Silver thorn bowls

An old shed we saw on one of our walks

I love the long process it takes to come up with a new design.

I had been drawing at  Studio Panicale in Italy over New Year. On this trip I was captivated by the delapidated buildings, sheds and old wooden posts with overgrown brambles. I continued drawing old buildings when I came back to Belfast. I started to focus in on some brambles I had photographed and sketched and took time getting the sharpness of the thorns in my drawings.

thorns in the brambles

I have always been fascinated by the beautiful Japanese Quince and after the trip I started noticing it everywhere. I was photographing and sketching one Japanese Quince that grows in my garden with its long fine thorns and beautiful pillar box red blossoms that come out in late winter.

I enjoyed taking my time to experiment

One of my Japanese Quince drawings

with water soluble graphite to get that combination of sharpness and softness. It is like using water colour but still has that graphite depth.

I didn't realise it then but this was the beginning of ideas that I would develop in to copper and then into silver later in the year. As I immersed myself in learning the art of chasing and repousse in the summer and took part in a workshop at Bryony Knox's studio in autumn, I wanted to capture the elegant fineness of the thorns against soft texture.

Thorns in copper

I take my time with creation, allowing myself to explore what captures my attention, usually starting with photos and drawings. I often let the ideas to develop over several months before they transform into an art object. I see myself as a slow maker, creating objects in my studio, taking time to bring it to life and refining design ideas on paper and in silver.

Thorn Bowl and Japanese Quince Bowl at The Gift, CraftNI

Two silver necklaces at the CraftNI exhibition

Silver earrings at The Gift, CraftNI