YORKSHIRE JOURNAL
WINTER 2003
Fresh
discoveries of jewellery at Saltaire
Fresh is an eye-catching exhibition featuring the work of nine new designers
at Kath Libbert Jewellery Gallery at Salts Mill in Saltaire. There
is elegant jewellery in gold and silver; witty pieces to turn heads;
and soft, cuddly accessories in felt and wool.
Having visited numerous graduate shows and design exhibitions',
explains Kath Libbert, 'I was so impressed by the quality of work
being produced by the cream of this year's graduates that I decided
to put together Fresh. The work is refreshingly strident
and confident, really bold and colourful and often humorous.'
At the cutting edge of fashion and design, Lynne Kirstin Murray's
colourful jewellery mixes silver and gold with paint, felt and wood
- but it's not for the faint-hearted.
Cute red felt slippers and delicately embroidered merino fleece
handbags are the work of Suzanne McCulloch. Her pieces are bright
and tactile, from funky tea-cosies to her large-scale 'Bagdress'
and 'Umbrelladress' display pieces. 'Colour is the most important
aspect of my work', she admits.
In Nina Osborne's work, traditional patterns such as paisley meet
modern materials and techniques in bold and striking silver brooches.
Sophie Reed displays cool, understated pieces - including necklaces,
earrings and brooches - in silver and gold.
The Gallery is also home to Cathy Miles' gang of Yorkshire-inspired,
cute (but not necessarily cuddly) birds and insects, created specially
for Fresh. This eclectic group of small creatures, made
from wire and found material, hang from walls on specially made
plaques. Cathy describes her creations as being 'much like us; they
have elders, speak various dialects and enjoy bickering'.
