Jane Savage I am an artist working in Book Arts, painting and sculpture as well as academically, exhibiting in the UK and abroad and currently completing a doctorate. My work is inspired by the concept that gold symbolises light and life. I like to use the glowing reflective surface of gold leaf to make artwork filled with wonder and warmth. Collecting driftwood and ephemera from the beaches near where I live, in some of my pieces I use gold to highlight and honour objects from nature. My pathway as an artist comes from a Book Arts background so many of my pieces tread the line between conceptual, innovative book forms and sculptural installation. Influenced by wabi-sabi from the past and sustainability for the future I make use of found, recycled, humble and perishable materials which somehow complement and make more beautiful the preciousness of the gold. In my work I seek to evoke a sense of wonder, to create a moment when our senses are arrested and we are held in awe by dazzling golden light. The piece I have created for the Gaia exhibition, Gaia, Disco Solare (2021) takes the idea that Gaia is the mother of all life and light sustains it. Referencing ancient worship of the sun with gold sun discs, this piece, a 33cm diameter gold leaf disc, uses the angle of a room to allow its surfaces to reflect off each other and throw golden light out into the space around it. I aspire in my work to offer moments of wonder and awe for everyone in everyday life.