Something Spectacular

FACEBOOK!

2011-03-03T13:53:00.000Z

COME FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK :)

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BE THE FIRST TO HEAR ABOUT THE LATEST DESIGNS, NEWS & EVENTS!

OVER & OUT

PRESS CLIPPING

2011-02-23T15:59:00.000Z

STYLIST MAGAZINE
23rd FEBRUARY 2011

Another delicious press clipping courtesy of my exclusive collection with Astley Clarke

EXCITING STUFF ;)

VALENTINES EXHIBITION

2011-02-07T22:49:00.001Z

SPRING CLEAN POST NUMERO 4th & FINAL!

VALENTINES JEWELLERY EXHIBITION
@ ART'S COMPLEX, EDINBURGH
A LOVELY AND VARIED SELECTION OF WORK ON SHOW AT MY STUDIO COMPLEX

INCLUDING WORK FROM JAIMIE MCDONALD, JEN CUNNINGHAM, NICOLA TURNBULL, & KRZYSZTOF BORKOWSKI

The Jewellery Exhibition, originally titled 'Silverlining' is a collaboration with Telford Colleges Event Organising Students. They did a fabulous job organising the exhib, marketing, sponsorshop and catwalk. Thank you to the lovely ladies!

The opening night was on Friday 4th, spent the entire day setting up. I love the display aspect of jewellery, and I am slowly building a collection of display furniture and objects. The exhibition, being a Valentines one, had the theme of red black and white. I theme I stuck to rigourlessly.... :S wups.

But on the theme of romance nonetheless, my installation is has hints of the 1940s romantic nuances, which I felt both befitted my signature boxes and my silhouette work. There are a few new editions to my silhouette collection, I have downscaled the ladies and this time they are blessed with being silver rather than brass. I am EXTREMELY excited about developing this work into a full collection, harking back to the hayday of curves, cheeky flashes of stockings, and floral print - tapping into the resurgance of vintage fashion and wartime attitudes towards life. Anyway - will keep you posted as to when and how this develops ;)

I will let the pictures do the talking, hopefully you'll be able to get the gist of what I mean...

The poem in the typewriter is 'The Owl & the Pussy-Cat' by Edward Lear, not the most romantic, but is one of my favourites, my mum used to recite it to me when I was little. I have written and formatted the poem to fit with the style of my work, and also popped in a few of my little swallows for good measure (graphic designers avert your eyes, it may make you cringe). Although my jewellery may be v.sentimental, I can't stomach gushy, smultzchy, gooey 'romance' - give me a bird, a cat, a pig and a turkey anyday!

OVER & OUT!

PRESS CLIPPING

2011-02-07T21:46:00.001Z

SPRING CLEAN POST NUMERO 3
THE SATURDAY TELEGRAPH MAGAZINE
29th JANUARY 2011

Thanks to the lovely ladies at Astley Clarke, my work is now getting press coverage :D woop!
Below is the cutting from the Saturday Telegraph Magazine.

Keep your eyes peeled, there will hopefully be more to come! :)

SDC @ THE MALL GALLERIES

2011-02-07T21:39:00.001Z

RRRIGHT, POST NUMERO 2:
SOCIETY OF DESIGNER CRAFTSMEN

@ THE MALL GALLERIES 2011

The annual SDC exhib at the Mall Galleries took place in January, and I, along with about 200 artists and designers, exhibited work! Unfortunately all the work shown below is now lost thanks to my stupidity and the bureuocracy of the Royal Mail postal system.

On the upside got to meet some lovely designers such as Ella Chadzy, Becky Croft and the lovely-as-always Imogen Belfield

Black Box Studs

l-r: Golden Vincent Studs & Golden Box Earrings

White Box Mini Pin

Emily Ring

Hazel Earrings

Emily Earrings

ASTLEY CLARKE

2011-02-07T21:16:00.001Z

AAAAH SPRING CLEAN!
HELLO MY LOVELIES! THE TIME HAS COME TO SPRING CLEAN THE BACK CATALOQUE OF
THINGS TO SHOW AND TELL
SINCE BEFORE THAT FESTIVE TIME WE ALL ENJOYED AT XMAS!

I WILL KEEP SHORT AND SWEET, ONE QUICK BLOG POST PER PIECE OF NEWS, WHICH ARE AS FOLLOWS;

- I AM NOW STOCKED ON ASTLEYCLARKE.COM, WOOP!
- I HAVE EXHIBITED AT THE ANNUAL SDC EXHIB, (& subsequently lost ALL the work)
- I HAVE HAD MY WORK MIRACULOUSLY APPEAR IN THE SATURDAY TELEGRAPH MAG
- I HAVE NEW WORK WHICH IS CURRENTLY BEING EXHIBITED IN A VALENTINES EXHIB
- I HAVE STILL NOT REALLY GOT THE KNACK OF BLOGGING (there wont be a blog post about this, it will just be apparent in each of the above posts...)

