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June 2023 -
This weekend sure was an adventure! It felt very much that the universe did not want me to be there - my car ended up staying at the garage Monday and Tuesday at the beginning of the week; the aircon had given out. However, I needed to get all of my stuff to Oxford at the end of the week so needed it back! After an afternoon of teaching, shortly followed by an evening of the same, interspersed with finishing three new pieces, Wednesday evening (the day before set-up) saw an email explaining that there were unprecedented delays and we wouldn’t be able to get to set up first thing in the morning at 8am as planned. That’s okay! These things happen! On Thursday morning, we headed up to Waterperry a few hours later than originally planned and set up in the midday heat after another wee selection of delays. Thursday evening I headed back to The Colour Factory for the last evening of jewellery course and Friday… well, Friday certainly was a treat! Friday morning, I set off on my adventure back to Oxford to start the weekend. By some miracle, each morning I had been ready to go early too!
Ten minutes into the adventure, the car goes pop, churns out grey air of some kind and having no idea what it was, I immediately pull over to try to get out of the busy dual carriageway traffic. I’m on the side of the road for about an hour as I wait to be towed out of immediate danger. The lovely highways team arrive, wait for me to calm down (tad stressed) and tow me to the nearest lay-by. The lovely lady stood behind me to protect my dignity, as I frantically searched the car for the tow screw thing, in a dress that I can promise you was far too short for such activity. Another hour later and my maw-in-shining-car-mour arrives, we quickly shove all of my belongings into her car, abandon my shit heap (affectionate term for car), and make for Oxford. Rosie, in the meantime, had called and we’d talked through the laying out of my work so that when I arrived, nearly four hours later than planned and considerably more frazzled than I’d anticipated on being, I could just put the things that I was carrying away and dive straight in!
Thankfully, that was the last of the universe’s attempts from keeping me from Oxford and I have to say, this past week has really taught me something about my determination to persevere! Nothing was going to stop me! Which was a good thing too, as the rest of the weekend was a blast - the @handmadeinbritain team were so relaxed, brilliant and adaptable to all of my chaos. Piyush and Alis, who organise the event, are so kind, present, attentive and make sure to check in with everyone personally. They were always available to help in the lead-up too! I got to engage with loads of really interesting and charming people - both visitors and other artists - and got to see and hold such beautiful pieces of work. I ate delicious ice cream and had many doggo cuddles. Both evenings that I stayed in Oxford, I came away to experience a different evening out experiencing some truly wonderful places - pizza and pimms by the river, a brewery/music venue hidden away in an industrial estate. Wholesome days, lovely warm evenings and a curious event with an incredibly long queue of ducks swimming down the river.
What a week. Certainly a memorable one! Now, universe, that was a bit intense; please can you leave me alone for a little bit - I need to recover, thank you.
Hope you all had wonderful weekends, wherever you are too!
May 2023 -
The latest newsletter is all about ‘Make Jewellery Not War’ - or for this month, ‘May-ke Jewellery Not War’!
Here, we dive into the stories behind my favourite project. I talk about how it started, the thoughts behind the materials and introduce a couple of new pieces, among many other facets of the collection.
April 2023 -
’April Flowers’ is the wordplay of the month! This newsletter focuses on my bespoke workshops and gives you a look into workshops that have been before, and what could come! Click here to take you to the April Newsletter.
March 2023 -
The ‘Chaos//Catharsis’ Collection is the talk of March. A walk through the pieces, the beginnings, the stories, the charity - everything you might want to know! Click here to take you to the March Newsletter!
February 2023 -
February was a little different to the usual - a little insight into my thought processes and display choices. Behind the scenes! Click here to take you to February’s Newsletter.
2022 Round Up & the First Newsletter of 2023 -
January 2023 saw the return of the regular newsletter! It began with a round-up and reflection on what 2022 had to give. Stockists, shows, commissions, creativity, workshops and new work! Click here to take you to January’s newsletter.
