British Designer Jewellery - The Perfect Christmas Gift!

This Christmas at Artifex, we’re hoping to dazzle you with some of the best pieces from our British Jewellery Designers and inspire your Christmas gifts & wish list!

Make your gifts truly shine this Christmas with our unique jewellery designs, all lovingly hand crafted in Britain 'by the individual, for the individual'.

Silver Animal Pendant Collection by Helen Lea, from £54

Helen Lea is one of the talented jewellery designers here at Artifex. Inspired by animals and nature, Helen’s pieces consist of miniature hand-modelled solid Silver animals, which she makes into charms or pendants or places into a little scene representing their natural habitat in a stylised way. Helen’s latest Silver Animal Pendant Collection, with it’s typically British quirkiness, is the perfect gift idea for the animal lovers amongst your loved ones.

You won't find these beautiful, high quality designs on the High Street so your loved ones are sure to feel extra special when they find these gems sparkling under the tree on Christmas morning!

Football Nostalgia - Sid Kirkham - Watercolour depictions

Artifex Gallery are holding their first exhibition of Sid Kirkham’s football themed paintings, many inspired by Midland teams, throughout October 2012.

Sales of his nostalgic watercolour depictions of industrial landscapes have “gone through the roof” since his works were described as “Lowryesque” by Nick Owen on BBC Midlands Today.  Inspired by his childhood spent in The Potteries, Sid’s paintings are social commentaries on life as it once was in industrial towns and on the working man’s love of football:

 

“I think it’s the nostalgic, story-telling aspect to my work that people enjoy.  Many people find my work very affectionate and warm, a painting becomes almost like a friend”.

Sid took up painting professionally at the age of 60.  Despite never receiving any formal artistic training, his talent was noticed at school when he was offered an art scholarship.  However, he was unable to take it up due to the need to earn a wage. Now, decades later, Sid paints furiously to keep up with demand and intends to keep painting as long as he can.  Often, he’ll wake up in the night with a flash of inspiration, rush downstairs, reach for the pencil and sketch out his ideas.

“It’s what I enjoy doing and if other people enjoy my work then I’m happy.”

We definitely enjoy Sid’s nostalgic depictions and we know you will too so don't forget to pop in and take a look!

Handmade Designer Jewellery - All Things British!

Artifex Gallery loves all things quaint, personal, handmade and British! With Christmas just around the corner, we thought it would be perfectly apt to inspire your gift choices and or/Christmas wish lists with a little intro to a selection of our talented British Designers, and their stunning jewellery pieces.

Susan Kerr

Susan Kerr creates jewellery which is unashamedly decorative, taking its influences from floral imagery and patterns and expressing a personal interest in the styles and motifs of Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Many pieces in the range recapture the femininity of the time, whilst updating it with a contemporary twist to create a new interpretation. (Prices in the Gallery start from £30)

Caroline Lukehurst

Caroline’s inspiration comes from the modern world in which we live. We all find ourselves bound by commitments and restrictions. In our hearts there is a yearning for independence and liberty. Her work is inspired by this conflict. She uses her stylised bird design in gold, silver and oxidised silver as a symbol of freedom in her rings and charms. (Prices in the Gallery range from £60-£115)

Kate Smith

Kate’s designs are striking and subtle, contemporary yet classical, but above all, unique in its design and execution.

Taking inspiration from the natural surroundings of her countryside home, jewellery is created from abstracted drawings and observations, resulting in many diverse collections of jewellery, all linked together by the signature styles of Kate Smith’s design and craftsmanship. (Prices in the Gallery start from £82)

Charlotte Lowe

Using photo etching techniques Charlotte captures abstract imagery and scenic photographs within the surface of the metal. Many of these images are encapsulated with a selection of silver frames using colour and a mixture of matt and highly polished finishes to add contrast and highlight detail within the image. (Prices in the Gallery start from £108)

Andrew Geoghegan

Andrew’s pieces are Perfectly  designed , displaying aspects of gemstones that are usually hidden, combining elements with contemporary or moving or removable parts to name but a few, coupled with the highest quality metals and diamonds ensuring  timeless pieces of unique jewellery that are both desirable modern day classics and treasures to be passed down through the generations.(Prices in the Gallery start from £1045)

Jo Naden 'Doves'
Bronze edition of nine

Inspired by natural landscape and the memory of its collective past, Jo would describe her bronze cast, carved clay sculpture as being:

“distilled from journeys of exploration and gathering.”

