AOTM February 2011 - Nia Clement

Started by sparrow, February 02, 2011, 07:39:34 AM

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sparrow

The requests this year showed that you'd like to see more of the people who make jewellery with lampwork beads, so, without further ado, may I present:

Nia Clement


Distant Shores by gemwaithnia, on Flickr

I started making jewellery, purely as a hobby, something to play around with after work, about eight or nine years ago. I'd bought a book, Janet Coles' "The Complete Book Of Beads", many years previous to that. It was an impulse purchase from a Book Club magazine, after I had all but exhausted the cookbooks - my real passion in life! But it was simply one of those beautifully presented coffee-table books that I would flick through from time to time, with no real thought of pursuing the subject.
But some years later, whilst killing time in London's Covent Garden area, I came across The Bead Shop. I remembered my book, went into the tiny shop, and the rest, as they say, is history.

I came home proudly clutching a little bag of beads, but with nothing else. After literally playing around on the kitchen table, sorting the beads into colours and shapes, I decided to actually make something, although I didn't have tools or wire. I rummaged through one of the sheds here on the farm and found some wire, and clumsy (and rather dirty) pliers, and proceeded to create a pair of hideous orange earrings that Pat Butcher would have been proud to wear.

Thankfully, these early offerings never made it into the public arena, and gradually, after buying some rather more refined tools and findings, I started making first of all earrings, then bracelets and necklaces, that I could actually wear without people fainting in horror.

Work colleagues and friends soon noticed my jewellery, so I spent a year or two happily making items for them , just charging enough to cover my costs, and keeping everything firmly in the cheap and cheerful bracket - plated metal, innexpensive gemstones, and commercially made glass. But once I'd dipped my toe into the world of local craft fairs and fundraising events, I came to the conclusion that this was a much nicer way to earn a living, and I decided to give up work and take the plunge as a full-time jewellery maker.


Smoke & Mirrors by gemwaithnia, on Flickr  


Mandarin by gemwaithnia, on Flickr

Looking back now, it seems like an incredibly rash and hasty decision, but at the time it made perfect sense. I had always forced myself to conform to a "normal" path - A levels in sensible subjects, a degree in English, a job in the civil service while working on firstly a D. Litt., then part one of a law degree. But eventually, I saw the light and abandoned all of those projects for photography, which had always been a hobby from university days, and a job-share which involved working every other week as an administrator at Ffotogallery Cardiff, an amazing place to be back in the 80's - where else could you be in direct contact with icons such as Don McCullin, Bailey, Harry Callahan, Philip Jones-Griffiths, etc, etc - and on my weeks off, working on my own documentary projects. But idyllic times often end quite abruptly, and when my marriage broke up, I retreated to the peace and tranquillity of West Wales, sorted out my life, eventually met and married a "nice" bloke, so when the time was right to take up jewellery making full-time, then I knew I'd get the support I needed.

I gradually worked my way up the ladder from cheap and cheerful, to quality jewellery, and along the way, bumped into lampwork. Or maybe it bumped into me? By the time I'd taken jewellery making seriously, I'd discovered the UK Beaders Forum, which was a fantastic resource for someone like me. It was here that I got to see some of the very best British lampwork at that time. Artists such as Isabelle Anderson, Emma Ralph, and Tan (Of Course!) were the first people I bought lampwork from, along with Ray Skene, Pam Purslow and several others. And from there it was only a short step to finding Frit Happens, with access to even more gorgeous glass.


Sea Of Light by gemwaithnia, on Flickr      


Soft Whispers by gemwaithnia, on Flickr


Primavera by gemwaithnia, on Flickr                


Lakshmi - SOLD by gemwaithnia, on Flickr

I have no idea what I'm going to make until I make it. Does that make sense? I start with colour, because that really is my main influence. I'll choose a set of beads, rummage through my gemstones and pearls, pour out everything I think might be even in the slightest bit compatible, and then start eliminating. I eventually end up with a combination of lampwork, gemstones, pearls and silver that work well with, and compliment each other. But colour alone simply doesn't do it for me. There has to be an empathy between all the  elements for there to be a successful outcome. I tend to think of it as a meat and two veg thing - lampwork is the meat, but the vegetables and the accompaniments are what really bring the whole thing to life.

And I never "design". If it works then so be it. If it doesn't, then it will never amount to more than a couple of inches before being deconstructed.
I don't really think I have a style as such, although I suppose the way I combine clusters of gemstones and pearls with lampwork has become quite familiar over the last couple of years. And although a lot of people have commented that my jewellery is "classy" or "stylish", I'm really not sure what that means! Some of it is subdued, yes, but a lot of it is vibrant and colourful. I think I'll leave it up to my customers to decide what suits them best.

So...... to the burning (pardon the pun) question. Why don't I use my own lampwork glass beads in my own jewellery? I'm just not that interested in making my own glass - shock horror! Yes, I love lampwork, and I so appreciate the skill, time and effort that goes into it, and yes, I can make my own. I've done my obligatory day course, I have a basic set-up here, and could, in theory, make glass. But do I wake up in the morning itching to get into the workshop and melt some glass? Then the answer has to be no, I don't. What I want to do (and do!) is to play around with some of the most gorgeous gemstones I can get my hands on, and combine them with the very best of lampwork.


Carnevale - SOLD by gemwaithnia, on Flickr    


Echoes Of Spring by gemwaithnia, on Flickr


Absinthe by gemwaithnia, on Flickr


Lilac Lace - SOLD by gemwaithnia, on Flickr


Maasai by gemwaithnia, on Flickr

I have to confess though, that "Artist Of The Month" sits a little uncomfortably on my shoulders. I don't really think of myself as an artist. I put things together, no more, no less.

Although "putting things together" has actually given me a livelihood over the last five years, has seen me take on the role of main breadwinner in our house, and has put our son through university.

As for the future? At the moment, I'll just be carrying on the way I've been going for a while, enjoying making jewellery, getting out and about at various events and shows, doing evenings with different groups, and of course cementing the friendships I've made with glassmakers, silversmiths and other jewellery makers.


Scarborough Fair - SOLD by gemwaithnia, on Flickr


Ice Storm by gemwaithnia, on Flickr

My website - www.gemwaithnia.co.uk - continues to grow and develop
and my Etsy shop - www.etsy.com/gemwaithnia - carries a selection of my jewellery.
All my latest creations can be found on my Flickr album - www.flickr.com/photos/gemwaithnia -
and I can also be tracked down on Facebook if anybody feels so inclined.
I only have one hard and fast rule when it comes to my jewellery. And that is, I never make anything that I wouldn't wear myself.
It's stood me in good stead thus far, and given me the confidence to develop my ideas and pursue goals that I might otherwise lose sight of, especially during these tough economic times.

A huge thank you for asking me to be Artist Of The Month - or Flavour Of The Month as my dear husband put it! - especially as I'm only a "pretend" lampworker.

The last picture here is one which sort of sums up how friendly the Frit community is. It was taken last year at Cheltenham, when a few of us got together for a lovely day out, put the world to right, gossiped and chatted all day long, and generally caused chaos at Julie's stand! And in case you don't know us, from left it's George, the lovely Dragonfly Lynne, myself, Lesley from Coburg Crafts, and Julie.
Hopefully I'll meet some more of you lovely FHF'ers at this year's Flame Off, see you then!


A Grand Day Out! by gemwaithnia, on Flickr


Sabine x

www.littlecastledesigns.co.uk www.facebook.com/littlecastledesigns Ring Top Tutorial