Meet Kristina

Kristina Merchant, originally from Perth, has recently moved back to her hometown after years in Glasgow. Her diverse work background—shop assistant, customer service advisor, and bartender—has sharpened her awareness of the world around her, influencing her artistic practice, which explores discarded cultural objects.

Before studying at The Glasgow School of Art (2022), Kristina pursued contemporary art at Perth College (2013), where she experimented with different mediums and became fascinated by Land Art. Inspired by Andy Goldsworthy’s technique of using natural materials that leave no lasting trace, she took part in a residency on the Isle of Skye (Sleat, 2021), creating temporary works from discarded materials that naturally reintegrated with the environment.

Now back in Perth, Kristina is expanding her artistic research, with a focus in 2025 on searching for found amber along her journeys and celebrating how it can seen as a precious material in contemporary jewellery pieces. She’s broadening her practice into new forms, drawing from her experience in contemporary visual art and jewellery.

Recently, Kristina gained a wealth of knowledge from exhibiting at Goldsmiths’ Fair, deepening her understanding of the business side of Kmercht. With fresh insight and inspiration, she’s excited to take the leap into new creative and professional ventures.

“Utilising a sanding machine and a pendant drill, I carefully craft brooches to resemble cigarette filters, drawing inspiration from traditional amber smoking pipes. I explore similar carving techniques with bone and amber in my artistic process. Ground waste amber is thoughtfully used to fill in as tobacco. The Marlboro Gold cigarette receives a meticulous touch with a 24ct gold coating applied through Keum-boo. I take silver, thinly roll it, oxidize it, and manipulate it to evoke the appearance of burnt or wrinkled paper. “

“What I've learned about my practice is that it’s a material exploration. I find the object that inspires the piece first, and then I decide how I'm going to make it. Figuring out how to create very realistic objects was the main challenge. I learned a lot about the material properties of amber whilst creating this collection. It's a very brittle material that breaks easily, and young amber is sticky and chewy, whilst older amber is more firm and powdery. “

Kristina’s artist style is conceptual and contemporary. It’s inspired by land art and her life. Self taught carver and lapidarist Kristina uses still life objects, as direct reference.

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