New rings
Here are a couple of photos of my recent work. One has been taken in situ, at the Guildhall Art Gallery. The materials which have been used in the jewellery are silver along with rose quartz, pink tourmaline, pink topaz, black diamonds and grey pearls.
Lady L collection
I will be showcasing a new micro collection of jewellery at the Guildhall Art Gallery, with a fine art exhibition called the age of elegance. The jewellery has been inspired by a painting, the colours of the jewellery reflect the colours of the dress. The exhibition starts on Monday 11Th February 2012 and will continue for three months. There will be a preview evening at the end of February and the theme of the evening is called the cats pyjamas. There will be a band playing and a bar along with a display of hats. Visitors will also have the opportunity to see the exhibition which is free to the public.
Inspired by the lady Lavery painting
Love box
I have been recently looking into the history of Valentines day and have discovered that there are many threads which relate to the day of romance. February has been considered the month of romance for quite some time and its origins hark back as far as the Roman times and ancient Christian beliefs. There are three St Valentines, one of which was a priest during the third century in Rome and performed secret marriages during a time when it was considered a benefit for soldiers to be single. Valentine was killed when his actions were discovered. Another myth is that Valentine helped the Christians escape torture and there is also a legend that Valentine sent a letter to a young women while in prison and this tradition continues to this day.
Another view of Valentines day is that it predates Christianity and was a pagan festival called Lupercalla during Roman times, celebrating fertility.
Valentines day appears to be an occasion that has evolved over time, to the present day incarnation, of giving tokens of love.
Over the Christmas and New Year period I had the opportunity to visit Australia to see my brother, sister in law and two nephews. My Nephews are aged six months (went to the youngest’s christening while there and made a commissioned spoon for the occasion) and two years. I traveled via Singapore and Sydney to Brisbane, where I stayed for a number of days before venturing to Sydney for a quick trip and then back to Brisbane until the 5Th January 2012. I found Australia to be lovely and hot, although for the Australians it had been the coldest December for decades, in the areas that I stayed. The scenery is beautiful there and seemed to me to be quite tropical.
In the region of Brisbane I was able to explore the region of Cleveland and the Redlands. The Indigiscapes centre is great for a walk around a tropical woodland area and for its gardens. It has a lovely cafe where customers can sample traditional Australian food. Other areas to visit are the lighthouse with very scenic walks by the ocean. Sradbroke island is another very beautiful place, great for a four wheel drive to experience the different beauty spots of the island. I was also able to see lots of wild life there and there is a very serene ferry ride over to the island.
In Brisbane the Matisse drawing exhibition was on and is a good show to see. At the end of the exhibition there is a drawing room with lots of still life’s set up for visitors to draw, which is a great idea. There are also lots of lovely works of art to see at GOMA and has a good outdoor cafe. Brisbane library which is very near GOMA also has good exhibitions on and when I was there, saw a great show on children’s illustrations. It is another place which has a really good cafe. Brisbane has a great shopping centre and very near by, I popped into the Museum of Brisbane and saw a fine art show called Reveal. Other places which were good to visit in Brisbane were the valley, which has a market and James Street which has a cosmopolitan feel.
Brisbane city beach is a worthwhile visit and was very popular over Christmas as the surrounding beaches were closed due to adverse weather conditions.
In Queensland the Queenslander houses are very distinctive with the wooden facades and porches and some of them are very striking. I was able to see quite a few dotted around. Over Boxing day I went to a lovely Queenslander house near to the city of Brisbane.
While I was in Sydney I was able to sit by a swimming pool in the sunshine on a couple of occasions. I also went down to the harbour to see the Sydney opera house and visited the city centre with its multitude of shops. Other good shopping areas in Sydney were Paddington and Surrey hills. Bondi beach was another place that I visited, which is a lovely area and is very popular with the locals and tourists.
The We Make London craft show will be this Saturday, 10Th December and starts at 11.00am .
The East London Show has a special two for one offer for their show in Shoreditch, which takes place in the near future. You can download a 2 for one ticket from their website:
Next year there is going to be an exhibition at the Guildhall Art Gallery called the age of elegance. I am currently working on creating a capsule collection of jewellery which will be shown amongst other crafts alongside the exhibition, which is exciting. The pieces are inspired by a painting of Lady Lavery, who was considered to be the Victoria Beckham of her era. The designs are finished and I will be making the new pieces shortly.