These journeys may begin at any point, be it poem, plant or place, with research being central to her practice.

This way of working is well suited to commissions that respond to a sense of place, as Shining Stone, her sculpture situated in the Black Brook at Shenstone, Lichfield, shows, or to an aspect of the natural world such as the Cocoa plant, responded to in the more recent commission Theobroma, for Cadburys.

Larger scaled sculpture is explored through commissions such as Wish, for Crest Nicholson, standing at just under three metres high and situated in Park Central, Birmingham.  Her moderately sized sculptures work well in interior spaces, whilst the smaller objects – designed to be held in the hand – change our involvement from viewer to participant.

Five of Britain’s leading Jewellery Designers Presents “All Creatures Great & Small”

Artifex are proud to announce that our first animal themed exhibition of innovative Jewellery by Nick Hubbard, Charlotte Lowe, Penny Williams, Linda Macdonald and Helen Lea will be launched the 1st August 2012:

                              Charlotte Lowe 

“Escape to the wild with Charlotte’s animal themed jewellery.”

Charlotte Lowe is a contemporary jewellery designer specializing in photo-etched jewellery. She is inspired by travels to scenic locations and the idea of creating items that hold sentiment. Charlotte’s hand crafted silver jewellery celebrates shared memories and travel; capturing special moments with loved ones and escapes to exotic lands.

Linda Macdonald 

“Linda’s silver and gold pieces inspired by nature have captured the imagination of all jewellery lovers!”

Living near Loch Lomond, Linda’s whimsical award winning silver jewellery captures the essence and romance of the British countryside. With keepsake and timeless qualities, her jewellery offers the perfect excuse to spoil a loved one with a lasting treasure!

Nick Hubbard

"I have continued my love of miniaturization and this is present in my work. I concentrate on figurative themes, sometimes becoming comic allegories, bearing words or a tongue in cheek message. I have many finely detailed items of jewellery such as, brooches, earrings and cufflinks. They are made in oxidised silver, incorporating highlights of gold.”

Nick is a passionate collector and much of his work is inspired by his collection of found or bought objects and small treasures. He also draws inspiration from his love of all creatures “great and small”  especially long, sausage dog shaped ones as well as literature, music, art and film.

Nick’s figurative handmade designer jewellery specialises in oxidised silver pieces with delicate fine gold detail. Each piece is engraved with his famous “Brick and Bean logo”. He devotes a good part of the time to model making, specialising in small intricately sculptured figures.

             Penny Williams

“Ideas for my most recent jewellery have been inspired by my love of animals.  I enjoy taking photographs and drawing them to appreciate their shape and form.  I try to capture the essence of their character. An element of humour is very important!”

There are three main themes in my jewellery….Cats, Dogs and Chickens which are available in many different finishes, including bronze oxide, silver with bright gold plating and a mixture of copper and brass which is acid etched to create pattern and texture. The use of colour and texture helps to enhance the surface patterns and all features of the design.

         Helen Lea

“I like my Jewellery to be cute, fun and quirky. I aim to give each animal their own special character.”

Helen is a Jewellery Designer/Maker based in Birmingham's famous Jewellery Quarter. Her cute and quirky silver jewellery is inspired by animals and nature. She hand models each animal to give each piece its own unique character and she uses a combination of silver and gold elements to create these innovative three dimensional pieces of work.

July art exhibition in Birmingham - John West - Private Passions

Exhibition of original paintings at Artifex Gallery in Birmingham, throughout July 2012. Starts Saturday 30^th June.

All artists probably paint what interests them most. For this exhibition, John has chosen work which represents some of the aspects of his life which he is most passionate about.

“Football has been a passion since my childhood. Cycling likewise. While I now only watch football (much to my wife’s irritation), I still cycle regularly. Cycling in the countryside enables me to enjoy another passion of mine, the English landscape. I greatly enjoy painting out of doors and one of my preferred places, near home, is at the local allotments where there are both gardens and the cityscape.”

