A Renaissance Feeling

A study trip to Florence in the footsteps of Giants

It seemed like such a wonderful idea when I booked my Florence study trip in the dark dampness of last winter. Today, it is my last day of the trip in this wonderfully inspiring city and I'm trying to put into words this overwhelming experience and wondering how I can best share it.

The course I have been attending is focussed on textural engraving in metals and is located right in the centre of Florence in a wonderful well equipped and atmospheric workshop. The course only covers half days, which is quite good as engraving is pretty hard on the fingers. Florence is a place that has been soaked in the production of wonderful art since the renaissance and maybe even before. Workshops like the one I'm attending covering various artforms can still be discovered all over the city, and of course giants within the arts have worked here, to name a few: Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Botticelli. Having visited Florence before it has been a unique experience to work in one of these workshops and feel a very tiny inkling of what it must feel like working in such a stimulating environment both today and in the past.

Trying to connect to and understand this artistic environment further, I visited a few well known museums like the Uffizi Gallery, which is of course absolutely wonderful, but also sought to explore less well known places and artists. There is a lot going on in the art world in Florence, I was absolutely blown away by the light and sound show interpretation of Leonardo Da Vinci's life and works at the Cattedrale deli Immagine as well as by the museum/gallery of the present day jewellery artist Alessandro Dari. Such creativity, bravery and skill have been applied here ensuring these are experiences that leave a lasting impression. There are also some real hidden gems enabling you to get submerged into the renaissance period. The Museo di Palazzo Davanzati is a preserved building from the renaissance period and definitely worth a visit. Likewise, further wonderful fresco's from the period can be seen at the Capella Brancacci and Bionomini di San Martino.

If you are considering visiting Florence you can find my list of hidden gems (with links) below. I'm sure there are many more. Upon arrival I saw there were a lot of concerts on as well but unfortunately I did not have the energy to visit them. Which I guess gives me a very good excuse to visit again - Ciao

My list of hidden Florentine gems

Alessandro Dari museum an astonishing jewellery exhibition and experience. Feels like a universe created from Jules Verne books - Highly recommended.

Buonomini Di San Martino a lovely tranquil chapel, a very nice place for a little sit down and reflection. The frescos gives a feeling of being immerged in renaissance Florence - Highly recommended.

Cattedrale deli Immagine - Da Vinci Experience. What a fantastic experience, I was gobbed-smacked and will remember this for a very long time - Highly recommended.

Cortile dei Fiorentini (archaeological museum). I thought there were some real enlightenment here, particularly in the Etruscan section - recommended

La Specola - Museo di Storia Naturale. As a lover of Natural History and looking for textures and patterns i nature this museum is well worth a visit.  

Museo di Palazzo Davanzati. A unique chance to experience the preserved home of a renaissance family. I am not sure this can be experience many other places in the world - Highly recommended.

Capella Brancacci

Museo della Moda e del Costume. Beautiful and very inspirational exhibition in the Pitti Palace - well worth the visit

From Ancient Egypt with love - a bespoke necklace

The creation of a bespoke necklace featuring a charming and tiny Ancient Egyptian cat amulet

Tiny Bastet silver amulet from Ancient Egypt and it's bespoke necklace.

This April, I was asked by a friend to create a bespoke necklace for a much loved Ancient Egyptian amulet in the form of a tiny silver cat. When I say tiny, the cat really was tiny - just over half a centimetre tall. It was a challenge working with such a delicate, historically valuable and very small amulet, but also an absolute joy as she was such a stunningly beautiful and charming little cat. First she had to be cleaned as there was quite a lot of glue on her. Then I needed to consider a necklace / chain design that would embrace her personality and unique story.

The Ancient Egyptians worshiped many different deities with connection to the animal world. Horus the falcon and Anubis the jackal might be better known, but there was also a cat deity named Bastet. Bastet was originally a lioness warrior but later became a cat goddess associated with the sun, pregnancy, protection, family, music, dance and joy.

For this necklace it was important that the Bastet amulet was the focal point despite her small size. Hence I made a wirework frame in oxidized silver to match her colour, rustic beauty and to keep the necklace light. Tiny stones were incorporated in the chain. I used Tiger Eye, a stone which is linked to Bastet; Turquoise, Carnelian and gold beads representing Ancient Egypt; and dark blue Sapphires that struck a beautiful tone with the oxidised silver. The Tiger Eye stones were designed to hang on either side of Bastet to frame her and a single Carnelian stone was added to one side to underline her distinctive personality and create a subtle asymmetry.

It was an absolute joy working with this little cat and I became very fond of her through the process. It was fabulous to see and hear my friend's reaction which was, I quote " I have just unwrapped my Bastet necklace, Marianne she is so perfect. Totally wonderfully perfect. I will never take this necklace off".

Wonderful feedback and Bastet, being the bringer of joy, came from Ancient Egypt with love.

You can see other bespoke work here and if you would like regular information on events, new collections and sales please subscribe to my newsletter here

Tea break at my jewellery workshop - a wonderful place to be.

#ancientegyptianjewellery #bespokejewellery #bastetamulet #uniquejewellery #meaningfuljewellery #oneofakindjewellery

The Art Trail tale

The Artists preparation, thoughts and doubts while preparing for this years Art Trails.

Spring time is here bursting on us with sunshine, bright green leaves and extraordinarily bright flower colours that we may have forgotten during the long dark winter. Spring time goes hand in hand with the start of a long list of art trails, where local artists share their works, enthusiasm, and joy of their craft. The art trails may seem like a sudden burst of energy just like spring. However, for the exhibiting artist the journey for this year's events started about 8 months ago with the commitment to partake, submitting photographs, finding co-exhibitors and creating new art work. As you can imagine this requires organisation and anticipation of obstacles (more about this later).

This year I will be exhibiting alone at my Henley Arts Trail venue for the first time (Venue 30). All other years I have had two -three other artists exhibiting with me in the garden, but due to my daughters A-levels this year, I made a big promise not to use the house and back garden. This led to some thinking and to the idea that opening my workshop would provide exhibition space and that it would be interesting for visitors to see the tools and place of artistic creation. Personally, I have always loved to visit artists workshops and find that there is such an inspiring creational vibe and feel for the workflow. I am writing this just a few days before the start of the Henley Arts Trail - I'm on the train to London Goldsmith Company to pick up the last hallmarked jewellery pieces to complete the exhibition.

This brings me back to the previously mentioned organisational skills. Despite every year promising myself to be more organised, and hopefully getting increasingly better, there are still hurdles in the run up (like handing jewellery in for hallmarking in good time). I think these go hand in hand with increasing ambitions and a desire to make a really great exhibition that will give visitors a memorable and joyful experience. I know that I share this trait with many fellow artists, as the joy of sharing is balanced by the sudden onset of doubts - what am I doing? -I really hope it is good enough? will people come? But when the day comes and the first visitors arrive it's just great. I find the genuine interest, enthusiasm and questions from my visitors fun, invigorating, and inspiring. It is enriching to observe what others read into your work and that you may in reality only have seen a few angles among many other viewpoints.

So in short, art trails are wonderful days both for visitors and artists. I hope you will have the time to enjoy these days out and support your local artists.

Click here to see a list of upcoming exhibitions and art trails for Harmattan Jewellery.