The artist-jeweler from Norway Liv Bewarp has been making organic and volume designs for almost 30 years. Her jewelry with dynamic wooden forms has earned international acclaim, which grows steadily every year. Liv explains her success with the development of fashion of sculptural forms. But I personally think that she is just too shy. Her works are truly unforgettable.

Blavarp's jewelry has large impressive forms that naturally and elegantly follow the contours of the neck or the wrist. They consist of many small elements combined into a flexible piece. She uses light wood painted in vivid colors for some of her works. Other works are made of dark wood treated only with oil. She mixes painted and dark elements in other works.

For Liv wearing her pieces is a key factor. They must function with the body and she always tries her works by herself and puts them on others during the creation process.

In her opinion, the work should have a sensory appeal. They should provide a new physical experience. When you touch them, emotions must wake up.

But she did not come immediately to the use of wood, the principle of freedom and to jewelry in general.

In 1979, when she was entering the Norwegian College of Arts, Crafts and Design, young Liv wanted to study graphic design. But she did not have enough skills in graphics, Blavarp did not pass the exam and went to the department of metal works. It did not take her long to learn new skills and get involved in this work. Along with classical art education — drawing and sculpture — she learned to work with various metals. Students devoted plenty of time to the development of their own ideas, as the college was open until night and on Saturdays. Liv experimented a lot there, she tried various practical techniques and creative approaches. And most importantly — she learned to build large three-dimensional shapes.

After finishing her studies in Oslo in 1983 Blavarp continued her education in the London's Royal College of Art. She began her work with wood there. In her graduation work she used thin wood veneer elements to frame a composition of metal. Later she continued her experiments with wood and eventually wood become the dominant material in her jewelry. It is interesting that Live was not interested in wood before, although she grew up in a family of carpenters and lived near the studio of her grandfather.

Today the artist lives and works in rural areas of the South-East of Norway, where she came back from Oslo in 1986 to work mostly in her own studio. She is surrounded by a soft, rich landscape, which is dominated by the great lake Mjøsa right in the middle of rich agriculture. This is the place where Liv was born and raised.

Her passion for necklaces began with the opening of the possibilities of wood. Since the size of the necklace perfectly suits this material. "Necklaces are dominant human accessories; the nature of these jewelry powerfully covers the human body, becoming an addition to the look and making a strong statement about its owner," — says the author.

"I really like the sculpture aspect when I create my necklaces; it matches my nature and a sense of volumes. It gives me the opportunity to express my love for organic structures. It pleases the eye and my hands when I touch decorations or trim them."

"I want my jewelry to be similar to the living creatures and balanced for a comfortable fit. I produce figures in such a way that the owner can appreciate the position of the necklace, and thus I change the nature of the decoration according to my taste".

"All the parts must move with the body, and during the process of creating I need to constantly monitor this issue. This is done by fitting the piece on a mannequin, by multiple size adjustment and adding new parts so that the piece can move freely over the shoulders".

But the artist did not immediately come to this philosophy. Necklaces, which she had done before, were solid pieces with no flexibility. They were uncomfortable to wear and uncomfortable to put on.

During the preparation for her first solo exhibition in 1988, a preliminary work has led her to an idea, based on the structural forms created by assembling small parts. By turning from hard items to flexible structure Liv brought the effect of visual flow to her jewelry and got a burst of inspiration for the development of her jewelry.

"I can't always explain everything I do and all the steps that I make in the process. The choice is a matter of intuition. There is often an impulse. We are emotional beings, enjoying the multiple images of the world coming to us, we get inspiration watching, listening or touching".

"Sometimes I have a great material that deserves to use it exactly as it is. If so, I'm trying to find a contrasting combination with other good wood. And sometimes, I do not hesitate to include details in the painted decoration based on natural tones. We do a lot of unexpected things in art. There are no rules. I need to find a key to bright expression, trying and failing. I often paint and repaint many times until I'm satisfied with the result."

"My jewelry is always based on nature. There were periods of animals and birds, the geometry of the organic growth, sometimes the image of works is associated with water".

"When the work comes to a certain point, it begins to explain itself, telling me which direction to go by adding or subtracting. Associations often guide my steps in unpredictable and surprising ways. I really don't think that there is a direct line from what I see to what I'm doing."

Liv advises to "listen to your heart and spend more time in a workshop" to young artists at the beginning of their career.