About the Artists
Queenstown Goldsmiths is the creative partnership of Erica and Aidan Stanley — goldsmiths, makers, and life partners whose work is deeply rooted in place, material, and meaning.
Together, we built our home with our own hands in the woods of New Brunswick, where we live with our son and our dog. The rhythms of slow living shape everything we do — from the organic garden that feeds us, to the daily walks that ground us, to the careful craft of each ring, pendant, or sculpture that leaves our studio.
Our work is a reflection of how we live: intentional, tactile, and attuned to the natural world. We believe in making things that last. In repurposing heirloom gold. In experimenting with colour, form, and fire through techniques like enameling and forging. And in sharing what we know through workshops that invite others into the joy of making.
Erica is drawn to materiality, to the play of colour in enamel, and to the quiet conversations between craft and place. Her background in sculpture, teaching, and gardening feeds her artistic practice in both small-scale jewellery and larger installations.
Aidan brings a rare blend of skill, sensitivity, and problem-solving to his bench. A creative and intuitive maker, he can fix or build anything — and often does. Whether he's setting stones under a microscope or fabricating a complex setting from scratch, his work is rooted in precision and care.
Queenstown Goldsmiths is not just our studio — it's our life’s work. Built with intention. Grown with love. Made to be passed on.
Erica Stanley
Erica Stanley is an artist, goldsmith, educator, and arts advocate living along the beautiful Wolastoq River, in New Brunswick. Stanley’s artistic practice serves as a means of experiencing, understanding, and honouring the natural world around her, and has shown in various galleries, including the Beaverbrook Art Gallery. She has taught at Nunavut Arctic College, the NB College of Craft and Design, and currently runs Queenstown Goldsmiths with her husband, Aidan Stanley. Slow living is her form of rebellion against mass-produced consumerist culture, and she aims to bring humanity back into the process and objects she creates. She gives great thanks to ArtsNB for their support, and dedication to the arts.
Fundy National Park, NB
May - Sept 2023
Beneath the Surface c/o CraftNB
City Gallery, Saint John Arts Centre
Nov 1 - Dec 19, 2024
There are currently fewer than 350 North Atlantic right whales left in the world. Loss of food and habitat, due to climate change and human action, have left this ancient species facing potential extinction. Six brass North Atlantic Right Whales swim, nestled in a protective, sacred vessel, formed by hand from recycled copper. The whales, sitting at a cliff edge, look outwards towards their feeding grounds. Copper forms echo out from the central bowl, alluding to the calls of the whales, and a call to action towards ecological decisions and their positive reverberating consequences.
