A lovely little half hour to myself just drawing.

Our gallery is usually a rather quiet, reflective space, but not this Saturday. This Saturday our gallery was full of activity and full of drawing.

Our exhibition ‘Georgia O’Keeffe: Memories of Drawings’ presents 21 drawings by Georgia O’Keeffe from key moments throughout her career, many of these were completed early on.

“I was going to begin to make drawings. I thought, well I have a few things in my head that I never thought of putting down. But nobody else taught me. And I was going to begin with charcoal and I wasn’t going to use any colour until I couldn’t do what I wanted to do with charcoal. And went on from there,” said O’Keeffe.

Taking a lesson from O’Keeffe’s passion for drawing with charcoal and the possibilities of expression through the medium, we invited drawing tutor Claire Sandars to spend a day in the gallery and to get people drawing.

Armed with paper, charcoal—thank you so much Daler Rowney for supporting the day with a ready supply of willow charcoal—and a range of O’Keeffe inspired drawing prompts (flowers, shells, animal skulls and even an antler) we got to it and drew.

“I went along as I saw that [New Brewery Arts] was holding a charcoal workshop, and I haven’t picked up a piece in probably a decade; so I had a lovely little half hour to myself just drawing.”

We also smudged, looked and were expressive. One person made their drawing into a crown, and a family drew in a far more ‘performative’ way than we’d ever imagined.

Like O’Keeffe, drawing with charcoal freed up the drawing style and took us away from the still-life and towards more abstract shapes. But also like O’Keeffe, there is still more we want to do with charcoal.

Georgia O’Keeffe: Memories of Drawing runs until 15 June 2024. The touring exhibition comes to us from the Hayward Gallery at the Southbank Centre, London.

A visit to Birmingham (or not)

Birmingham is famous for jewellery and metal working, in the 1700s and 1800s my family had brass founding premises throughout Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter making metal buttons. In the heart of the Jewellery Quarter is Birmingham School of Jewellery. This month there is plenty of making to see there, and far more exciting than brass buttons. 

Meanings and Messages. Kristy Lewis​, Self-Love Brooch​ - Carnelian, silver and steel

First - visit the Meanings and Messages exhibition at the Vittoria Street Gallery. The touring exhibition shows brooches by members of the ACJ (Association for Contemporary Jewellery), the exhibition focuses on the brooch as they form the ideal jewellery archetype for conveying meanings and messages. Brooches can be subversive and are often used by people in the public eye, by political figures or sovereignty to convey important messages. These messages may be hidden, subtle or occasionally more of an overt protest! 

But you don’t have to travel to Birmingham to see the exhibition as it comes to Cirencester in the spring (4th April – 18th June 2023). 

Then switch on for BBC’s All That Glitters filmed at The Birmingham School of Jewellery. The second series of the bake-off style jewellery competition starts on the 25th August on BBC2. Each week the eight makers will have their skills and creativity challenged. "From spinner rings to mismatched earrings, engagement rings to hairpins, each episode of All That Glitters sees the jewellers face two real-world challenges: The Bestseller, where they are tasked to design the latest must-have piece that everyone will want, and The Bespoke, where they create a one-off piece for some very special clients from all walks of life." - BBC. Judging the jewellers' work are two of the biggest names in the business, Shaun Leane and Dinny Hall, and it’s up to them who will be named jeweller of the week and who will be heading home. 

Again, you don’t need to head to Birmingham – episodes will be available on BBC IPlayer.  

And of course, if the glitter of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter just doesn’t grab you, but jewellery making does that’s fine. We have some great ways to get your sparkle-on here in Cirencester.  Our Beginners’ Silver Jewellery (5-week course) runs throughout November, and our autumn workshop programme is filled with silversmithing, enamelling and jewellery making with found objects or pearls and stones.