John was born in Birmingham in 1935.  After taking a degree at the University of Central England he made a full time commitment to painting and showing his work. He describes his work as evocative rather than literal with colour playing a vital role in his lively compositions.

Art exhibitions in Birmingham - The Birmingham Art Circle

David White

Our June art exhibition will be a collection from the The Birmingham Art Circle - a group of accomplished artists working in a wide range of two and three dimensional media. This is the first time in their over 100 years of exhibiting they will be here at Artifex Gallery.

The Birmingham Art Circle was founded in 1879 by Ernest Thompson who drew up the constitution with ten other Midlands artists. Membership has included well-known Birmingham artists such as; William Wainwright, Edwin Harris, Walter Langley, William Breakspeare, Kate Bunce, Joseph Southall and Bernard Fleetwood Walker.

The society continues to attract many distinguished artists from the Midlands region. The founder, Ernest Thompson would be proud to see that the society has now over seventy members.

Art exhibition throughout June 2012.

Julie Wilson & Wendy Darker Art Exhibition in Birmingham

Art Exhibition of animal ceramics and paintings

Throughout April 2012

These two very talented artists have joint forces for one month only and are combining both of their works to create a must see art exhibition in Birmingham throughout April at the Artifex Gallery in Sutton Coldfield.

Our gallery will be transformed into a realistic wildlife sanctuary with beautiful animal paintings and ceramics on display. The ceramics are sculpted by Julie Wilson who lives in rural Leicestershire; Julie takes inspiration from her surroundings, which allows her to study the animals she brings to life in great detail. All her pieces are very natural, with intricate detailing. The use of oxide & ceramic pigments enhances the tactile, textural quality of her work. The pieces are made from coarse stoneware clay using slab building techniques and meticulous hand finishing. Books, internet & wildlife documentaries all supplement the details that she needs to complete some of the non native animals - several trips to Kenya have also allowed her to get up close & personal with some of her African animal subjects.



Wendy Darker is an artist who has become very well known over the last few years for her strong compositions featuring portraits of cattle and other animals. Wendy will exhibit some of her latest paintings along with some of her most popular pieces. Her work is characterized by the close cropping and intimacy of her animal portraits, which often present an inquisitive pose to the viewer. Wendy usually paints her animal subjects against a flat white background in acrylics, creating an uninterrupted connection with the onlooker, allowing attention to be fully placed on the animal. She avoids photo-realism, using loose brush strokes to create life and movement in the painting, whilst attention to the eyes brings depth and soul to her subject. Her animals disappear off the edge and around the corners of the painting, creating a feeling that these creatures are free to wander off the canvas at any time.

The exhibition is free entry to all - Open: 7 days a week 10am-5pm

Nicholas St John Rosse Art Exhibition in Birmingham

Art exhibition in Birmingham:

Summer is arriving early at Artifex Gallery in Sutton Coldfield, as during the month of March the upstairs art gallery will be transformed into a beach using real sand and even a few deck chairs to help capture that holiday atmosphere. The theme is to coincide with the Nicholas St John Rosse art exhibition - Nicholas is best known for his figurative paintings of people absorbed in their own individual world, oblivious to outside distractions. Many of these works involve a seaside theme, recalling the fun and innocence of childhood.

The Exhibition is now open and runs until the end of the March 2012…

Nicholas St.John Rosse was born in 1945 in Hampstead, London and was educated at University College School. From an early age he became interested in painting, encouraged and enthused by watching the landscape painter Donald Towner working in the open air and by visiting his studio. This led to him studying for three years in Florence, as a student of the Italian artist Pietro Annigoni and also attending the Scuola Del Nudo of the Florence Academy.

It was during a stay in Spain that Nicholas started to draw and paint people on the beach, particularly children playing and this has become a favourite theme of his over the years. The light, textures and sensations of the beach have featured in many of the artist’s paintings since his move to the North Cornish Coast, where the wild cliffs and beaches provide him with endless settings for his figure and beach compositions.

Nicholas has exhibited widely in one-man shows in London, the counties and abroad and also in numerous group exhibitions including the R.A., the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, the Royal West of England Academy and the Royal Society of Marine Artists.

Welcome!

Welcome to the all new Artifex Blog, from which we'll be bringing you all the lastest news from the gallery.

Enjoy!

Ross & Nigel