A Collection of Brooches: 17

I have long admired the work of Jane Adam. I think I was probably first aware of it in those formative years as artist in residence at Ruthin Craft Centre in the early 1990s. There was an affinity between her then colourful anodised aluminium pieces (a technique she mastered) and my own woven work at undergraduate level and then in the early stages of the residency (particularly the primary coloured Kites series which you can see an example of in the Textile Design section of this website).

I’m really not sure when we first met, but it feels like I’ve watched Jane’s work develop over many years and have enjoyed lots of chats about it at Cockpit Arts open studios (where Jane was based for years) and at events like the annual Goldsmiths’ Fair and in the past, Chelsea Crafts Fair. Her move into precious metals, and combinations of that and her signature anodised aluminium have yielded stunning results that continue to mature and evolve.

Around eighteen months ago, Ruthin asked if I would work with Jane on putting her new solo exhibition together for its showing at their venue - which opened a year ago (just before we were plunged into this doom-laded pandemic). It was such a thrill to work with Jane more closely and to see her catalogue raisonné as it were, at first hand.
During the planning of the exhibition the Goldsmiths’ Fair came around again. I had already decided I had to have a piece for my little collection and so on one of my many sojourns around the Fair (I was working for the Goldsmiths’ Company at the time), I asked her if she could make me the brooch you see below.

It is as far as I am aware, a unique piece, as it’s a hybrid from other work we looked at in her collection. It is oxidised silver with 18ct gold bimetal (gold fused to silver) and a fresh water pearl. Jane insisted that it be a gift from her to me by way of a thank you for my work on her exhibition - an incredibly kind gesture for which I am so grateful.

What a thrill to have a beautiful piece at last from a modern day master of her craft.

Links: see names in bold above

Jane Adam, brooch, oxidised silver with gold leaf and fresh water pearl, 2019

A Collection of Brooches: 16

In part 14 of this blog series I talked about the piece I commissioned from Aillie Anderson at the Elements Festival in Edinburgh (November 2019). On the same visit I also met Anna Gordon again. I have long been an admirer of her work and had been talking with her at the Crafts Council’s Collect fair I think the previous year, where she had been showing an amazing series of large square brooches, most of which had moving elements. Every one of them would have sat very happily on my lapel (well I guess that goes without saying) and I had been mulling over the idea of which one, then knowing I “shouldn’t really be spending that much on a piece” when there are other - much less beautiful - things to be paid for.

So Anna and I got talking at Elements, where she was showing her work along with other staff from the amazing Glasgow School of Art jewellery department. There were some of the brooches I had seen the like of before, and still my sensible head was saying no you can’t! I then spotted two pairs of ear studs, one pair in a brushed silver and the other oxidised. I wondered how those four put together might look as a smaller version of one of the larger square pieces (they were elements from one of the large pieces). We had a chat about it - as is now customary - and the deal was done. I was on a bit of a roll apparently.

The result is the brooch you can see below and it is stunning. All four square elements move/turn (as illustrated by one on an angle in the image) and it of course attracts a lot of attention - as a piece as lovely as it is - should. It is half oxidised and half plain silver and the making is exquisite, as you will see in the second image of the reverse side. It is a piece of art.

Links
See names in bold above

Anna Gordon, silver, 38x38mm, 2019

Anna Gordon (reverse side),silver, 38x38mm, 2019

A Collection of Brooches: 15

This edition of the blog goes back a little in time from the last, to 2014. I’m ashamed to say my memory had a senior moment and I couldn’t remember the name of the jeweller who made the piece you see below, and then it suddenly appeared when I was re-organising some digital files. I’m really pleased as it’s a super piece and one that has provoked a lot of comments whilst wearing.

The jeweller is Ana Simōes. I discovered her and her work when visiting some open studios in London - I think near Woolwich, but that bit of the puzzle still evades me. She had just three pieces of this ilk, together with a collection of silver jewellery, which it turned out she had moved on to - and has developed since, as you will see if you use her name to link to her website.

The piece I bought is made from cut and folded base metal which has been powder coated and riveted together, with one section tied with a silk braid. It is an ingenious construction showing great skill and attention to detail and I absolutely love it.
We had a really in-depth discussion at the time about her moving on from this ‘non-precious’ material base to silver; which was primarily as she found the former a very difficult sell. People were looking for precious metals in order to ‘justify’ a hand-made price tag.

I was at the time researching for the Ruthin Craft Centre exhibition I co-curated with Dr. Elizabeth Goring called Not Too Precious, which celebrated jewellery made from all materials except those labelled as ‘precious’ (silver, gold and the like), so this was particularly relevant. It is a debate that does and will continue, especially with contemporary questions over the sustainability, credibility and ethics of silver, gold and stone mining (economics aside).

