It's all over!

A bit of an overdue post I'm afraid! Big thank you's to all the exhibitors and those who helped us promote the event, I think we can say it was a success with a steady stream of people through the door and sales all round. Thanks to all the people that came, viewed and bought our work and hope you can all join us again for what we hope to be an annual event.

We opened our private view two artists down due to a fall down the stairs in last minute rushing around, but with that drama over our exhibition space started to fill with members of the public enjoying the exciting collection of work, wine and real ale kindly donated by the Inveralmond Brewery in Perth. The piper on the door helped guide people to our slightly off the beaten track location and as was fitting for our Jute Mill location we were treated to an impromptu performance by Dundee singer, Sheena Wellington. And special thanks to Adrian and his wheels of steel who helped keep a lively buzz about the place for the whole weekend.

On Sunday we drew the raffle having raised £232 to split equally between the Maggie Centre and the ACJ. The winning tickets and corresponding prizes are noted below -

green 134 - Dianne King piece
yellow 20 - Dauvit Alexander piece
green 105 - Allison Lynn piece
green 103 - Genna Delaney piece
green 79 - Adrian Murray piece
yellow 321 - Ruth Gordon piece
yellow 446 - Michael Kay piece
yellow 317 - Sarah Spalding piece
yellow 355 - Nicola Morrison piece
yellow 302 - Islay Spalding piece
yellow 10 - Gill Ross piece

Winners have been contacted.






See you next time!

It's nearly time!

Here's three more designers that will be exhibiting with us this weekend.

Adrian Murray - Side Light Pendant

After graduating from Duncan of Jordanstone and specialising in Jewellery and Metalwork, Adrian has spent time playing and experimenting with various materials to produce one off works of design and has been involved in some projects that have been given the name of technocrafts. For the Christmas Extravaganza Adrian has generated drawings based on the numbers 25 12 09 (Christmas day) to produce pieces of jewellery that are in harmony using the lines of Christmas Day.

Allison Lynn
www.allisonlynn.co.uk

Allison is a textile and ceramic artist originally from Ayrshire and now based in Carlisle at The Yard Studios. By recycling fabrics and examining everyday objects Allison creates organic looking pieces that contain remnants of everyday life, making the mundane become unusual and exciting. She is able to show and exploit the age of the materials and by combining them with silver, porcelain and silks, the way they are perceived is altered. Her jewellery pieces show the delicate nature of the materials and are designed to be decorative, both on the body and as stand alone items on display.

Ruth Gordon - Silver, Nylon, Amazonite and Pearl Necklace
www.ruthgordonjewellery.co.uk

Ruth Gordon graduated with a BDes (Hons) Jewellery & Metal Design from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design in 2004. Ruth shares a WASPS studio with Genna Delaney where she makes designs and makes contemporary jewellery in both precious and non precious materials. Using a variety of materials Ruth takes inspiration from the colours, textures and patterns found in cakes and sweets as well as from the materials themselves. Sterling silver, gold, hand dyed nylon monofilament, enamels and plastics are just some of the materials used to create her pieces that are exhibited in Britain and Japan.

Jewellery Raffle

We are holding a raffle with prizes donated by each of our exhibiting jewellers. This is to raise money for future exhibitions with 50% of the proceeds going to Maggie's Cancer Centre, Dundee.

Tickets will be available to buy at the exhibition or directly from exhibitors, if you can't attend our show but would like the chance to win a piece of jewellery from one of our talented jewellers please email your request to acj-scotland@googlegroups.com. Tickets cost £1 each or £4 for five.

The raffle will be drawn on Sunday 29th November at 4.30pm in the exhibition space, Wasps Artist Studios, Dundee. Winners will be contacted after the draw.

Here's just some of the jewellery you could win!

Three more artists, 16 days to go!

Only 16 days to go until the Christmas Extravaganza! This unique exhibition of jewellery, art and design will combine the attractiveness and ambiance of a gallery space with the opportunity to meet and buy direct from the makers and artists. It's only on for two days (Sat 28th and Sun 29th Nov) so come along and get involved! This is your chance to meet some of Scotland's top young (and some not so young!) designers and artists, many of them local and all keen to answer your questions and show you their work. To tempt you even more here's three more artists who will be exhibiting and selling their creations.

