We are pleased to introduce our new cohort of starter studio holders who will be beginning their two year programme here at Yorkshire Artspace in October. This is a very exciting time here as six new artists get settled in and find their way around their new studios and equipment.

Holly creates art jewellery, crafting pieces of delicate and detailed wearable art, celebrating the curious attraction we have to plants, places and the natural world.

Encompassing ideas from outside the realm of jewellery, her work draws from illustration, great painters such as Monet and Klimt, and also from old dioramic books. Working in a mixture of copper, silver & resins, Holly combines traditional skills with modern making techniques, to develop innovative and unusual collections of work. Drawing and painting are integral parts of her creative process, so much so that she has developed exciting ways to incorporate them into some of her final collections.

Holly studied in the heart of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter at the School of Jewellery, on the BA Jewellery Design & Related Products course. She has until recently been working from her garden workshop in the Cotswolds. We are very pleased to welcome her here to Yorkshire Artspace.

How did you hear about the Starter Studio Programme?

I first became aware of the programme when I met one of the ceramics starter studio holders, Meghan Downs whilst exhibiting together at Living Crafts 2017. Through talking with Meghan I heard about the benefits of the programme, and how much it had helped her practice. I then saw it advertised through both Benchpeg and the Crafts Council’s websites & Instagram.

What made you want to apply?

After hearing first hand from Meghan what a wonderful opportunity she had found the programme to be, it struck me that it would be a really great move for me and my young business. As it happened, two of the current jewellery/silversmithing studio holders also had studied at the School of Jewellery in the year above me, so I got in contact to find out their experiences too. Again, all the responses were really positive and encouraging, so I felt that it would be a brilliant stepping stone for developing my practice.

Can you describe your practice?

I describe the jewellery I make as art jewellery; delicate and detailed wearable art which celebrates the curious attraction we have to plants, places and the natural world. Encompassing ideas from outside the realm of jewellery, my work draws from illustration, great painters such as Monet and Klimt, and also from old dioramic books. Working in a mixture of copper, silver & eco-resins, I combine traditional skills with modern making techniques, to develop innovative and unusual collections of work. Drawing and painting are integral parts of my creative process, so much so that I have developed exciting ways to incorporate them into some of my final collections.

What are you looking forward to most about joining the programme/moving to Sheffield?

I am really excited at the prospect of moving into a supportive environment filled with other creatives who importantly are not only jewellers, but silversmiths & ceramicists (as well as makers from other disciplines from the wider creative community of Sheffield!) This will be a massive move for me from my extremely rural garden shed! I think being able to bounce ideas off other makers, share advice, support and encouragement, will be truly beneficial both to my practice and business outlook.

I’ve actually only visited Sheffield a handful of times, but everybody I’ve mentioned the city to cannot sing its praises loudly enough – so I think I’m going to enjoy it!

Where can people see your work?

You can find my work on my own website - my art jewellery is here and my contour jewellery is here. You can also see more development of the work on my Instagram page, Facebook and Twitter.

You can currently find my work at a range of galleries including Victoria Sewart Gallery, Mostyn Gallery, The Harley Gallery, Byard Art, Ferrers Gallery, Iapetus Galleries and A L’Etage 2. In August I will be showing my work at Handmade Edinburgh as part of the Fringe Festival, you can also find my work in Handmade Britain’s new online platform – Handmade Online.