Two roads diverged in a yellow wood...

I took the road less travelled by,

And that made all the difference.

Robert Frost

I have a little bit of news, I've been accepted onto the Masters of Design course at Duncan of Jordanstone for this September, so I shall be returning to the old university for another year. I'm excited, scared beyond belief and hopeful that it will be very valuable along with doing the Artist in Residency. It was all a bit of a rush and I think most of my friends assumed I’d decided not to make an application, but I think this is right.

Anyway I’ve been working on a few new design using quite chunky hollow forms on different earring fittings as well as playing with the draughts idea again...

Hollow Form Earrings (White Precious Metal)

Hollow Form Earrings (White Precious Metal)

Found Object Draughts Set (Buttons on Ceramic Tile)

Obviously this isn’t a finished piece – if it was I think I might be certified – but ideas come in all shapes and forms, in this case me scribbling on one of the tiles on my workbench in permanent marker and emptying a pencil case full of buttons all over my workrooms floor (I seriously keep finding them everywhere, I think they’re breeding!). I just really like the idea of using buttons for some of the travelling pieces, mostly because I just like buttons when they’re set like a traditional cabochon, but also because it does fit in with the travelling theme.

Think about it this way. How many buttons have you lost while you’ve been out? They wouldn’t give spare buttons on shirts/trousers/coats or give you sewing kits when you’re on holiday if I was seriously the only person ever to have done that. You go off on holiday and you drop things and you think bugger, I actually needed that. You always see buttons and coins and things dropped by people as they go about their lives and I love that.

It’s like seed dispersal but in button form.

Travelling Draughts Set

Travelling Draughts Set: Silver and Stone Resins

As I have spent the past few months making my larger scale Chess sets, before I went to New Designers I thought it would be interesting to play around with scale and so I came up with this simple Drafts design. My intent is to make this design like a travel game and have it magnetized and possibly use either found objects or enamel in order to have have a more colourful and playful game.

When I was in London I talked to another designer who chose to approach his final year by making toys and a chess set. He made this amazingly fun and colourful design based on children cheating in the very formalised game. Chess Boy's approach (as referred to by my friends, his actual name is Thomas) and the number of children who I talked too during the two shows have made me want to make a set which is not only more affordable, but also more playful and childish. Even I admit my Parliament set is quite severe.

Catch Up...

So, my four years are over...the Degree Show has been and gone...

Opening night was madness, I could barely move out of the area I was displaying in, but luckily Jinju was close by for a little friendly support. I was barely even able to get out when my family came to visit and didn’t know how to get up to the Degree Show space. During the week, okay, so I was a tad sad and was there 9 ‘til late most nights, however, it was a great, but totally surreal experience as I met old friends who I genuinely didn’t expect to see ever again, I saw my school art teacher Mr Maxwell who tried to steal one of my chess pieces and Mr Henderson who walked straight past me and looked at the wrong Emily’s work. I saw my tutors from college and David said my sketchbooks were no longer splodgy...charming...then, five minutes after closing the doors on our Degree Show, I made my second sale!

...my 23rd birthday has been and gone...

Yes, on the 31st of May I turned 23, so a few days before I had a lovely picnic with my friends on Balgay Hill in the middle of a lovely clearing where Fe insisted on trying to tempt every passing dog over. Claire made me this amazing birthday cake with black and white check on it (very attractively enjoyed by Fe and Jen – mmm, nice). Then I had a nice day with my family on the actual day – okay actually we went to Ikea, but I got to drive back from Glasgow – I hate motorways, but love dual carriageways – which meant getting to drive faster than normal and getting to overtake my dad. Hehe.

...Graduation has been and gone...

I now officially have my Bachelors of Design (with Honours) in Jewellery and Metalwork. YIPPY!

...New Designers has been and gone...

New Designers was mad...not only a week in London but the actual show was so big. I really enjoyed myself and one SDC Gallery in London are going to exhibit some of my work as of January so I’ve got to get cracking and make some new stuff given that Claire (of the wonder birthday cake making) is selling some of my degree show work in her new shop in Stirling. It was just nice being part of that sort of exhibition.

...since then...

Since London lots of things have happened and in turn very few things. Just before I went one of my best friends, Yvonne, had her second child the gorgeous Michael who I’ve yet to go and see (I know, bad friend – but hopefully she brings with her good gifts). I sold my Labradorite necklace. I was commissioned and sold a chain necklace and a pair of earrings to Pat from work. I’m trying to make the decision as to whether I forgo my Masters for a year and make a go of just selling or I take a chance at a late entry onto the course at Dundee – a decision I’ve been desperately trying to make and haven’t yet managed. I’ve been hobbling around with Sciatic, caused by a mixture of the joyous way a jeweller works and standing up for days on end at the degree show and new designers....basically, I’ve duffed up my back and I’m sore. And finally and very sadly, we lost two of our four cats the week I was in London. Pepper and Gillespie are, obviously after 14 years as part of our family are very deeply missed. They were absolutely adored and are irreplaceable.

...and next...

Well, hopefully I will be making more and making decisions about the future, but I promise I will keep this more up to date.

(My uncle has been nagging me through my mum to update my blog, which since leaving uni I’ve been neglecting. This was down to a lack of broadband and none of pictures loading up. We have however gotten it and I shall now be keeping things more up to date.)

Assynt Chess Set - Goldsmiths Bursary

Assynt Chess Set - Goldsmiths Bursary Award

Given that I didn't want to finish this design, I am glad I did. I love the combination of the wood and the silver - even though it's a complete pain in the bum to work with.

Let's just hope that the bursary people at Goldsmiths actually think it's worth the money they gave me.

Quite honestly I'm a little - okay a lot - stressed at the moment. I'm not sure I'm going to finish all my jewellery and I'm struggling to see it all together. Teaches me to ever talk to Teena about my work. But ce la vie, it'll all be over in a couple of weeks, so, if you'll excuse me, I'm heading back to the workshop.

Parliment Chess Board

Parliment Chess Set - photoetched silver filled with slate and marble resins

Based on Norman MacCaig's poem The Man in Assynt and the skylights of the Scottish Parliment Building in Edinburgh.

Welcome...

"Who owns this landscape? Has owning anything to do with love?"

As part of my final year at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art an Design in Dundee, I have been designing a collection of jewellery for my degree show, based on Scottish poetry.

My main design contrasts the influx of tourists from the bustle of the city to the tranquility of the seaside community. This I have translated into the form of a silver, photoetched chess board, filled with slate and marble resins to depict the dark and the light of the different communities. Each piece creates the same sihouette, with a continuous image flowing across the next and then these pieces each sit neatly interlocked together.

My jewellery designs are all based on this theme, using the same photoetched designs and stylistic shapes from the chess set to create elegant jewellery