Does a piece of jewellery have to be made of precious materials to be ‘precious’? As you can see below - absolutely not - but if potential customers are blinkered by preconceptions of preciousness in this field, it will remain a difficult nut to crack.

In an unashamed plug - you can buy the catalogue for the Not Too Precious exhibition direct from Ruthin Craft Centre by following this link. http://ruthincraftcentre.org.uk/publication/?publication-categories=jewellery&publication-authors= It’s a beautiful hardback production with an insightful essay penned by Elizabeth on the subject.

Links:
See links in highlighted text above

Ana Simōes, Brooch, powder coated base metal, silk, 2014

A Collection of Brooches: 14

Aillie Anderson is a Glasgow based silversmith and jeweller who stands out with her use of materials. She combines silver and Jesmonite to create pieces that are inspired by the urban architecture of her home city.

I first met Aillie at The Goldsmiths’ Centre where she was exhibiting as part of their annual Shine exhibition in September 2019. She had graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 2017, already a recipient of a Goldsmiths’ Precious Metal Bursary the same year, with which she made a beautiful collection of textured silver and Jesmonite bowls. These went on to win her the small workers 3D design prize at the Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council awards in 2018.

In November 2019 I visited the Elements festival in Edinburgh that is organised by The Incorporation of Goldsmiths’ of the City of Edinburgh and hosted by Lyon & Turnbull in their beautiful showroom in the centre of the city. I was there in my capacity as Deputy Curator of the Goldsmiths’ Collection, but of course there is always time to get inspired personally and this occasion was no exception. In fact I commissioned three brooches on this trip; my usual head over heart “over sensible” standards evaded me completely. But I am so glad they did!

The first piece I commissioned was the one below by Aillie. She had many beautiful pieces in her collection, but of course I wanted something different so we had a lovely discussion around a brooch that was inspired by earrings she had already made (sound familiar?) It was wonderful to see Aillie reach for a pad and start sketching in front of me, so that we could agree on the form and scale, and discuss the colour of the Jesmonite and silver finish.

Such a thrill when the box arrived in the post a few weeks later - the perfect slightly early Christmas present…to myself. More about the other commissions soon.

Links:
Please see the bold links in the text above

Aillie Anderson, Brooch, pale blue/grey Jesmonite and oxidised silver, 2019

A Collection of Brooches: 13

I have been trying to remember when I first came across the work of Annemarie Reinhold, who’s jewellery is the subject of this blog edition. It might have been while curating the Collect 2019 stand for Bishopsland (so in 2018), or when I was installing a show at the National Design & Craft Gallery in Kilkenny, Ireland, and visited the jewellery school which is housed in the same building. Annemarie completed the second year there after her time with Bishopsland Educational Trust.

We had our most in-depth discussion about her work in a mentoring session organised by the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland, in Dublin. They had very kindly invited me over for a day’s programme of meetings with a great group of makers from various crafts disciplines. Very appropriately, Annemarie was wearing one of her pieces, which of course immediately caught my eye. It was pretty much the same as the piece in the image below - the Pear Pin. Just before the close of our chat, I asked how she had priced the piece. She hadn’t quite worked it out as it was hot off the bench, so I asked if she would let me know. The rest as they say, is history.

It’s a gorgeous little object that is much admired. Small and perfectly press-formed in silver with the leaf gold plated and I love it.
Annemarie has since set up a studio at Benchspace in Cork City, Ireland and is developing some really exciting work in both jewellery and silversmithing - you can link to her website if you click on her name at the top of this post.

Links: see hyperlinks above in bold

Annemarie Reinhold, Pear Pin, silver, gilding, 21x15x7mm, 2019

A Collection of Brooches: 12

I was first introduced to Sheng Zhang and his work at New Designers in 2016 as he was graduating from Birmingham School of Jewellery’s BA - along side Becky who I introduced in my last post. However here I missed the boat and didn’t buy a piece. Why? I don’t know really - I was probably being over sensible and continually regretted it afterwards. At the time Sheng was making brooches out of base metal and they were, as is his trademark, beautifully executed: clean, precise and elegant.

I next encountered him at New Designers ‘One Year In’ the following summer of 2017, by which time he had further developed his range and was now working in silver. Again I didn’t buy. It’s starting to sound as if I didn’t really like the work isn’t it - but that wasn’t the case at all. I think this time it was all about indecision - which is another trait I suffer. Too many to choose from and all lovely.

