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In the Spotlight

1st December 2015 – 9th January 2016

 

Inspiring jewellery created from a variety of materials including silver, gold, enamel, patterned plastic and pattinated copper as well as small sculptural keepsake items made from ceramic, etched copper and silver.  6 makers come together in this annual showcase of some of the most talented makers in the UK today.  Featuring work by Nancy Pickard, Esme Parsons, Sophie Currie, Morna Darling, Chris Boland and Elizabeth Campbell.

 

Nancy Pickard

Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Nancy finds the history and landscape of the region a great inspiration, alongside her love of archaeological objects and an admiration for the exquisite work of ancient people who made their pieces with basic equipment.  “I make unique and wearable pieces of jewellery from silver, often using enamels to give the work colour and texture.”  Feeling at home with the use of a small enamel kiln, Nancy feels that the ‘hit & miss’ process of kiln firing adds a spark of life to her jewellery, the originality of the resulting process is also admired as each piece has its own individuality.

 

Esme Parsons

Esme’s handmade jewellery focuses on her rural upbringing in urban landscapes and features shapes and forms of the architecture and the contrasting colours observed in graffiti, billboards and road markings.  “The aim of my collections are to show the beauty of urban environments, which are so often considered to be ugly and brutal.”  Esme is a huge supporter of the crafts having learnt traditional techniques in which she applies to her contemporary collections.  Specialising in oxidised silver and not to mention her admirable vitreous enamels, Esme creates miniature, industrial jewellery contrasting in lively colours and rigid formations to be worn on the body.

Sophie Currie

East Midlands jeweller and metalsmith Sophie Currie, uses a range of processes from the traditional metal spinning to etching.  Metal spinning is more of a ‘dying craft’ that sits between craft and an industrial process of working a disc of metal which is rotated at high speed into a symmetrical part. Sophie’s jewellery focuses on her love of mathematics and fractal patterns found in the cross sections of root smilaxes.  All of her pieces are hand cut from individual etched sheets of silver or copper, showcasing Sophie’s talent of individuality and the time consuming works of a true silversmith.

 

Morna Darling 

“My work is inspired by fabrics and clothing.  I am interested in representing the qualities of cloth such as layering, threading, folding and the patterns found within it.  Pattern making is hugely important in my process and I am fascinated with the structural repeated elements of fabric and how to emulate these in my jewellery.  Repetition and rhythm is a recurring theme in my designs and drawings and the repeated actions I use to make my pieces, such as piercing out a large number of rectangles on silver.  Morna’s experimentation with a combination of plastic, silver and copper allows a playful exploration in creating the properties of textiles.  With aspects of the material, her work involves a range of precious and non-precious materials and processes.

 

Chris Boland

Chris’s bold shapes and fascination of inorganic structure stress the unique qualities of gemstones.  “I draw inspiration from surface treatment of architectural metalwork and sculpture, where marks made during construction of the work are allowed to remain or are emphasised.”  Chris’s jewellery remains fundamental and minimal until the construction process whereby complexity is added to his pieces from inaccuracies and layering.  The story and meaning behind the gemstone is of great importance and are always offered to the viewer in a pleasing yet unusual way.  Chris does this by designing beforehand, all stones are natural and untreated giving him the ability to construct around the stone keeping it protected and unique.

 

Elizabeth Campbell

“I am inspired by concepts of balance and exploring the relationship between shape, material and colour.  The importance of balance and the impact of a lack of balance are translated through my work using ceramic, metal and enamel.”  Elizabeth’s innovative approach to combine alternative materials such as lapel pins and vitreous enamel project the individuality and personal beauty in her work.  As well as being unique, her hand carved ceramic 3D sculptural forms are also lightweight and wearable, implying a functional element to her work.

 

Sophie Currie

 

East Midlands jeweller and metalsmith Sophie Currie, uses a range of processes from the traditional metal spinning to etching.  Metal spinning is more of a ‘dying craft’ that sits between craft and an industrial process of working a disc of metal which is rotated at high speed into a symmetrical part. Sophie’s jewellery focuses on her love of mathematics and fractal patterns found in the cross sections of root smilaxes.  All of her pieces are hand cut from individual etched sheets of silver or copper, showcasing Sophie’s talent of individuality and the time consuming works of a true silversmith.

 

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