B I O G R A P H Y Ayesha Mayadas was born in Calcutta, India and moved to Rochester, NY at the age of fifteen. After a thirteen-year career as a textile engineer, she gave in to her passion for metals and decided to dedicate herself to it full time. In 1997, she joined the Rochester Institute of Technology to pursue a Master’s in Metals. Ayesha’s initial interest in art was focused on traditional silversmithing, but she eventually turned the techniques of hammering and forming to more sculptural and abstract vessels made in copper, silver and steel. The shapes she created were her interpretation of the handprint that water leaves on our landscape as it traverses. For water to do its work, it must always be moving. Movement and fluidity were key elements of these initial sculptures and remain so in her work today. Today, the techniques she uses in her jewelry are miniature versions of those she used to create her sculptures. Her wearable pieces in silver, gold, and platinum are inspired by nature and are like small tactile sculptures offering glimpses into nature: the ripple of water, the fullness of a raindrop, the broken edge of a dried leaf. The wearable pieces in silver, gold and platinum that Ayesha creates pay meticulous attention to line. The character and direction of a line has the power to communicate emotion and states of mind, and the quality of a line is equal to an artist’s signature. For Ayesha, this line can be best expressed in her work through techniques of metal forming and shaping. For this reason, the hammer remains her favorite tool in the studio. Line, along with form, weight and balance are key components that ensure a piece of jewelry resonates with the human form. Ayesha works with assistants, but actively designs and makes pieces at her jeweler’s bench.