Dakota Morris

Dakota Morris is a Metalsmith born and raised in Denver Colorado. He received his BFA in Jewelry and Metalsmithing from Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2018. His work heavily focuses on the unseen beauty often inspired by natural forms of fungi and decay. As a young child he collected bone fragments and dead insects to further understand the natural world and the wonders hidden in the everyday.

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Cordyceps Mushroom Crown

Year: 2018

Medium: Electroform Copper, Polymer Clay, And 9 Citrine Stones

Size: 23" diameter

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Lucia Pendant

Year: 2017

Medium: Natural Cast Pine cone in Antique Bronze, silver bezel and Labradorite stone. Connected with waxed cord.

Size: 25" chain with 1″diameter pendant

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Nautical Forms

Year: 2017

Medium: Antique Bronze and Silver

Size: Ring Sizes 7, 5, 4

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Marble Rings

Year: 2016

Medium: Copper, Glass Marblel, Silver

Size: 1″ long and size 8 ring

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Bloody Tooth Fungus Pendant

Year: 2016

Medium: Copper, Cloisonne Enamel, Silver

Size: 2.5" diameter

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Shun Proof Glasses

Year: 2016

Medium: Brass

Size: 5″ by 5″

Additional details

As an introvert I force myself to look into peoples eyes, causing discomfort for myself and I fear the other person. This fear of rejection or aversion in social circumstances inspired me to create the Shun proof Glasses.  These glasses act as a barrier for the wearer and the viewer allowing for stress free communication.

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Jewelers Tissue

Year: 2016

Medium: Copper, Enamel and white CZ

Size: 3" by 2"

Additional details

Addressing the dangers of being a jeweler in the past and present, I chose to create a used tissue with jewelry materials.  The colors covering the copper are achieved using different types of enameling and acid etching of the enamel to create a visually soft texture.  contained inside the work is a single shattered cubic zirconia.

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Nesting Salt and Pepper Shakers

Year: 2015

Medium: Hydraulic formed copper

Size: 2 Pieces 3 in in Diameter, and 1 inch thick.

Additional details

Using the forms of pepper corns as inspiration I created an outward appearance as a representation of the contents within. This is functional work.

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Davinci’s Bird

Repoussue formed sculpture

Year: 2015

Medium: Copper

Size: 6in high, 9 inch wide, 4 in long

Additional details

Using the form inspired by Da Vinci I created a bird like miniature sculpture, I repoussed and chased the wings and soldered square copper wire akin to an airplane fuselage. I used domed brass pieces to cap the ends.

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Similar Bodies

Year: 2015

Medium: White Bronze and Copper Plated Brass

Size : 7 ring size

Additional details

Nesting ring, cast the brass ring first using the cuttlebone casting technique, I then made a silicon mold of that ring and wax injected a duplicate, I smoothed the wax removing the cuttlebone texture. Then I heated up the brass ring and placed it on top of the wax to create a perfect fit. These two rings are the exact same form with drastically different textures that fit together. I wanted the rings to have very similar colors while also experimenting with different metals and how they cast. Copper plating happens naturally to brass when casts and is easily removed though I kept it for its beauty and contrast.

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Earth Wound

Year: 2015

Medium: Recycled Copper, White Bronze, Black and white CZ

Size: 3 Pieces ranging from 3" by 2" to 1" by .5"

Additional details

I used cotton balls and dipped them in hot wax and subsequent ice baths. Double-cast white bronze cubes as well as inset cubic zirconia, black CZ 20mm diameter, and 4 white CZ 5mm diameter. This is a double cast stone inset Pendant. I was exploring alternative casting and experimenting with this technique to develop an organic jagged form to reinforce the uglier side of jewelry, the strip mining and destruction of habitats for stones and metal that can easily be manufactured in a lab or recycled from junkyards at a fraction of the cost to living beings.

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Neckpiece

Year

2013

Medium: Brass, Copper, Nickel Silver, Jasper Pho-Coral

Size: 8 " diameter, 5 " tall

Additional details

Inspired By Milan Nenezic’s The end painting. Prong and bezel set stones, and Jewelers hinge. I created a painful neck-piece for a painful painting. The choker demands very elongated posture when worn as it jabs into the wearers collarbones and has sharp metal pieces from the hing that pinch at the throat when removed.

Inspiration:https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-The-End/175492/1566801/view