HURRAH!

ASTLEY CLARKE

SO, this post is about the ASTLEY CLARKE news!

Having won the Astley Clarke Gold Award at IJL 2010, as part of the award I now have an EXCLUSIVE ONLINE COLLECTION with them! Big smile

* THE FOLLOWING IMAGES ARE PROPERTY OF ASTLEY CLARKE *

THE GOLDEN HENRY RING
- Image courtesy of AstleyClarke.com -

THE HENRY BOX NECKPIECE
- Image courtesy of AstleyClarke.com -

THE GOLDEN HENRY BOX BANGLE
- Image courtesy of AstleyClarke.com -

THE BELLE BOX NECKPIECE
- Image courtesy of AstleyClarke.com -

THE GOLDEN EDWARD BOX
- Image courtesy of AstleyClarke.com -

IJL - BRIGHT YOUNG GEMS

2010-10-26T23:45:00.001+01:00

AT THE START (yes 'start') OF SEPTEMBER
I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE PART OF
BRIGHT YOUNG GEMS 2010 @ IJL
IT WAS FABULOUS, DARLING.

A QUICK (AND AS USUAL, BELATED) POST TO SHOW YOU SOME PICTURES OF THIS YEARS STAND, AND THE LOVELY DESIGNERS I SHARED WITH...

This year I was lucky enough to have been selected as one of IJLs 5 Bright Young Gems. Not only that, I won the Astley Clarke Gold Award, a bit speechless to say the least! But I will blog about that nearer the time ;)

For four days whilst the show was open I met a wealth of industry professionals, familiar faces, and the acclaimed judging panel. I'll let the pictures do the talking (although I do apologise for the quality as they were all taken on my phone). Oh and we had EXTREMELY cool cabinets- they open in half...

My display was made by a lovely, very talented man and friend named Lyle McCance who owns Board Stupid, a bespoke furniture design company based in Dundee, Scotland.

The JOSHUA RING

A new addition to the Gentlemen Boxes, Joshua. He opens from inside, just like Henry, but has a thinner shank. There is also a neckpiece, but at the moment I have not had chance to get a good enough photo of him. Apologies for the poor quality of this photograph, also done on my phone!

THE WONDERFUL OTHERS:

And that was Bright Young Gems! Spent the entire week as a walking, sniffing, coughing, tissue factory but despite the flu had a wonderful time! Apologies to all those who I no doubt passed it to...SORRY!!

Oh, and the one thing that kept me smiling the whole time? The promise of THIS on 4OD when I got home;

Absolutely breathtaking. LOVE IT.

'THIS IS ENGLAND '86' by Shane Meadows

Walked past this poster just outside the overground everyday on the way to and from Earls Court. If your really observant you have already noticed the gentleman in the car making the most of the photo opp...

WE'RE NOT GROWING UP, WE'RE GROWING SIDEWAYS

OVER & OUT

HANNAH :)

THE SISTERS COLLECTION - more photos!

2010-08-28T01:43:00.000+01:00

HURRAH! FINALLY GOT MYSELF SOME LOW RES CLOSEUP CUTOUTS :)

SO - THE 6 SISTERS SO FAR...

the BELLE box

the HAZEL box

the HAZEL earrings

the JULIETTE box

the JULIETTE ring

the SOFIA bangle

the EMILY ring

the JANE brooch

PHOTOS BY JENNIFER CONNOLLY > WEBSITE

OVER AND OUT

HANNAH :)

THE SISTERS COLLECTION

2010-07-12T23:28:00.003+01:00

I FIND MYSELF ASHAMED
THIS BLOG IS AN EMBARRASSMENT!

SO I HEREBY ANNOUNCE THE FOLLOWING; I ENDEAVOUR TO UPDATE THIS BLOG ONCE A MONTH WITH SOMETHING OF RELEVENCE TO MY PRACTICE.

IF THIS IS NOT THE CASE I IMPLORE YOU TO THINK LOWLY OF ME FOR IT IS SCANDELOUS TO BE SO LAZY.

Ahem! Right, enough excuses. Recently back from participating in 'One Year On' @ New Designers in Islington London, I have lots and lots to do! Hurrah! One Year On is part of the annual graduate design exhibition New Designers, and showcases Jewellers, Silversmiths, Textile Designers, Ceramicists, Glass-makers, furniture designers and so on, all of whom are within their first year of setting up business.

PHOTO NICKED FROM VICTORIA WALKER > CLICK!

I wrongly thought that OYO exhibitors all had to have shown at New Designers the previous year - NOPE. Any designer who is within one year of setting up, whether or not you attended NewDes, can apply to exhibit. The event is curated by Thorsten Van Elten and is an fabulous opportunity to network with fellow makers and present your business to prospective galleries/buyers/clients etc. Selling it well enough? A brilliantly tiring week, I thought my feet were in the throes of death by the end of each day.