Sheng had moved from Birmingham to Edinburgh to embark on the MFA course at Edinburgh College of Art. The New Designers outing above was mid-way through his course, and the following year (2018) he showed again in Islington, this time as a graduate of the MFA. His work had moved on again, and again was stunning. But guess what? I didn’t buy one. Now this is getting somewhat ridiculous and made worse by writing it down like this. I just couldn’t decide…probably muttering something about “having a think about it”.

Moving on to Collect 2019 at the Saatchi Gallery, Sheng had been invited to show with The Goldsmiths’ Fair, which happened to be the stand right opposite Ruthin Craft Centre’s, which I had curated and was working on. We met again and chatted and I shamefully apologised for not having got in touch about finally buying a brooch.

This was the period just before I began my tenure as Interim Deputy Curator at the Goldsmiths’ Company. To mark this exciting occasion I had decided I would commission a new brooch - and so who better to make it than Sheng. Finally I got there! However as there were two versions I really liked, Sheng very kindly amalgamated the two by making a slightly deeper pressing in the mould - resulting in the beautiful piece in the image below. It is pressed and soldered silver with a satin surface, finished off with a polished gold bead in the centre. It’s a joy to wear and well worth the wait (thank you for being so patient Sheng!)

Links: see hyperlinks in bold

Sheng Zhang, Off-Vertical brooch, silver, gold, 32 x 11mm, 2019

A Collection of Brooches: 11

I have talked about New Designers a couple of times already: the annual showcase of art and design graduates from the UK that takes place in July. This year is sadly an exception of course and it will be sorely missed.

The piece featured in this week’s post was purchased from New Designers in 2016, from a graduating student of the Birmingham City Institute’s BA jewellery course. They have consistently strong cohorts and this year was no exception. All of the graduates were incredibly approachable and had knowledge of each other’s work, which was so refreshing. All very apt with Birmingham being the long time home of the jewellery industry in the UK, with its famous jewellery quarter still operating. It still houses Europe’s largest concentration of jewellery related businesses, responsible for around 40% of all jewellery made in the UK.

Becky Williams was responsible for the lovely piece you see below. Her collection was based around the used of base metals including copper and steel wire, with a specialism in enamelling. This example has a fine steel wire framework around an enamelled copper tube and I love its hand-drawn quality - almost a sketch in metal. The effects in the enamelling lend a natural quality, but it also has an architectural structure which is a really nice juxtaposition. She was inspired by the urban landscape and you can definitely see that influence.
It is one of the more delicate pieces I have and is definitely a less day-to-day brooch, but it is a joy to wear when it comes out for those more special occasions.

Having searched online I am not sure Becky is still making as her website seems to be out of order, but there is an instagram account (which links from her name above) with the last post made in late 2017. It would be great to re-connect if this does reach you Becky!

Links:
See hyperlinks above in bold text

Becky Williams, enamelled copper, steel, 127x28mm, 2016

A Collection of Brooches: 10

On a family trip to the Veneto region of Italy a few years ago we visited the Palladian city of Vicenza. It was January so a little on the chilly side, but the perfectly proportioned splendour of this gorgeous place warmed the heart.

I have to admit that I was unaware of the jewellery museum (the first of its kind in Italy it claims), so when I chanced upon Il Museo Del Gioiello whilst wondering around the Palladian Basilica I was delighted.

The museum was warm and welcoming and being somewhat ‘off season’ I had the whole place to myself, adding to the special experience. I was introduced to many makers that were new to me and found a few that were familiar - including a lovely piece by Fritz Maierhofer who we met in Blog 6.
They have a permanent collection, some of which is on extended loan from private collections, and a temporary exhibition programme that as part of its schedule, does great work in introducing emerging makers from Italy and beyond. I heartily recommend a visit if you ever get the opportunity.

With a slight skip in my step after the delights of the collections and exhibition upstairs I came back down to the entrance area which also houses a small shop. This is where I came across the piece that is the subject of today’s post below. Somewhat unexpected perhaps, and more than a little tongue-in-cheek, this one always makes me smile - as it does most of the people who encounter me wearing it (apart from that is the rather suspicious security guard at the Japanese embassy in London who asked if it was real!)

Lego is a childhood throwback. I used to spend hours and hours building whatever came into my imagination as a young child (and if I am honest, a little further on into adolescence with a brilliant technical set, which I still have somewhere).

I am somewhat annoyed as I have mislaid the little card/box that the brooch came in and so I can’t link you to what I recall was a small Italian design studio that made them. There were other designs as well as the camera and all were made from up-cycled lego pieces. A great idea and a bit of fun…which I think you will agree, we all need more now than ever.