Make Your Own Silver Pendant - Charlotte Duckworth 
(Sat 3rd Sep, 10am - 4pm, £90) 

Setting Found Objects - Hayley Kruger 
(Thurs 29th Sep, 10am - 4pm, £90) 

Make Your Own Necklace - Stina Richardson 
(Sat 1st Oct, 10am - 1pm, £55) 

Roman Inspired Torque Bangle - Hayley Kruger 
(Sat 8th Oct, 10am - 4pm, £90) 

Kiln Fired Enamelling Weekend - Katie Sanderson 
(Saturday 22nd October - Sunday 23rd October, 10am - 3pm) 

Kiln Fired Enamelling - Katie Sanderson 
(Fri 25th Nov, 10am - 3pm) 

The bang behind a bangle

Christmas or your birthday is coming up (or both, as is the case for me), and you’re asked the dreaded question “what do you want?” It’s rare I ever have an answer to this, despite having 12 months to prepare! Unless I do have something specific in mind, I tend to start looking at things I can’t justify buying myself – jewellery, for instance.  

Despite knowing that made-by-hand is best for so many reasons, I must admit, sometimes I struggle to understand how independent makers justify their prices. I know that what I’m paying for is a reflection of expert knowledge and skill, the cost of materials, time, and most importantly, the personal touch.

I recently took part in a bangle making workshop led by Charlotte Duckworth of The Silver Duck here at New Brewery Arts. It goes without saying that it was an incredible experience and I've since told anyone that will listen to give it a go themselves. But the main thing I took away from the experience (apart from a gorgeous silver bracelet) – is my renewed appreciation for handmade jewellery (handmade anything, really). 

Detail of my handmade silver bracelet

As with anything, the first stage in the process was design. This alone can take time while you strike a compromise between the masterpiece in your mind’s eye and your capabilities. Once you’ve set a realistic goal, you then have to figure out how to achieve it. Bangle making requires a lot of hammering to achieve the desired shape and finish. With 8 of us each working on a project, it was several hours before my ears stopped ringing. Then there's sawing if you want to make charms, stamping if you want your metal engraved, soldering to close joins or affix details, followed by putting it in what appeared to be a crockpot containing a chemical solution to remove any residue, and finally, polishing. For anybody reading this, I want to assure you that I really did have fun and I’d jump at the chance to do it again. That being said, silversmithing requires a level of mental and physical energy that I wasn’t prepared for.  

II came away with a renewed sense of the enormous effort that goes in to crafting jewellery by hand. I may not make my own jewellery often, but I do now have an understanding of the practicalities of making a piece, and why charging for that hard-work, that skill, is a price I’m happy to pay.

Getting to grips with basketry

Susan Early in her studio

Our Kickstart placement Charis, was asked to choose a workshop she’d like to do. This blog post is her reflection on the workshop and the craft.

”Basketry is (can you guess?) the process of making baskets.  

It is an ancient craft, and one that has a history in most countries around the world. For centuries, people crafted baskets from strong, pliable native plants; bamboo, grasses and willow were common choices. The type of material then informed which techniques could be applied: looping, knotting, plaiting, coiling, weaving, twining or assembling. These vessels were a convenient way to contain, store and transport goods. Quicker and more reliable to make than clay pots, they were a household essential. 

The fact that we no longer need woven vessels does not detract from the joy of making and owning them. Basketry is a rewarding craft which engages the senses and connects you to the world and a rich heritage; or at least that’s how I felt. 

My willow basket

I recently tried willow weaving with Susan Early here at New Brewery Arts. Susan has been making baskets and sculptures for over 30 years. she is an enthusiastic and encouraging tutor, which is why we ask her back year after year.  

Needless to say, this was no exception; it was a fantastic day. After the initial under-the-breath counting of ‘over two under one, over two under one', I was able to succumb to the movement and allow my mind to wander. I transfixed by the colours; the reds, greens, purples and yellows. I got lost in the smell, reminiscent of picnics by the Sandwich Quay as a child. Unanticipated but very welcome was the almost immediate uplifting of my well-being. I’m someone who thrives on seeing results, and my basket came together quite quickly. Having achieved such a bygone skill made me feel oddly self-sufficient. I don’t imagine I’ll be making the switch from tote bags to willow baskets to do my shopping any time soon, but it’s nice to know I could. And it was freeing to think that I was creating something that wouldn’t become a drain on the planet – may help it, even. By the time my basket is old and broken, it can join the compost and feed back into the earth.