Pegasus Necklace

NECKLACE: silver, oxidised silver and freshwater pearls

Last week I had this design, the Pegasus Necklace, accepted for sale in the Hidden Art E-Shop (www.hiddenartlondon.co.uk, go to 'shop', search for my name under 'designer-makers') according to their strict selection criteria. I am very pleased to have my work available for sale through such a prestigious organisation, and hope to submit more designs in the future, so will keep you posted!

The wing pendant is silver that has been given a black/dark grey surface finish via the process of oxidation, using liver of sulphur. The dark finish makes for a more dramatic and striking design, and enables the engraved feather design to show up more clearly. The pearls are an unusual flat shape, roughly square in form, and I like the way that the positioning of the holes in the pearls means that when strung together they sit on alternate sides of the strand. This piece developed from the small sculptural unicorn/pegasus piece that I talked about earlier on this season (pictured at the bottom of the page).

Christmas is coming!

RING: silver bird perched on a gold band

Work has suddenly picked up pace as Christmas is now approaching- I don't know where the last few months have gone, it seems like we've gone straight from the end of August to November! I am working on a few private commissions at the moment, with all of them at different stages in their completion, from the most recent one still being at the design stage, to a necklace which is just awaiting a final polish when it is returned from being hallmarked. Although most clients approach me for Christmas commissions in good time, there always seems to be at least one person who leaves it until a week before Christmas; I always try to take on even last-minute commissions (where possible!) but in these cases the person usually needs to be warned that it may not be ready in time for Christmas day!

I have been out and about looking at some of the Christmas decorations already on sale, I like to pick up the occasional more unusual piece, but you usually seem to have to wade through a huge amount of less 'interesting' pieces to find them! I seem to be drawn to bird and deer motifs, and bird shapes have also appeared in some of my jewellery designs. Over the last few years I have also acquired a selection of variously sized clear glass baubles which have ended up staying out all year, hanging in a bunch from a shelf- they are far too nice to only have out once a year!

Well I am going to get back to work now polishing a few finished pieces, so 'bye until next time.

Hidden Art

Hello! I have added a link to the Hidden Art website in the left hand column of this page. Hidden Art is an organisation devoted to the promotion of contemporary art and design in the UK, and the website contains a directory of members (designer-makers working in a variety of disciplines) as well as an e-shop. If you have an interest in contemporary craft and design (including ceramics, furniture, textiles, jewellery etc) this site is well worth a look, as is the E-shop if you are in search of unusual, well designed christmas presents (yes, its that time of year again!). As a member I have set up a directory page with my profile, photos of work etc which can be found by clicking on the link www.hiddenartlondon.co.uk/designermakers , selecting 'jewellery' in the left hand navigation bar, and then clicking on my name.

Banksy Exhibition

This picture was part of the Banksy exhibition in Bristol Museum which I visited at the end of August. Part of the exhibition consisted of just Banksy's work, and the rest was displayed throughout the museum, mixed in with the other exhibits, making it a challenge to try to spot all of the pieces! This painting was hung amongst some of the Museum's permanent collection of pictures. I try to visit a wide range of exhibitions (style/medium/artist) when possible, and find that although they don't directly influence my designs, they stimulate my imagination and creativity. Despite the long queue (and resulting three hour wait!) the Banksy exhibition was definitely worth the visit!

Cocoons and threads

LEFT: silk cocoons, gold thread and leather cord with silver fastening. RIGHT: silk cocoons, gold thread, red rubber and leather cord

I have been looking at the use of threads in some work lately and have referred back to these two necklaces that I made earlier in the year. I have aquired some stiff cotton whipping twine (used by sailors) and am looking at ways of incorporating it into a piece with silver and pearls, partly inspired by the ancient Greek legend of Arachne. Arachne was famous for weaving and tapestries, and was turned into a spider by the goddess Athena after challenging her to a weaving competition; Arachne's work was faultless and made Athena jealous.

I am drawn to using small amounts of the colour red in my work at the moment, so will be using red twine to contrast with the pale pearls and silver. I will let you know how it goes!

Silk Necklace

I saw this lovely rich blue silk and had to make something with it! The material is an amazing colour when seen in sunlight, like the irridescent blue in the eye of peacock tail-feathers, and the textured design enhances this effect. The design consists of 18 different pieces which were individually cut and sewn before being pieced together; the piece proved to be surprisingly time consuming to make, although I am pleased with the result!

New work

Hello all, and welcome to my blog! I am currently working on a new collection of pieces which have been inspired by some of the ideas and imagery presented in myths and legends (particularly ancient Greek and Roman) and traditional fairytales (both western and eastern). As well as sketches I often produce small mixed-media pieces and/or maquettes when working on ideas for new work, and above are pictures of two such pieces produced whilst developing my current ideas. The work then evolves from ideas, techniques or shapes seen in these forms to become fully fledged jewellery designs.

In Greek mythology Pegasus, the winged horse, was born from the blood that fell from the Gorgon Medusa when she was slain by Perseus. Pegasus then flew off to live with the muses on mount Helicon. The idea of the Unicorn historically appeared in works of natural history rather than mythology, with elaborate descriptions of the creatures appearing in medieval bestiaries. Unicorns were often depicted with some goat- or deer-like features (a beard, cloven hooves), and their horn was believed to possess magical properties by many cultures. I have also been investigating Indian folk stories, and looking at the depiction of myths and legends in medieval tapestries.