Links:
See hyperlinks above in bold text

Lego Camera brooch, 32x28mm, 2016

A Collection of Brooches: 9

Cockpit Arts in London is an organisation that provides studio space to crafts people and business incubation support to those makers within its fold. It has two sites in Holborn, central London and in Deptford in the south east. I first became aware of them back in the late 1990s when working at the Crafts Council and we would visit their open studios - then at their first and only site in Holborn.

When I came back to the applied arts after several years working in the textile and fashion industries, Cockpit again became a regular fixture in the calendar on their two annual open studio events in the summer and just before Christmas (at both sites). Over time I gradually developed a working relationship with them and have participated in several mentoring and business support programmes over the past few years. They do amazing work and the network of makers it reaches has extended beyond its own walls through various arts support initiatives.

One of the many makers I have had the great pleasure to meet and work with through Cockpit is Tania Clarke Hall. She is based at the Holborn site and makes beautiful leather jewellery - an example of which is below. I had previously bought a pair of ear studs from Tania as a gift for my Mum (actually there lies another blog series - the many pairs of earrings I have bought her from different craft jewellers over the years).

When visiting the open studios pre-Christmas a few years ago, I spotted this brooch. Well it was too good an opportunity to miss as it was the last of its kind and so at a very reasonable price - the perfect Christmas present to self! It features Tania’s trade mark coloured edging - just about visible in the image below - and her cutting at regular intervals to help the leather mould and shape. It’s a joy to wear; it’s very unusual and I love that it challenges the norms of what is considered ‘precious’ in jewellery (i.e. it is not constructed in a ‘precious’ metal or feature gem stones).

This is precious - it has been conceived, designed and made by Tania - by her own hand.

Links:
See hyperlinks above in bold text

Tania Clarke Hall, dyed leather, 80x50mm, c2017

A Collection of Brooches: 8

As a curator I am always on the look out for new and exciting work in the applied arts. This might be for a particular exhibition I am working on, for future possibilities or retail opportunities. Before 2017 I had never had the chance to put together a show that concentrated on new talent, concentrating on graduates from the UK, but this is when I persuaded Ruthin to let me do it.

There are some risks when considering an exhibition such as this, mainly around the availability of work post study. Many graduates are not able to access studio or workshop facilities and if they are in demand after their final shows, their one collection of pieces can’t stretch in all directions. So although speed is of the essence: getting the show together and getting the work seen, there can be some limitations.

The annual graduate showcase New Designers - as I mentioned in post 4 - is a hotbed of talent and creativity. As part of the event there is a section devoted to makers that are already set up in business - usually somewhere between one and three years - called One Year On. It is a great opportunity to meet people who have taken the leap from student to designer/maker and are testing the waters of professional life (and in many cases making ingenious ripples!)

In 2017 during my annual pilgrimage I was lucky enough to meet Dovile Kondrasovaite. She was (and is) a Birmingham based jeweller who had studied in her home country of Lithuania at Vilnius Academy of Arts. Post graduation she had moved to the UK and set up as a maker. Her work struck me immediately as being very unusual in its use of materials; fresh and exciting. She used a combination of bog oak, amber and ebony; amber is particularly connected to her Baltic roots, but aware of its over use in history she considered (and considers) its use very carefully. The ebony is most often from reclaimed piano keys and so has no environmental impact, which is a super idea. The connection of place was lovely and she was making beautiful pieces inspired by the water and flow of time and life.

I was accompanied on that day by Dr Elizabeth Goring, former Curator of Modern Jewellery at the National Museum of Scotland, and her mother who is also a connoisseur and collector of contemporary craft. They too were very impressed with Dovile’s work and indeed a beautiful pair of earrings were purchased. I knew that I’d love to show the work in my exhibition of, not immediately graduated, but newly emerging makers being planned for that November.

The exhibition came together beautifully and was very well received - it’s great to bring new makers and their work to audiences. When unpacking and displaying Dovile’s work I of course could not resit the urge to buy one, so here it is below. Beautifully carved out of ebony with two stick pins on the reverse. I wear it with pride - it’s beautiful.

Links:
See hyperlinks above

Dovile Kondrasovaite, ebony, L140mm, 2017

A Collection of Brooches: 7

As I have been developing this blog and considering the brooches in my collection more closely, I have realised that I have been incredibly fortunate and honoured to have been gifted several of the pieces. I have already explained two of these - first in post 2 with the Kathleen Makinson and then in last week’s post with Fritz Maierhofer. This week’s piece is another in this ‘gifted’ category.