2021 Round Up -
What a year! With it comes the introduction of the ‘Chaos//Catharsis’ Collection, the raffle which raised £350 for Sane, the finishing of the Hand Medal Project, the beginnings of the workshops, participation in the Making Matters pop-up and a whole bunch of lovely commissions!
11/07/2021 -
The raffle is here! We’re going to spend the next two weeks trying to raise as much money for ‘Sane’ Charity as we possibly can. To enter or to read more, click the photo!
25/06/2021
My latest adventure to share with you is within the realm of a little film making and editing! I’m not quite a Hollywood star, but I’ve created a handy guide to getting your size right when purchasing rings online. Click the thumbnail to start watching; enjoy!
11/04/2021
Stockists!
I am super excited to share that I now have work on display on the Cluster Crafts website!
08/03/2021
’MARCH’-ING ON IN THE FACE OF A PANDEMIC
Maybe the subject is a little deceiving; I don't want to witter on about the pandemic. I think we've all had enough of that.
I do want to touch on it briefly though. I want to firstly acknowledge, that for the most part, it's not been great. It has been traumatic and a time of real struggle for many. I hope I don't sound smug in saying that I'm truly grateful for my circumstances; whilst others have had to work harder than ever, my creativity was gifted with the opportunity to slow down. Something I am incredibly grateful for.
This time last year, I was tearing my hair out trying to prepare the ‘Make Jewellery Not War’ collection for Munich Jewellery Week. For weeks, I was in the workshop from about 10 in the morning to 10 in the evening. Right up until the first lockdown was announced. Then everything stopped; I think everyone noticed how spooky that was.
But it was also a gift. It allowed me bonus time to finish these pieces, to pay attention to the little details and make sure everything was completed well, rather than rushed just to be finished. It gifted me the opportunity to create new pieces and expand this collection. The piece (or pieces) I wanted to focus on today is a particular set of earrings.
Now they may not look like much, just another pair of hoop earrings, but there's a little more to it than that!
These earrings, much like the rest of the collection, take their brass from a spent shell casing. Instead of the more common choice of wire, I decided to go with a slice of tube. I start to manipulate this to the shape I want, and tidy it up before my favourite step. (Keep reading!)
You may be able to see in the picture, a little swatch of metal between the ear post and the brass. This is silver. With all of the earrings in the 'Make Jewellery Not War' collection, I have acknowledged the fact that a lot of ears don't appreciate being exposed to metals like brass. So by putting a little chunk of silver between you and the brass, this greatly reduces the chance of your skin turning green. Much thicker than plating, and will last a lot longer too! Now this does add a little bit of time to the process, which understandably bumps the price up a bit. You may think that £40 is quite a bit for a simple pair of brass earrings. But then you take into account that they're hand made, then the fact that extra time has gone into designing (and making) to protect your ears, then you spot that similar earrings in gold would be at least £250! And it all seems a little less scary after that! Another, super important feature of these earrings, and all the other MJNW pieces, is that 10% of each sale goes to Medecins Sans Frontieres, a charity supporting really special humans doing some incredibly heroic work.
So to sum up!
-Made of brass shell casings.
-Silver in place to protect sensitive ears.
-The warm glow of gold without the hefty price tag.
-10% donation to charity.
Click here to go to the earrings!
(Please note, sterling silver isn't hypoallergenic and it still contains a little bit of copper, so if you usually react with silver, you're likely to with these. If you're fine with silver, scroll to the bottom to find the link to these in the shop!)
05/02/2021
FEBRUARY - WE'RE GOING BESPOKE
This month's post, I wanted to take the opportunity to talk to you about 'bespoke'.
Having a bespoke piece made is very simple: all it means is that something has been made, from the very first seed of an idea to the finished object, entirely with you and your criteria in mind. This, of course, includes a sprinkle of my creativity and ideas to bring the initial idea to life.
Depending on what your 'dream' piece entails, all of the little details will change too. From price to size, from metal to design. I will work with you on every aspect: have you got a particular idea in mind?
