Part of a 2005 exhibit asking artisans to respond to the Iraq war, this piece is a grim yet appropriate reminder of what conflict can mean.

Clark has long had a sculptural intent to his jewellery. This 1973 review shows that he maintained the same aesthetic: William Clark’s jewelry is not mere ornament; nor does its esthetic stem from the needs of the conservatively bejeweled.  These pieces speak of a totally contemporary vision, socially and artistically.  William Clark brings to his work the influence of goldsmiths in a marketplace in Saudi Arabia where he lived for a few years.  Clarks’ life and work experiences  — as sailor, fisherman, mechanic and laborer  —  all have a place in his concepts and images.  Many pieces stem from a social or political consciousness.  Clark carries the ideas over superbly through technical skill with materials, choice of appropriate common symbols  —  which in some instances are words —  and a sense of humor.

More information about Clark, who has been widely exhibited and collected, can be found on the Velvet da Vinci site.