I have worked with Ruthin Craft Centre regularly for twelve years now, as a guest curator, exhibition designer and retail scout. Part of my remit for them for the last six years or so has been the curation and design of several of their stands at the annual Collect fair at the Saatchi Gallery (which has now moved to Somerset House).

In 2014 the tapestry weaver Jilly Edwards had one of the Project Spaces on the top floor of the gallery. This is where individuals could apply for a space to show a particular body of work across all genres of applied art. Jilly and I had first met a few years before in the planning stages of her solo exhibition at Ruthin in 2011. She was at the time living in my home city of Exeter and so it worked really well that I visited her and my family in the same trip. We got on really well and with our shared love of textiles (me having started life as a weaver too) we had lots in common.

As part of my involvement with Collect for Ruthin I also run the stand and so am there for the duration (clearly a great opportunity to wear a different brooch every day). On visiting Jilly’s space I discovered her wearing a brooch that contained a miniature tapestry from her own hand - it was gorgeous. She had collaborated with a Devon based jeweller called Sarah Scott and they had made several. I suggested that maybe I could wear one for the day, which would both decorate me and spread the word on her work and encourage people to visit her stand. There was also the nice connection between Ruthin and Jilly through her solo show I mentioned above. To my delight Jilly thought it was a great idea and so I went back down to our stand proudly wearing the piece you see below.

Wearing the brooch definitely had the desired effect as I had many comments and questions about it. At the end of the day I took the brooch back upstairs to return it and to my huge surprise Jilly suggested I keep it. I tried to pay but that was refused - and so I acquired this lovely piece.

I wore it for most of the fair that year and it always comes out at the annual event and attracts a lot of attention. It is not only fairly unusual to see a man wearing a brooch (although less so at an art fair such as this) but it is very unusual to find anybody wearing a tapestry.
It is by the way very carefully considered so that the textile can be removed from the silver frame via popper studs to enable cleaning of the metal - which inevitably tarnishes.

Coincidentally since starting this blog series, a post popped up on Instagram from #insituartconsultants about ‘men who wear brooches at art fairs’. One of the three images was of Jilly’s brooch on my lapel. Jilly had been tagged and so responded and included my hashtag. I remembered somebody asking me if they could take the picture (some time ago) and had thought nothing more of it. Myself and Maggie O’Regan who was said photographer and Director of InSitu are scheduled to have a chat soon.

Links:
See the hyperlinks above (in slightly darker text). A newly discovered addition to the blogs…

Jilly Edwards and Sarah Scott, Wanderlust Brooch, 50x50mm, wool, silver, 2014

A Collection of Brooches: 6

In early 2015 I got a call from my long term collaborators Ruthin Craft Centre, asking if I would like to visit the Fritz Maierhofer solo exhibition…at MAK in Vienna. Ruthin had been approached with the prospect of taking the show and needed an eye to see how it might work in their spaces, which I had become very familiar with having worked on several projects since its re-opening in 2008. Well of course I had to think seriously about this for all of about 3 seconds.

A few weeks later I met Fritz and his partner Margit Hart (also a very talented jeweller) at MAK. I was aware of Fritz’s work through reputation and pieces in the V&A collection, (and then through research in readiness for the trip), but I wasn’t quite prepared for the breadth of work in the MAK gallery. I was blown away by his use of materials and techniques and his daring and clever use of scale; from ingenious collections of wearable jewellery to large scale sculptural objects with a clever connection to his more intimately scaled work.

Fritz and Margit were both utterly charming and generous with their time and hospitality during my visit and so it was even more of a joy to work on bringing the exhibition to the Ruthin galleries shortly afterwards. They both made the trip to Wales for the last couple of days of the install and were there for the opening.

We had asked Fritz for a selection of work to sell in the retail gallery and I had of course been drooling over pretty much every piece; which one would I get, could I afford one…the trials and temptations of a curator working with so many amazingly creative people! But when Fritz arrived for the opening event he handed me a package - one of the beautifully designed invitations wrapped around tissue paper. Inside was the amazing piece in the image below - an anodised aluminium brooch as a gift for working on the exhibition. Needless to say I was delighted, humbled and touched in equal measure.

Meeting and developing relationships with artists/makers is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding aspects of my work as a curator, often leading to long lasting friendships, and this is no exception. I feel very fortunate to have these opportunities and my world all the richer because of them.

