My source of inspiration is in ruins. Literally.

Why do ruins hold such significance for us? In Scotland, large, derelict estate houses retain glimmers of previous ages of grandeur in their architectural details, fireplaces, plaster, tiles, and other decorative elements that remain. With doors and ceilings missing, exposed lath, brickwork, and crumbling plaster, these ruins evoke the kinds of material longing described by Susan Stewart as the translation between past and present, the signifiers of what will endure or dissipate. (Stewart, 2020).

The dramatic imagery and materiality of ruins feature in my work as markers of the conflicted experiences one can have when encountering such sites: melancholy, sentimentality, nostalgia, longing and wonder.

Architectural qualities are paralleled in the pieces I make, for example, in the use of copper and silver together as these contrast not only in colour but also in value and traditional use, bringing together utility and ornament.

I was fortunate enough to be able to examine my passion for exploring ruins around Scotland, as well as a multitude of other themes, during my four-year study at The Glasgow School of Art. It was here, in 2021, that I gained a Batchelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Silversmithing and Jewellery.