Bethamy Linton

Silversmith

©Annelie Hanson

©Yasmin.Eghestaadi

Silverwork through the generations

Bethamy works with precious metal jewellery and objects
She creates both functional and conceptual objects
She grew up in the workshop as a fourth-generation silversmith

Based in Perth in Western Australia, Bethamy Linton has been surrounded by the world of silversmithing since her childhood. "My family's workshop was a treasure trove of inspiration," she says. Bethamy undertook an apprenticeship in fine jewellery, before venturing into studies in art and design. With a focus on making, she turned towards silversmithing after her studies. Bethamy is committed to the handcrafted, her process unfolding from designing, sawing, filing, soldering, and finishing—manipulating the raw materials into the final pieces through force and heat. Her creations include a mix of fine jewellery, conceptually driven objects and jewellery, as well as functional silver hollowware and tableware. She makes pieces on commission as well as for her own creative expression. Her approach embodies a long-lens perspective on the act of making experienced through generations.

Interview

©Annelie Hanson

©Annelie Hanson

When did you become familiar with silversmithing?: I grew up in the family workshop with my father and my uncle. While I started working with my dad very early on, initially I wanted to focus on fine jewellery. It was not until after my apprenticeship as a jeweller that I came back to silversmithing.
How does your art link to this history?: At the centre of my work is an exploration of craft and making as tools for expression and personal agency. For example, laying European imagery over Australian motifs, I explore the impact of colonialism and imagine my work as records of a crumbling civilisation.
Does being Australian inspire your craft?: I am physically embedded in the Australian bush that is heavily affected by climate change and bushfires. My work focuses on the Australian natural environment. This connection to place and experience of the natural world forms the primary point of my work's identity.
Have you had any life-changing collaborations?: The Patricia Pigeon Bequest Commission gifted me the time and space to create a full set in service to St George's Anglican Cathedral, in Perth. The client was incredible, and as invested as I was in the pieces being as functional as they were to be beautiful.

Bethamy Linton is a master artisan: she began her career in 1993 and she started teaching in 2011