Fritz Maierhofer, anodised aluminium, 75 x 51mm, 2015

A Collection of Brooches: 5

“You only regret those pieces you didn’t buy, not those you did”. Wise words from a ceramic collector based in Oxford that I met at the Crafts Council’s Collect fair a few years ago. We were talking about those missed opportunities when we let particular pieces slip through ours hands, due to funding particularly. Although not really being able to afford something at the time is of course pretty central, he is absolutely right about the regrets in retrospect (that classic heart and head thing you might say).
A while later I interviewed Michael for a collaborative exhibition I curated between the National Design and Craft Gallery in Ireland and Ruthin Craft Centre called Lasting Impressions - looking at the ideas around why particular pieces speak out to individuals through their use of materials, design and craftsmanship and why some people become collectors.

I’m happy to say that the piece in this week’s post didn’t slip through my fingers. This was back in 2014 and I was visiting the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair in Manchester. The event, organised and run by Ann-Marie Franey & Angela Mann, has become a staple in the annual round of crafts events in the UK and every year it has a Graduate Showcase focusing on emerging makers. A wonderful opportunity for those selected to have a free space to bring their work to a wider public where they can get valuable feedback and make some all important sales.

Mizuki Takahashi had recently graduated from Hereford College of Arts and her work was fresh and exciting. The clever combination of oxidised silver and porcelain ceramic really caught my eye - two specialisms brought together into the one piece. She was also a delight to talk to; enthusiastic and professional and this is really important as it’s so enlightening when you have the opportunity to discuss somebody’s work with them in person.

So the deal was done and Mizuki sent the piece to me soon after the fair. Another acquisition in the slowly building little collection, as is now apparent.

Mizuki has subsequently set up as a designer-maker and is producing amazing work, concentrating now on enamelling as the decorative element to her pieces. She will feature in a new exhibition (currently on hold due to Covid-19) that I am curating for Ruthin Craft Centre, called Monochrome: Shades of Black & White.

Links
www.greatnorthernevents.co.uk
www.mizukitakahashi.co.uk

Mizuki Takahashi, oxidised silver, porcelain, 2014

A Collection of Brooches: 4

Now this is where one begins to understand the understand the relevance of archiving collections. As I wasn’t setting out to build a ‘collection’ as such, and really just spotting pieces I liked or being inspired by another - as with Grace’s brooch commission in the last post - I didn’t make records of when I bought particular examples. So during this process of collating and writing about my brooches I have realised that the little grey cells do not automatically jump into action, so I am not exactly clear as to the order of acquisitions or the relevant dates. That is more of a note to self really as it’s not of huge importance in this scheme of things, but I would be interested now to realise the progression (and I do love a nice spreadsheet to keep things in order!)

I always make a point of visiting New Designers each summer at the Business Design Centre in London. The annual showcase of ‘most’ UK arts courses yields a wealth of talent and innovation and it can’t fail to surprise and delight. Working very ofter across all genres in applied art I have a lot to cover, particularly in week one which showcases textiles, ceramics and glass, mixed media and jewellery and silversmithing. Through those latter two categories I could come away each year much poorer of purse, but much richer in immensely creative objects to adorn myself and my home. It’s just as well I have a responsible level of self control.

I have however bought several pieces over the past few years, either directly from the designer at the show or subsequently. The first piece was from a graduate of Edinburgh College of Art, which showcases a consistently high level of creativity year after year. I could have come away with work from at leat five of this particular years’ cohort (this I do remember clearly), but being ‘oh so’ in control, I bought one - which was my second ever commission. The maker was Alice Bo-Wen Chang and she had a beautiful collection of jewellery which was made in a combination of silver and powder-coated copper, intricately cut and fabricated. As in the first commission with Grace, I felt her brooches were a little on the large size and so we discussed one of her earrings being adapted (a bit of a theme emerging here…) Edinburgh does more than nurture highly creative designer-makers, they also instil a high level of business acumen and a sensitivity to client interaction. Alice was very professional and a delight to deal with - which isn’t always the case when speaking with graduates at this or other events.

So my second commission and as with my first I was more than excited to receive the package when it arrived. It’s a lovely piece as you can see below and it always prompts comments when wearing - always a good sign. It is beautifully made with careful consideration of the double fixing pin and is so well balanced.

I believe that Alice is no longer working as a jeweller, but she did initially set up as a maker after her degree and her work was sold in various outlets for a few years before she re-located and started a family. Thank you Mariko Sumioka for that update a while ago and too for prompting the date of this piece. Alice and Mariko graduated in the same year and so a quick look at Mariko’s website confirmed the year.

Alice Bo-Wen Chang, silver and powder coated copper, 2011

A Collection of Brooches: 3

Some time after Kathleen’s gift of her beautiful brooch, I was visiting the Goldsmiths’ Fair. This is the annual “must see” event for jewellers, silversmiths and goldsmiths staged by the Goldsmiths’ Company at their grand Hall in the City of London. I was definitely more aware of jewellers (or indeed silversmiths) making brooches and decided I wanted to find something for myself as a present for my impending birthday. I chatted to several people who’s work I knew already or was new to me and one of the more lengthy conversations developed with the jeweller Grace Girvan. I had known of Grace’s work for some time and had always admired its honesty and truth to materials.

