Kath Libbert Jewellery Gallery

FINDINGS - The Association for Contemporary Jewellery's quarterly newsletter, March 2009.

Curiouser and Curiouser
Kath Libbert Jewellery Gallery,
14 November 2008 - 30 January 2009 Sally Pawson found it a valuable debut experience.

The Gallery is set in an old mill and has a surreal, otherworldly feel. Its entrance is a gate shaped like a house and beside it is a giant armchair. This creates a mood perfectly suited for enjoying the diverse range of jewellery on offer in the gallery. This time Kath has put together a mixture of very expressive work, found a common theme and displayed it with Sir John Tenniel's illustrations to 'AIice' , making it accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds.
The opportunity to take part in the 'Curiouser and Curiouser' exhibition arose after Kath saw my work at New Designers in July 2008. A month later I received an invitation to take part in her 'Wonderland' themed exhibition. I was delighted, but I felt some anxiety as to how well my work would be received and whether it was ready. I was required to send images of the work for promotional purposes. This sounds straightforward enough but I found it difficult to photograph the work in a way that showed it at its best. Most of my pieces are interactive and Kath and I both felt the photographs did not do them justice. In the future I hope to use film and animation to bring the pieces to life. Pricing the work for the exhibition was also difficult. I had produced most of the work while still at university and did not have production or pricing methods in place. I have since spent time researching these, calculating material costs and time spent and hope to launch a range of work in Spring 2009.
I was pleased that I decided to make the trip from Somerset to Saltaire for the preview of the exhibition. Seeing my work in the gallery, displayed alongside other new jewellers, as well as established and successful ones, gave me increased confidence. The exhibition has been an excellent starting point for my career as a contemporary jeweller. It has allowed me to enter the stage between graduate and professional. The stage when you are still finding your feet needs the help and support that Kath has been able to offer.
My advice to any jewellers just starting a business is to network as much as possible, as this will help you realise you are not on your own. Listen to your intuition and ask questions, as people are nearly always happy to help. Don't be afraid to do things and don't worry if you don't get them right first time round. The most important thing is confidence, in yourself and in your work. Try your best, you never know, it might just be good enough.

Cover: Sally Pawson Necklace, 'Helter Skelter', 2008. Etched acrylic, printed aluminium, silver with ball-bearings. Modelled by Laura Fusher, photo by Sally Pawson.

Inset: Frances Wadsworth-Jones. 'Thieves' ring with ants, 2008. Gold, oxidised silver. Shown in 'Curiouser and Curiouser'