One Year on was also the first opportunity I've had to exhibit in full my new work, The Sisters Collection. Shifting the focus slightly from concept to aesthetics, this collection is centered more around the creation of drama through visual impact. With only a select few pieces with opening compartments, they bridge the gap between my other collections and this one.

The Sisters Collection photoshoot took place at the start of June and involved some mega fast organisation! The theme; WHITE! I wanted everything to have a frosted talcy whiteness, where my oxidised pieces would standout like the coaly eyes on a snowman. One of my best friends Jennifer Connolly shot the work, having worked with her before when we were both in uni. The studio and model were ready within an hour, hectically setting up the shot (which involved a warpspeed trip to Tescos to buy a kingsize white sheet!). Sofie - the model - was extremely professional, a big plus, lovely to watch a model working, it really is a skill.

Jenn, brilliant results as usual, instantly understanding my needs and vision for the shoot. Visit her site HERE to see other examples of Jenns fashion photography and portraiture.

ALL MODEL PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNIFER CONNOLLY
(Model: Sofie Burley. Make-up: Jennifer Aitchison)

THE FOLLOWING PHOTOSHOOT TOOK PLACE BEFORE THE FULL COLLECTION HAD BEEN MADE AND AS SUCH SHOWCASED HERE ARE 6 OF 8 PIECES.

^ THE BELLE BOX

^ THE JULIETTE BOX & JULIETTE RING

^ THE HAZEL BOX

^ THE HAZEL EARRINGS

^ THE SOFIA BANGLE

The full circle of Sisters

Belle, Hazel, Jane, Emily, Juliette & Sofia

Each of the pieces are individually named with view to expanding the collections through each of the eight sisters, e.g. The Hazel Box and the Hazel Earrings > Hazel Ring, Hazel Bracelet, Hazel Studs etc.

When I eventually get the full collection studio photographed (and not on models) I will post them up here aswell. Heck, it'll give me the push I need to blog that month!

For now, over and out.

HANNAH :)

THE BEGINNING OF CHANGE

2010-02-06T18:43:00.011Z

LONG TIME NO TYPEY I'M NOT IMPRESSED WITH MYSELF.

My promise to myself that I would blog weekly, has failed spectacularly. SEPTEMBER! That was my last post, and even then I was moaning about not having gotten into the flow. PATH-etic.

So, now that I have less on my plate, more focus and ultimately more time - I endevour to post at least twice this month! Its an exciting time for two reasons; My boyfriend and I are in the process of moving to Edinburgh, and more interestingly my fellow Designers-in-residence and I are organising our first of three exhibitions.

'these four walls' is set to take place at the end of the month and under a group name of The Collective. Having just set up the website/blog for us, I've caught the blogging bug again! So I figured i would practice this long lost art (to me) on my own blog first before venturing to share on the group pages.

The Designer-in-residence programme in the Duncan of Jordanstone Jewellery & Metal Design department has effectively been re-launched this year, with five DIRs from across Scotland. Alongside tutoring our designated years ( I have the gloriously intrepid and enthusiastic 2ndyears ;D ) we are curating a number of alternative exhibitions. The first of which is 'these four walls' and is an invite-only event which sees the 25 special guests becoming part of the exhibition. Exciting stuff, but I dont want to give too much away too soon ;) I plan on reporting back on the positively fabulous success of the night afterwards!

As far as new work goes, I have yet to properly pull together a cohesive collection. Thats not to say I haven't been working my fingers to the bone. The new work I have been producing has been more commercially aimed, working with the concept of the boxed note and creating smaller, more wearable pieces.

The earrings above make-up one part of the collection based on the the simple box neckpieces I made as part of my degree show collection. These simple 3D lockets have proved very popular with those who like my work - wearable, sleek and playful. It is these neckpieces, which in the next few months, I will be developing a high end range of.

After attending Getting Started in the January, I got the wakeup call and boost I'd been very much needing! Just like with New Designers, mingling and getting to know those in similar position to myself was brilliant - such a broad spectrum of talent aswell! I love being amazed by people, and Getting Started didnt fail me there. Aswell as my fellow delegates there were a number of guest speakers, imparting their wisdom and life-stories. Annoushka Ducas, Elizabeth Olver, Jos Skeates, Martyn Pugh, to name but a few! Annoushka Ducas, who with her husband started Links of London, was lovely, and gave me some very affirmative advice as how to proceed from here on in. Thank you Annoushka for that :) .

