Wednesday 4 November 2015

brand new website

So October saw me finally put together a website. Find all my latest work and information about me, current stockists and up and coming events.  You can also follow me day to day on my Facebook page and also on Twitter  - www.rachelbrownjewellery.com


Saturday 11 April 2015

New work








been quiet lately!!

Well I havent posted anything for a while so this is just a quick rundown of things so far.
I had a great year last year which culminated in winning The Outstanding artist award at the Holmfirth Art Market in Nov which was a complete surprise! www.artmarkets.co.uk  it also gave me chance to work on my new display, very different to the shabby chic look of previous shows.


Sunday 26 October 2014

Blog hop

I have been invited by artist and bookmaker Kate Bowles (www.katebowles.blogspot.co.uk) to participate in this blog hop- think chain letter but more hi tech and less suspicious, although I am a day late in posting this so I hope I haven't jinxed it because it has travelled from Europe to America and now to Yorkshire!
I love Kate's work, I use one of her little books as a sketchbook in which I doodle everyday.
So here is my contribution......
What am I working on?
Like most creative people at this time of year I am gearing up for Christmas. I have just delivered some pieces to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park  for their 'MADE' exhibition and now I am frantically trying to get work done to sell at the fabulous Holmfirth Art Market at the end of Nov as well as trying to create a new way of displaying my work which I will try out at the art market. I am also working on getting a website up and running -  I have avoided doing one before now because I was never confident about the jewellery that I was producing but I think I've found a technique that suits the way I work and people seem to like it.

How does my work differ from others of it's genre?
Ooh a difficult one! If you think of enamelling and enamelled jewellery then you think bright colours, intricate patterns and highly skilled technically difficult pieces, my work couldn't be further from this. I use white enamel only which I guess is unusual, my pieces are often mistaken for porcelain. 
At college I had a very brief introduction to enamelling with the fantastic enameller Jane Short. I remember thinking that the whole process was far too time consuming, fiddly and definitely not for me. I revisted enamelling three years ago when I introduced it to my HE students, I researched various enamelling techniques and came across a method which involved drawing onto a stoned enamel surface with a graphite pencil, the carbon from the pencil is absorbed by the enamel and leaves a permanent image. I immediately fell in love with it. I love drawing particularly with pencil and so it felt very comfortable to do.
I still don't consider myself an enameller, I just use enamel as part of my making process - maybe that makes me different?



 Why do I do what I do?
The cheesy answer I guess is because it makes me happy and when I see someone wearing my work it makes me smile - it's that simple. I don't wear jewellery but I am drawn to people who do, you can tell a lot about someone by the jewellery they wear - what kind of people wear my jewellery, mmmm not sure but that has got me thinking!
I still consider my jewellery making as a hobby and like most hobbies I do it because I have a passion for my subject, it relaxes me, I can chill out. My workshop is my 'me' space where I can forget about things like the washing and the fact that the freezer needs defrosting ( I must do that!)
I also do it because I can't help it.

How does my process work?
I very rarely go into the workshop with a plan unless it is a specific commission. It is more of an organic process, I pick up some copper or silver let the piercing saw do the work and let the shape evolve, I sift the enamel on, fire it, grind it, draw on it and refire. I am not a technical jeweller, my processes are fairly simple.
Working like this means that each piece I create is unique, a one-off.
I love mark making and I am inspired by anything from the tiny loops on a bath towel, to the texture of peeling paint on a door, I record this through photographs and quick doodles in a sketchbook - the white enamelled surface could be likened to a blank piece of paper in which I can doodle, rubout if necessary.

I'm going to leave it there and nominate two people whose work and work ethic I love - I have yet to run this by them, so it could change!  Watch this space.





Tuesday 14 January 2014

New enamel work 2013/2014











Best presented stand award at Holmfirth Art Market 2013

2014 is the year I get my work out there!! I had so many lovely comments and sales at Holmfirth Art Market in November and I won an award that I really need to act upon it so watch this space/blog!

Sunday 6 May 2012