With your help, I will create a series of possibilities in multiple price points for us to start from, so you know the level of design complexity for each point. Have you got a budget but no idea? That's okay! We'll start with budget, then we'll talk about designs you like, themes you like - you can tell me your whole life story! A rough time frame and a vague design idea? Fabulous! No time frame and no idea? We can work with that too! We'll create something especially for you; I don't want to make something you aren't going to love.
One of my all-time favourite commissions: my first piece in gold. The lovely lady gave me a handful of her old gold, that had been sitting in a box. She'd spied one of my face pendants and asked if it would be possible to recreate with her own metal. We had a little metal leftover so we made her a pair of earrings in a similar style to go with it! A gorgeously sentimental piece, for a lovely lady.
Whether the request is as simple as 'can you make this in silver' or as bizarre as 'I need a lid for a honey jar to be these exact dimensions'. If you have an idea you want to be realised into metal, please get in touch. I'm already excited to start work!
18/01/2021 -
HAND-UARY NEWS
What's the sentiment behind this terrible pun I hear you say? (January, hands, hands, January - get it?!)
Well, let me tell you a little story! In the midst of the (first) lockdown in Spain, a series of jewellery students were tasked with a simple 'at-home' project they could do to keep practising their skills. This was the Hand Medal Project.
After the project gained a little traction on social media, the organisers opened it up to the rest of the world; giving any jeweller in any country the chance to join in. The focus of this project being a simple, universal token we could give to our frontline healthcare workers to show our appreciation for all their effort over the past year.
We each registered and received a number. Following this, we were given templates and a time frame. The next task was to pierce the hands out, between the fingers, and to cut out the hole. The next job was to take off the paper and tidy up the edges, by filing and sanding. Etching or stamping the details in was the following step, as well as our personal registration numbers. Finally, threading the ribbon through and attaching the safety pins.
And what's the reason I'm telling you now?
Because I haven't stopped! Over the next few weeks, despite the original deadline closure, I'm working my hardest to try and complete as many more medals for as many deserving folks as I can. So, simply get in contact and let me know if there's someone in your life that you'd like to nominate for a Hand Medal. I shall be making them up over the next few weeks and posting them off as soon as possible.
19/11/2020-
Handmade Chelsea Online has come to a close. If you missed seeing my live session with Alis, don’t worry! You can catch it again, right here.
We discussed my studio, collection and previous events. Despite my nerves, it was good fun!
04/11/2020 -
The Polemos videos have officially gone live! Follow this link to see all of the videos.
15/10/2020 -
It’s been a little while since my last update so here is a few in one go!
I shall be hosting a little digital exhibition of my pieces right on this page, and Facebook and Instagram simultaneously. Over the past month or so, I have created two videos demonstrating the context and material choices of the videos, which will be shared on the 5th November. This will also be the opening day of the physical Polemos exhibition at the Galerie Weltraum, Munich. However, as I can’t be there, I will be hosting online too! As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the exhibition or pieces themselves. I generally reply quite quickly; if you don’t hear from me, check your junk folder!
I will also be coming to Handmade in Chelsea Online with new pieces! From Thursday 10th November - Sunday 15th November, my work shall be found on the Handmade in Britain website which you can register to attend for here. Not only this, but I have also been invited to host a live session, on the Handmade in Britain platform, sharing a tour of my studio and dig a little deeper into the design features. This will be on the 12th November, and you can register to attend by clicking here!
27/07/2020 -
An incredibly impressive project has been started to show gratitude to healthcare workers across the world. The Hand Medal Project is a collaborative effort from over a thousand jewellers all over the world. Each of us have registered, been given a number and cracked on, cutting out and finishing these medals. By October, we hope to have enough medals to present to the healthcare workers to show appreciation for the hard work and dedication.
To register or to find out more about the project, click here. If you’d like to follow the progress and see just how wide this effort has stretched, follow this link to their Instagram.
14/05/2020 -
I’ve decided to take part in the Artist Support Pledge/Maker Support Pledge over on Instagram next week!
