Texas designer Charity Ridpath makes sculptural jewelry from clear, single-use plastics as remarkably diverse as bubblewrap and produce bags.
Artist: Born in Lubbock, Ridpath grew up in Austin. As a kid, she was crafty, teaching herself embroidery, knitting and basket weaving.
At Texas State University, where she earned a BFA in studio arts/metal in 2018, Ridpath started working in single-use plastics and jewelry. A full-time artist, she is a forever student, taking new classes each year. The artist lives and works out of a home studio in Austin.
Art & materials: Jewelry made from single-use plastics, including bubblewrap, grocery bags, plastic scraps and produce bags.
Her work has been described as ethereal and ephemeral. She describe it as light traps.
“I love playing with light and using the clear or nearly clear plastics,” said Ridpath. “They can almost become glass-like.”
What’s popular: Moth in Flight Earrings ($35).
Other favorites: Basalt Series ($40 to $200).
Favorite or most-used tools: Scissors.
Inspirations:
- Nature in general, but especially fungi and geology.
- Installation artists, such as Theaster Gates, who use the cultural meaning of materials to communicate ideas.
- Ecological-minded land artist Agnes Denes.
Fun or special commissions: A ring that looked like a brooch sample that she previously had made. The bubble wrap sculpture was made to look like columnar basalt.
“It was so much fun to revisit an older design and fall in love with it all over again,” said Ridpath, adding: “I love commissions. They often inspire me to make new work.”
Recent awards/honors: Many including:
- Emerging Artist Cohort, American Craft Council. 2021.
- Virtual talk: “Year of Plastic,” for Ladysmiths of ATX/Sip & Smith, 2021.
- Published in Jewelry and Metals Survey Vol. 3, Society of North American Goldsmiths. 2020.
- “Craft Optimism,” a virtual exhibition, curated by The Smithsonian Women’s Committee, 2020.
What’s next: Teaching a new online class (June 5-June 26) on how she fuses plastic film and creates 3-D sculptures like her bubble wrap mineral series. See website for details.
Where to buy: charityridpath.com
Get social:
- Instagram: @deartoday
- Pinterest: @charityridpath
