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Clare Hillerby Jewellery
Biography
After graduating from Edinburgh College of Art in 1997 with a BA (Hons) in Jewellery and Silversmithing I received a Start-Up Grant in 1998 from the Scottish Arts Council to establish my workshop and business in Edinburgh. Over the years I have won many awards, had work featured in publications, taken part in many exhibitions and fairs, and have supplied galleries and museums in the UK, USA, Japan and across Europe.
I continue to design and make one-off and limited edition jewellery to exhibit and sell through selected galleries and shops.
In 2012 I moved to Manchester, and in September 2015 I opened my own Work / Shop at Manchester Craft + Design Centre where you will find my full collection and discuss special commissions.
Inspiration
Gathering old postcards, usually around 100 years old, all featuring handwriting is my starting point. The handwriting is unique and full of character, telling stories and hinting at everyday lives throughout our history.
Contrasts of writing styles and characters are important and combining them result in new conversations.
As well as postcards I collect stamps, linen maps and old wooden rulers. Gathering old materials creates a unique and inspiring starting point for making.
Jewellery
Handmade jewellery featuring old found postcards and vintage rulers inspired by handwriting, history and the urban environment.
Once the papers and rulers have been gathered, sections are extracted creating intriguing hints of the original meaning.
New metalwork elements are created with pattern and texture that reference our urban environment; then the old and the new are combined and contemporary stories emerge.
Collages
Original collages that combine old found papers with new handmade elements, embellished with paint, stitch and the occasional found object.
In 2006 I took part in an exhibition giving me an opportunity to work on a larger scale. Over time I had gathered lots of old paper that preferred to remain bigger, so it all made sense to develop them into collage.
Like my jewellery the old papers are also combined with new handmade elements, some painted, some stitched, and some with the occasional old pin or rusty paperclip.