The initial concept of the Artist Support Pledge was brought into being by Matthew Burrows. He wanted to provide an opportunity for those missing out on sales as a result of galleries, fairs and similar having been closed. Since this took off phenomenally well, the Crafts Council also proposed the Maker Support Pledge, geared more towards 3-d creatives.
This works by having makers share a picture of a piece of work priced at £200 or below, with the idea that each time they reach £1000, they pledge to spend £200 on another artist’s work.
To purchase, simply comment or message the maker! They will process payment and package off to you.
Make sure you’re following me to see the updates! (Click here for my Instagram link!)
15/04/2020 -
So 2020 has turned out to be a little chaotic so far!
I’m sure it won’t come as a surprise to learn that the exhibition didn’t go ahead as planned in March. However, our little collective have contributed to a virtual exhibition over at the Klimt02 website (here). Our clever organisers came up with an idea to make our virtual exhibition a little different. We all have strong narratives running through our projects so why not illustrate these narratives and delve a little deeper with storyboards? I must say, I got a little carried away and have quite a few now, which you can see when you click here.
Not only do I have the good news of the virtual exhibition, but the physical exhibition will, fingers crossed, be going ahead the 5th-8th November 2020 instead. It will still be at Galerie Weltraum, in Munich. Looking forward to seeing you there!
Before I go, a big thank you to all our key workers, those who are putting the rest of us before themselves, you’re doing a wonderful job. Stay safe and stay home, everyone!
14/01/2020 -
The first post of the new year and some brilliant news to share. I shall be participating in an exhibition as a part of Munich Jewellery Week. Read more below:
Πόλεμος πάντων μὲν πατήρ ἐστι, πάντων δὲ βασιλεύς.
War is the father of all and king of all; and some he shows as gods, others as men, some he makes slaves, others free.
Heraclitus
The year 2020 commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in World War II when civilization resisted barbarism. Is humanity world-war-proof ever since or is the longest period of euro-atlantic concord just an illusion?
The exhibition project „WAR-ΠΟΛΕΜΟΣ“ focuses on and examines rituals, symbols, objects and practices connected to real or symbolical conflicts and battles – past or present. „WAR-ΠΟΛΕΜΟΣ” aims at highlighting jewellery and art that deal with the aesthetics and concept of war, such as militarism, peace, revolution, unrest, resistance, gender, religion, illusion, forgiveness.
WAR_ΠΟΛΕΜΟΣ_Galerie WELTRAUM, Rumfordstraße 26, 80469 Munich. 11-14 March 2020_Schmuckwoche München/ Munich Jewellery Week 2020. With Mihaela Coman, Yonghak Jo, Marilena Karagkiozi, Ekaterina Korzh, Andy Lowrie, Nicole Maunz, Ludwig Menzel, Into Niilo, Leonidas Panourgias, Constance Marie Pretorius, Adriana Radulescu, Loukia Richards, Emily Smith, Jason Stein, Christoph Ziegler.The show is curated by Christoph Ziegler and Loukia Richards (ZLR Betriebsimperum).
02/10/2019 -
Some new work to share - waiting for the perfect opportunity to take some photos. Some silver, some bronze, some sketches and some new starts. A preview...
08/12/19 -
Getting in the Christmas spirit with these stars.
We were truly fortunate to have the most wonderful 12 years with our gorgeous dog, but sadly had to say goodbye just recently. I want to take this opportunity to try and give other dogs the opportunity to have a good life, so 10% of the proceeds from the sale of my stars are going to a local rescue charity.
In memory of my boy, a little star, a true light in the darkness.
30/09/2019 -
Adventures a-plenty. Very grateful to have had the opportunity to travel this summer: Berlin, Warsaw, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, and most recently Nice and Corfu! Feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to get stuck in.
17/08/2019 -
Today marks the first day of Art Wave Festival, a celebration of creativity from Lewes, Newhaven and surrounding areas.
At The Workshop Lewes, you will find a selection of my pieces - pendants, earrings and rings. The shop is open from 9:30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
If you have the chance to visit, please let me know what you think!