Her brooches were a little on the large size for me I decided, being aware of my budget too, and I spotted a lovely pair of ovoid earrings that could make a delightful brooch if one were to be made at a larger scale. We discussed this - the size, how the pin would work, the final finish and of course the price and the deal was done. My first commission.

What a delight it was, just a few short weeks later, to receive and open the package that arrived from Scotland. I was thrilled with the piece. I found it so rewarding to have had the opportunity to speak with the maker and discuss how it would be made and now here it was in my hand.

I think there can be a certain aura around the idea of commissioning that makes it feel it a pursuit of the very wealthy only. It is true that many pieces will cost a lot of money, through the materials chosen, scale, techniques and time spent making, but I had found in this first foray into the creation of something bespoke, that it wasn’t only huge sums of money that were needed. The brooch had cost £100, which is still a sum of money but perhaps not as much as we might imagine of a hand made and individual piece of jewellery.

Grave Girvan, silver, c2010

A Collection of Brooches: 2

I hope you enjoyed the introduction post last week.

Linking back to the period when I was artist in residence at Ruthin (1993-5) when I bought those first two pieces, this was a time when I got really immersed in the crafts world. My experience previously had been very limited with my arts education very much centring on fine arts and design - even having done a textiles degree. So during this period when I had a studio on site and was surrounded by other makers, artists and the gallery too, my awareness and understanding developed hugely.

During that time I was lucky enough to meet a wonderfully creative couple - Kathleen and Norman Makinson. They had met in the 1940s at the RCA and were still both practicing makers from their home in North Wales. Norman was a very talented ceramic sculptor who had previously worked for Wedgwood (designing the Festival of Britain mug) and Kathleen a jeweller whose work was contemporary, minimal and inspired by very similar sources as I was as a weaver at the time, including Japanese architecture. We became friends and indeed Kathleen gave me a great deal of help and guidance, and use of her studio, for the detailing of some of my three dimensional pieces.

I was very much drawn to Kathleen’s work and aspired to own a piece, particularly a brooch. Having not long emerged from student life and on a modest stipend as artist in residence, my funds didn’t quite justify being so ‘frivolous’. Fast forward about fifteen years, not too long after I had re-discovered humBug, I was working back at Ruthin - this time as an independent curator - and there sitting in the retail gallery was a small group of Kathleen’s work. Amongst it was a beautiful little bar brooch that had my name on it, although me being me, I had to think about it! I don’t remember the exact chain of events, but on I think on the next visit to Wales Kathleen came into the Centre and handed me a box - it was the brooch and she insisted it was a gift. I was immensely touched and humbled.

So that was the first in what then became the gradual accumulation of brooches. It I suppose kick-started something, or certainly re-kindled an interest. I would at first only wear Kathleen’s brooch on ‘special occasions’ but as I acquired more pieces, I began to wear them all more regularly - which is only right.

Apologies that the image below doesn’t show the brooch very clearly, but I have discovered this is the only one I have and the brooch itself is currently sitting in a locked-down building awaiting a bit of TLC after getting rather worn. It is by the way a hollow oxidised silver tube with a vertical stripe of white gold and three parallel indentations across the middle section. Just lovely, as is it’s creator who is now in her early 90s and sadly no longer making.

Further brooches to come soon…

Kathleen Makinson, Tube Brooch, c2000, oxidised silver, white gold
Photo by Julia Skupny and courtesy of The Goldsmiths’ Centre

A Collection of Brooches: 1

Over the past few years I have been finding the lure of brooches a little too much to resist. When talking about this within the context of working as Interim Deputy Curator - Contemporary at the Goldsmiths’ Company for the last year (from April 2019), I realised that this was something of a (all be it small) collection and that maybe I should record it in some way. A friend and fellow curator, who is also a digital whizz so thinks of these things, suggested I get back to my blog and that this would be a great subject. This also just happened to dovetail very nicely with a recent commission to write a blog piece on my collecting for the Goldsmiths’ Company’s Goldsmiths’ Stories blog (which will be up soon). So here I am and going forward I’ll be blogging a brooch on a regular basis.

I have to date collected some 25 pieces, all from different makers (not necessarily jewellers) and comprising various materials and styles. I rarely go out without one attached to my jacket or coat and get a great deal of pleasure in doing so. I can’t really explain why particularly, but it can be a nice conversation starter. I will cover various themes over this series (aside from the pieces themselves and what has attracted me to each one) including: the wearing of jewellery by men, what we call these items of adornment, the sorts of garments we wear them on, and commissioning.