If you have a spare 10-20mins I completely recommend playing around with Annoushka - Ring Stacker - for those of us aspiring to live comfortably someday soon, here is some lovely 'window shopping' until that day arrives! I love the simplicity of the idea and sumptuousness of the pavé rings. I might have spent a good 40mins experimenting with this..

At this moment in time, my focus is on our upcoming exhibition and developing my follow-up range of wearable heirlooms. The emphasis of my work is still very much on the sentimental aspect of jewellery, with an antique twist.

The Nicholas Boxes (named after my wonderful Mr to mark his inspiration and support) are the starting point for my post-university collection. I want to keep the look and feel of my degree show collection, but downscale and miniaturise further. Always have I been fascinated with dollhouses and living life in miniature, and with the constant likening of my work to 'something from Beauty & the Beast', I decided to indulge the charming and magical.

The designs and pieces I am working on at the moment are centred on the aesthetics of miniature furniture - as with my collection The Antiquarian Boxes. I'm looking to create pieces that are a) more ornate, and b) more wearable, whilst still maintaining thier ornament-like qualities.

The Edward Pin is a lapel pin which, as with most of my work, is unisex. When I design my pieces, I aspire to create an atmosphere through aesthetics derived from classical furniture and architecture. I want my work to feel as if it is perhaps a treasure lost and found, and that it holds a fascinating secret. All the magical clichés of fairytales rolled in a piece of jewellery! ;) It is very easy to get lost in romanticising your work, I just hope the pieces I will be producing over the next month or so can live up the expectations.

We shall see.

HANNAH :)

the usual belated post.

2009-09-14T12:01:00.027+01:00

Bonjour! Well my weekly posting has failed miserably, in fact, I wasn't even efficient enough to create a second post until now.

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I have been working on several commissions and orders over the past while (and for the foreseeable future) which is grandiose :) I'm just starting on the new collection, based on the smaller box neckpieces, which will be a more rounded collection in a commercial vein. As soon as I have some pieces finished and photied, I'll post them on here and my website, for the moment you can only wonder.

Enough self-indulgent warbling, now for some of the work i loved from ND09.

In this post I want to present Lillian Pau, from Central Saint Martins. Lillian's work explores the controlling nature of OCD. At first glances her work seemed like beautifully crafted, playful objects which I was immediately drawn to as I love the idea of being able to mindlessly fiddle with your jewellery. When I asked about the pieces, one of her fellow CSMs explained the true intentions of her work. I loved it, and legged it back to my stand to tell the ladies that they had to go and check out this amazing work!

image courtesy of www.lillianpau.com

'Humour and eccentric use of repetition is used to introduce an OCD sufferer’s daily routines, alerting the wearer to follow the rules.'

It's amazing how appreciation of jewellery can be heightened so much by concept. Initially i loved the sleek, clean cut simplicity of the pieces, but the work entered a whole new level when it was explained.

'Repetitive, intrusive thoughts resulting in compulsive behaviour are redefined in this collection, questioning whether we all have slight OCD'

I love that it's playful, drawing you in, but that beneath this playfulness lies a sinister and debilitating urge. By wearing this work, are you submitting yourself to obsessive compulsive behaviour? Is there any hope of escaping this slippery slope? The more i think about it, the darker it seems...I love it!!!

image courtesy of www.lillianpau.com

The piece above, once fastened, is irremovable. Well there's a suffocating analogy between the piece and the condition. Brilliant stuff :)
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Oki, I promise the next post will be in the next week or so, I....can.....do it! Hopefully give a sneaky peeker at LITTLE BOX LINE, but i wouldn't bank on it. I've said 'coming soon' on my website, just don't ask me to define how soon...

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HANNAH :)

Hello!

2009-07-29T00:38:00.006+01:00

Wow, Hello! Welcome to my premiere post! This whole blog business is exciting, just need to get my bottom into gear and get blogging! I'll keep it brief for now, I just wanted to have at least one post so I can join the rest of you bloggers! Blog blog blog!

Where to start, first and foremost - New Designers 09, what a crazy time! (Please excuse awful photograph on ND link!). Was not what I was expecting to get from the week in Lahndahn! I'm absolutely over the moon - still! - at winning the award. Definitely a worthwhile experience, especially to see the wealth of talent and innovation out there. I loved meeting people, both in the industry and outwith, especially when they take such an avid interest in your work, it was really gratifying after months of workshop cabin fever! Also - meeting up with my fellow Goldsmiths' Company Summer School '08 people, lovely to see you all!

It was also lovely to properly chat with Lee Simmons, who won the New Designers Goldsmiths' Company Silversmith Award 09, who i think joined me in the utter shock at the surreality of the whole Awards process. His work is absolutely stunning, and had me thinking the words that must have been uttered a thousand times during New Designers - 'How did you do that?!'

Anyway, I will go into more detail about New Designers in my next post, which hopefully will be when I'm not falling asleep!

HANNAH :)