1. Tell us about your practice and what led you down your chosen path as a maker.
I come from an artistic family and have always been exposed to craft and art growing up. I was constantly making things, specifically beaded jewellery to sell as pocket money. This sparked a love of making jewellery and after graduating from Edinburgh College of Art I proceeded to make it my career. Each year running my practice is different, and in my 10th year I decided to open my own bricks and mortar shop in Callander where I create my own work and showcase a selection of other makers.
2. Tell us about your materials.
I was first introduced to stainless steel by one of our visiting tutors in my MA year. Their passing comment: ‘have you considered stainless steel?’ started my love affair with this material. It’s not a conventional material seen in contemporary jewellery, but I love its durability, colour and ability to be both strong and fragile. It informs my larger and smaller collections and I love the combination of precious and non-precious metals together.
3. 3. Can you share more about the process behind your Collect 2024 collection?
For the first time in a long time, I have used a sketchbook to map out my pieces for Collect. I have always worked backwards; I see a final piece in my head and then work back to research and developmental drawings. I knew I wanted to use stainless steel, 18ct gold, silver and pearls within this body of work, and have a cohesive shape and theme running throughout. I have experimented more with the sense of depth and developed a ‘cluster’ effect building layers of material on top of each other to create something completely one-off and unique.
4. What inspired your collection for Collect 2024?
I can never seem to escape my childhood home, the Isle of Skye, as a source of inspiration. However, the move to Callander has seen me experiment more with textures I see in the landscape. Fishing nets, flotsam washed ashore and the colours of the west coast of Scotland inspire this collection.
5. Tell us about your approach to sustainable making in this work.
The wonderful thing with precious metal is that is can be melted down and reworked into another piece of jewellery and this is certainly something I practice in my studio. Even the stainless steel is re-worked into other pieces, and I create very little waste within my work.
6. What do you hope the viewer will take away from this work?
Standing on the beach at home on Skye in all the elements is such a raw and powerful emotion for me and I hope the viewer experiences that deep connection of place within my work.