I rediscovered the two brooches below from the early 1990s several years ago when tidying a drawer. I’d bought them whilst artist in residence at Ruthin Craft Centre and had completely forgotten about them. I stared to wear humBug again from time to time (by the wonderfully creative jeweller Timothy Carson). It re-kindled my interest in sporting a piece of jewellery in this way and I think I became generally more aware of what people were, and weren’t wearing, particularly as I had by this time become an independent curator and was immersing myself in the arts world again after several years in the textiles and fashion industries.

In my next post I’ll discuss the first brooch I acquired in this new ‘age of enlightenment’ (as far as I was concerned).

Thank you for reading.

humBug brooch by Timothy, brass, 1994

Dog, Daryl Harber, patinated brass, 1994

Working with makers

One of the most wonderful parts of my job as a curator, is meeting the myriad artists/makers who create the pieces that are exhibited. I am at the moment privileged to be working with jeweller Romilly Saumarez Smith who’s exhibition ‘Newfoundland’ will be at Ruthin Craft Centre from 29th April to 16th July. It also features the photography of Verdi Yahooda. This is a beautiful film that has been made by Maria Nicholson on Romilly’s work and how it is made. Please take the time to watch if you can - its a stunning piece.

Romilly Saumarez Smith is a jeweller who, over the past 10 years, through a neurological illness has lost the use of her hands. This is the story of how she rediscovered and reimagined her creativity.

Curated Spaces no.2 - Pamela Rawnsley at The Goldsmiths' Centre

Apologies first of all for my absence. As I mentioned before, I have never blogged before in my life and its taking a while to bed it into my brain "keep the blog updated!"

It was my absolute pleasure to work with Matthew Tomalin, Pamela's husband, to get her work shown at The Goldsmiths' Centre in London earlier this year. In case you didn't know, Pamela very sadly died from an aggressive brain tumour just over two years ago (May 2014) and Ruthin Craft Centre asked me to co-curate an exhibition celebrating her amazing talents that opened there in 2015.

Subsequently Matthew asked if I would help him work on an application to take the show to a larger audience at The Goldsmiths' Centre - which we were successful in securing. The show finally opened in March this year and was a tremendous success. It was wonderful to have Pamela's work exhibited in this centre of excellence for silversmithing and jewellery where it very much held its own, and was greatly appreciated.

Many thanks to all at TGC for their help, especially Rachel Fisher for all her assistance in making the show happen, together with Isabel Keim who secured such great press and publicity.

Pamela Rawnsley, The Goldsmiths' Centre, London March 2016

Curated Spaces no.1 - New Year's resolutions

Welcome to my first blog entry! Something completely new to me that was due to start with the dawning of the new year 2016. A little delayed now, but I thought that the first day of British Summer Time was another good place to start - so here we go.

New Year's resolutions - those things we so often make and then break within a few days, weeks or at a stretch, maybe months. This year I made no declarations, but quietly resolved to make a few changes: I wanted to become a bit more social, meet new people and engage in some new activities. I wanted to make more of living in this amazing capital city with so much on offer if only you try a little harder to find it and enjoy. 

So what have I done I hear you cry. Well I joined a new choir of male voices Bellow Fellows in January, which has meant meeting lots of new people of course and has led to performing on the stage of the Royal Festival Hall recently as part of another new choir created for the Southbank's Chorus festival Beyond The Bassline, in a gig called Choirs Remixed. So even more lovely people met and a truely fantastic experience, performing both on our own and as part of a massed choir of over 300 voices together with Andreya Triana and Shlomo.

Bellow Fellows, March 2016                                                                                                                                                                                                                          photo: Dom Stitchbury

Choirs Remixed at the RFH, March 2016

Yesterday I went to the Union Chapel in Islington for the first time for a Daylight Music event staged for Piano Day. One of those many, if you look for them, amazing free events that London has to offer and it was brilliant! We were treated to no less than six sets, with five artists including Angus McCrae, Gavin Greenaway, Ivan Ilić, Haiku Salut and Poppy Ackroyd. This new experience was thanks to Si Gulliford, one of my Bellow Fellows, who posted it on our Facebook page. 

More of these sorts of events to come me thinks.....

Gavin Greenaway, Daylight Music gig for Piano Day, Union Chapel, Islington, London 26 March 2016

Poppy Ackroyd, Daylight Music gig for Piano Day, Union Chapel, Islington, London 26 March 2016