Michael Kay
www.michaelkayjewellery.co.uk

Michael Kay graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 1970 specialising in Silversmithing and Jewellery Design. He began teaching in 1971 as a way of combining a general interest in Art and Design with an opportunity to teach his specialism, as well as providing a regular income. Michael became Principal Teacher of Art & Design at Monifieth High School in 1993 and since retiring in 2008 has been active in designing and making. His creations range from small scale jewellery to larger scale silversmithing using silver, gold and precious or semi-precious stones. "All the work I do aims to exploit the natural properties of the materials I use."

Gill Ross
www.gillross.com

Gill Ross recently graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design and was awarded a Goldsmiths Company Precious Metal Bursary. A practicing jeweller and illustrator, Gill is inspired by the character of our skewiff and weather battered skylines in Scottish towns and cities. Using observational drawing these qualities are captured in jewellery to celebrate the unique culture we all share.

Joanne Campbell - Orchid and Porcelain Bird

Joanne graduated in 2001 with a first class honours degree in Illustration and Printmaking from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design. She currently teaches Art part-time at the High School of Dundee and exhibits artwork both locally and nationally. The inspiration for her work comes from her surroundings and she enjoys visiting and interpreting new and different environments, recording these scenes using photography and quick sketches in a variety of media, which are later developed into final artworks. Joanne’s work is predominantly produced using the medium of screen-printing using strong colours, layers of imagery and experimentation with collage and the opacity of inks to create fusions of colour, texture and pattern.

Two More Jewellers!

Dianne King - Sea Serpent's Pearl

www.dianneking.com

Dianne King is an award-winning Scottish jewellery designer-maker based in Fife. Originally a sculptor and art historian, she lectured at Edinburgh College of Art for 25 years before retraining as a jeweller. She exhibits regularly in UK galleries and currently has a solo show in Sweden. Each piece of jewellery is a one-off, hand-made with natural materials. No two pieces are the same. “For me, jewellery must be a personal statement, not just decoration. The feel of each piece and the meaning behind it are as important as the visual impact.”

Sarah Spalding

www.sarahspalding.co.uk

Sarah graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art earlier this year and has already won the Goldsmiths Precious Metals Bursary Award and the Victoria and Albert Museum Jewellery Design Competition. Her designs are influenced by patterns and structures found in and around cities worldwide, reflecting architectural aesthetics through the use of straight lines, geometric shapes and grid. These concepts have been developed to create sculptural yet wearable jewellery.

More Artists!

Only a month to go until our two day Christmas Extravaganza! Here are some more artists and designers who will be exhibiting and selling their work-

Paola McClure - Soft Sculpture
www.paolamcclure.com

Paola McClure studied Illustration at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee and has taught art in schools on the west coast of Scotland. She now works from her studio in Dundee’s Meadow Mill Studios. The figures Paola makes are innocent watchers, celebrations of life with all its joys and despairs. Often the inspiration is the fabric itself, not just because of its delicious texture, colour and pattern but also because of its origins. Most of the material used has had a previous life either in the form of old clothing or fabric, curtains, blankets bought at charity shops or windfall pieces passed on by friends. Precisely not knowing the full background gives an extra resonance and adds a layer of intrigue so that you can let your imagination go and invent your own histories, give them form and turn them into creatures that can take on a presence of their own.

Dauvit Alexander - Fleur du Mal
www.justified-sinner.com

Having no formal training in metalwork or jewellery, Dauvit Alexander - who is also known as The Justified Sinner - is largely self-taught, chance leading him from the chosen path of landscape gardening and into the world of contemporary jewellery. Dauvit grew up in the dying industrial heartland of the Central Belt of Scotland and watched the steelworks and shipyards breathe their last, the monuments to industry torn down, the cities, towns and cultures laid waste. It is from this destruction that his work grows: objects found in dereliction, bolts from rusted tractors, crushed lobster-pots, 300 sewing-machine needles from an abandoned sweatshop, a corroded spanner, the petrol cap from a 1950s truck... all of these have found their way into his recent work. Rescued, reworked, he uses these humble relics of the industrial past in conjunction with precious metals and stones and the techniques of fine jewellery to create objects which playfully evoke the idea of "nostalgia" whilst being fully up-to-date.

