aosdana gallery
Our Visiting Designers
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At Aosdana Gallery on Iona we display a number of items by several jewellery designers from around Scotland. Although we do not sell these items through our web site, we are happy to provide below, information on each designer including their contact details. If you would like any help with jewellery purchases by visiting designers, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we will do what we can to assist.
Current Visiting Designers are:
Grace Girvan
Sally Grant
Clare Hillerby
Hannah Louise Lamb
Alison Macleod
Nicoal Morrison
Tanya Wilmot
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Grace Girvan
gracegirvanjewellery.blogspot.com
email: gracielou21@hotmail.com
An avid beachcomber, I use objects I find along the shore as a starting point for my work, often incorporating pebbles into pieces. The solid, dark grey of the pebbles is complemented by the silver, wood and the soft, pale, watercolour-like appearance of the transparent enamel.
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Sally Grant
Jeweller and Goldsmith
I am inspired by the complex and abstract patterns that occur in nature and how something that is transient can be distilled into something precious. I use photography to capture snapshots and moments of time and the contrast of naturally occurring random patterns and textures to explore how this can be related to decoration and ornament in jewellery.
Decoration and ornament, specifically antique textiles and ceramics inspire me. Hand-painted, gilded, embroidered or woven, I am drawn to intricate handcrafted detail and textural qualities. I use real images of nature to recreate these themes in my work. I aim to create vibrant and wearable pieces. The photo-etching technique allows me to translate and frame the images in precious metals while the organic nature of enamelling techniques brings colour and vibrancy. Colour creates contrast and depth, bringing the pieces to life. Exploring and interpreting this imagery graphically and then through a combination of techniques helps me create a bold and vibrant collection of work.
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Clare Hillerby
Handwriting forms the starting point for my work. Old papers featuring handwritten messages by unknown characters are sourced, interesting sections are extracted; messages become ambiguous, they are then combined with new metalwork, and contemporary stories emerge.
The fragments of writing often appear as pattern with only hints of the original meaning; these overlapping markings reference the decorative nature of jewellery itself, and become intriguing to the viewer. Contrasts of writing styles, scale, character, line, shape and colour are all important features, and combining various characters of handwriting they create new conversations. There is a reference to the things we keep and the preciousness we give them, combined with their throw away nature.
The ephemera collected include postcards, letters and envelopes, old stamps for added colour, pattern and imagery, linen maps with their words and symbols, and sepia photographs of unknown characters. Original papers are layered with newly created metalwork elements which are influenced by markings in the found writing as well as textures and lines from the current urban environment that they are found in. Silver is often oxidised for a depth of colour and to allow papers to become the highlight. Details of yellow gold tube riveting are used to construct parts of the work to reference an industrial landscape; our new history being created daily. Semi-precious beads are added for texture and colour. Contrasts have always been important, the old and new sit together in each piece I create, the reference to the precious and non-precious, decorative elements next to simple areas, the linear and the solid. My collection consists of necklaces, bracelets, brooches, earrings and cufflinks, in limited editions and as one-off pieces. The papers are always original and the elements are often gathered in various combinations to give each piece a uniqueness for its wearer to enjoy.
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hannah louise lamb - jewellery
coburg house studios
15 coburg street
leith
edinburgh eh6 6et
0131 554 6888Inspirations from decorative motifs and colours from wall coverings and interior fabrics, pets, and simple iconic imagery from around the house inform elements of my designs. Techniques used are intricate hand piercing, surface texturing, and traditional jewellery fabrication skills combining silver with materials such as silk, felt and semi-precious stones.
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Alison Macleod
The aesthetic of my jewellery was initially informed by my photographs and abstract drawings of Edinburgh junk shops. The ideas within these chaotic collections have fuelled me ever since. Contrasting materials and textures sit together in tranquil chaos. Brass door knobs lie among worn hammers and plastic buttons. I find the jumble exhilarating but I am equally fascinated by the individual objects. I love to imagine the stories connected to each discarded artefact. The mysterious narratives of peoples' pasts are suggested by the dents and scratches on each piece. The junk shop becomes a museum of memories.
Jewellery has traditionally been used to keep the memory of a loved one close to the heart. A young Victorian lady keeps a lock of her fiancé's hair in a gold locket in his absence. As time passes the keepsake is passed down from mother to daughter and so on through the generations building layer upon layer of significance. Through my use of traditional shapes such as the cameo I reference jewellery's significance and its intrinsic connection to memories. Through using a wide range of materials, techniques and imagery I reflect the eclectic nature of my subject matter in a quirky way. By finely soldering silver beaded wire into clusters I reference the intense decoration found in Victorian jewellery. My silver clusters are saturated with tiny curios of different textures and colours like in a junk shop. To create this variety I combine techniques such as individual wax casting, sheet silver piercing, reticulation, stone setting and bead stringing. These techniques allow me to combine silver and gold with semi precious stones and found objects to create thought provoking pieces.
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Nicola Morrison
My work consists of an eclectic mix of textured components made from precious metals. The textures I create on the components are based on a range of inspirations including the work of Japanese textile artists and Japanese textile companies.
I create textures on metal through rollprinting a range of different papers including handmade paper from Japan. To highlight and contrast the different textures, I oxidise silver and use different carats of yellow gold. In many pieces, such as my brooches, the components are held within silver or steel wire frames.
My collection of work ranges from precious metal earrings, bangles, cufflinks, brooches to large steel neckpieces and interlocking steel brooches. I am also available for commissions.
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Tanya Wilmot
Jeweller and Goldsmith
My jewellery is an organic fusion of silver and gold, occasionally combined with semiprecious stones. The range includes necklaces, bangles and rings.
