often these are the small experiences that are surprisingly easy to overlook: the details in the colour of a favourite scarf, the texture of bark and the pattern in a pavement… Art is everywhere.”
She attends classes twice a week and says she would miss out on the “injection of enthusiasm” she gets from the learning environment if she only worked from home. Aleks is currently developing the digital presence of her company Night Shine Candy, and creating collections for the launch of its online store in September. “PPC Imaginarium is dedicated to the promotion of the contributing designers on social and print media as well as in a series of gallery exhibitions and expos. Their enthusiasm has played a big role in convincing me to face the wild world of Instagram.”
The prize money has been banked for sensible use, but she admits she has “put a chunk aside to splurge on new delicious gemstones at the Gemstone and Crystal Annual Fair”. Given that this is a stock investment into her business, we hardly think it’s a splurge!
With a level head balanced by creative flair and the ability to follow a brief, this young designer is certainly on track for great success. We see many satisfied clients in the future and wish her all the best!
Aleks says:
If you are thinking about joining the competition, do it. I never learnt as much as I did when I worked on the pieces for the competition. Entering PPC Imaginarium will push you beyond your comfort zone and give you the space to immerse yourself in exploration and innovative design.
I welcome you to come check out Night Shine Candy Jewelry online. I put regular updates and behind the scenes photos on my Facebook account.
I am having a blast curating a delightfully colourful Instagram feed with photos from my works in progress, travels, accidental art and the obligatory but ever satisfying cat photos.
Aleks may be also contacted at aleks@nightshinecandy.com