Kirby Textiles - Dapple Ombre Wool Collection
www.kirbytextiles.com Louise Kirby graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in 1999 with a BDes (Hons) in Printed Textiles and now works from her studio in Meadow Mill, Dundee. She has worked as a commercial designer producing print samples sold to fashion houses worldwide and in London and Australian design studios.Combining exciting contrasting patterns and hand printed techniques in pure silk and wool, Kirby designs luxurious reversible scarves and wall hangings with a contemporary twist. Inspiration comes from her world travels and much closer to home, from patterned Scottish tree barks to the fascinating richly coloured city of Marrakesh with its intricate wrought iron windows.Individual consideration is taken with each scarf being slightly different due to the mono-printed technique where every mark is scratched in by hand. Designs remain fresh and lively due to a spontaneous approach and continuing experimentation to create wearable art.

Jennifer Robson - Presence

Jennifer is a born and bred Dundonian. She graduated with a BA (Hons) in Drawing and Painting at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in 2004 and works from her studio at WASPS. After managing and curating Hanna's Contemporary Art Gallery in Dundee she is now a full time artist taking on various commission and exhibiting her work nationwide. Jennifer works in many mediums including oils, mixed media, collage, sculpture, construction and is particularly interested in the medium of drawing and is becoming known for her skill and her trademark ‘blue drawings’. Her work is mainly figurative and based on the ‘Self’. She is currently working on a new body of work and her subject matter has broadened to include animals, including the Horse, the Swallow, the Hare and the Elephant.

Some of the jewellers exhibiting

Islay Spalding - Biomorph Rings
www.islayspalding.co.uk

Islay graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in 2005, she now shares a studio in Dundee with fellow exhibitors Adrian Murray and her sister Sarah Spalding and co-ordinates ACJ Scotland alongside Genna Delaney. Islay uses silver and resin, bold designs and biomorphic shapes to create quirky, colourful and wearable one-off pieces of jewellery. She is inspired by surrealist art and nonsense stories, especially the work of Desmond Morris, Joan Miro and Lewis Carroll. Islay also specialises in bespoke Kilt Pin designs, which are contemporary and unusual compared to the traditional style. The Kilt Pins are fabricated from sterling silver and she uses techniques such as photo-etching, forging and oxidisation to achieve these unique designs.

Genna Delaney - Labyrinth Necklace
www.gennadelaney.com

Genna graduated in 2006 with BDes (Hons) Jewellery & Metal Design from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design. She has been designing and making bespoke jewellery since 1999 and works from her Wasps artists studio in Dundee and works alongside Islay Spalding to co-ordinate ACJ Scotland. Architecture is the major influence in her work which inspires both geometric forms and organic sculptures. Movement is also a prominent force where rare coloured stones can be moved along the labyrinths of her work. Her pieces are tactile, playful and sculptural. Genna is passionate about designing and making jewellery and thrives to produce bespoke, superbly produced handcrafted pieces, challenging the boundaries of jewellery design by producing both one off and commercial pieces

Nicola Morrison - Frame Brooch
www.nicolamorrison.co.uk

Nicola Morrison graduated in 2003 with a First class honours degree in Jewellery and Metalwork from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee. After graduating she set up the collective called ‘The DD4 Workshop’ with three fellow jewellers in Glasgow and now works from her wasps aritsts studio in Dundee. Her work consists of an eclectic mix of textured components made from precious metals. Textures are created on metal through rollprinting a range of different papers including handmade paper from Japan and paper doilies and are based on a range of inspirations including the work of Japanese textile company, Nuno Coperation and Lucienne Day. To highlight and contrast the different textures, she oxidises silver and uses different carats of yellow gold. Alongside her jewellery, Nicola also produce collages, which are based on her inspirations and jewellery.