I graduated in 1991 with a degree in design and silversmithing at Birmingham Polytechnic and set up my own business immediately. Within a year I had my own workshop in the heart of the Jewellery Quarter and was carrying out jobs for local silversmiths and businesses.
I was then asked to work on a number of prestigious silversmithing projects alongside companies like David Mellor, Robert Welch, Brian Asquith, Alessi and Wedgwood. This was wonderful and I was able to learn a great deal from them all, both about business, design and manufacture, and how to deal with clients of all kinds.
More latterly, I have designed and created my own collection of sterling silver pieces for the modern home and dining table. They are unique and contemporary and employ both modern and traditional techniques. Some of which I have developed myself, such as the granular texture which can be found on many of my pieces. Sometimes I use technical drawings, other times I have a more fluid and organic approach.
It all depends on the overall design of the piece in question, and what it requires to achieve the desired end result. I come from a family of artists and designers and grew up in Hathersage in the Peak District near Sheffield. I have a strong connection with the countryside and remain loyal to the hills there, but I also draw inspiration from the engineering side of my early years working with some of the industrial designers and silversmiths mentioned earlier. My work is both organic but engineered in many ways.
I love my work in silversmithing. It is rewarding from so many angles. There is a magnetism in many of my pieces. It often results in entertaining and sometimes amusing movement, whilst remaining fully functional and resolved design wise.
