Kerry Lawrence left a long career as a Jersey Advocate to pursue a more creative way of life.
On 6th March her work won awards at the annual UK jewellery and silversmithing industry competition, the Goldsmith Craft and Design Council Awards, known to those in the industry as the jewellery Oscars.
A gift of a piece of enamelled silver is what began her journey into the world of silversmithing, engraving and enamelling. Kerry explained: “I started researching the piece, then discovered the work of modern Master enamellers and thought, that’s it, I want to do that”.
She soon realised it would be no easy path: “Enamelling is a very broad church and you can spend a lifetime developing skills and exploring creative ideas and processes. My current chosen corner of that world, creating functional but, I hope, beautiful 3D forms, also requires silversmithing and hand engraving expertise, separate specialist disciplines in their own right, which you also have to learn and then bring together with the enamelling process. I love the challenge of overcoming the technical difficulties of working with silver and enamel to realise a creative idea. Silver is my chosen canvas and my aim is to create small pieces of art”.
Kerry has been working on her enamelling, silversmithing and engraving for about four years now and has studied with some of the modern master enamellers, such as Jane Short, whom she credits as a huge inspiration. She recently started selling pieces and this was the first year she has entered the ‘Oscars’, winning two bronzes for her engraved and enamelled cocktail measure ‘Cheers Mr Hockney’, inspired by David Hockney’s swimming pool paintings.
Kerry added: “It’s a huge boost to receive an award, and for my work to have been judged worthy by leading professionals in the enamelling world. It means I’m on the right path. I still see myself as at the beginning of my creative adventure, but now it’s onwards and upwards”.
You can see more of Kerry’s work on her website.
