Made in Sussex sees the latest work from local artists, designers and makers. The group is delighted to be exhibiting some fantastic, high quality artwork as each of the five artists are bursting with skill and mastery of their medium. All of the artists live or work in Worthing and the surrounding area.
Lorraine Gibby - Jewellery
Lorraine established her first jewellery workshop over twenty years ago, and has been producing her unique designs here in Sussex by the Sea ever since. She has been an active member of the prestigious Sussex Guild for most of that time.
The unusual thing about Lorraine’s work is her use of hand printed anodised aluminium.
Colour and texture are key to her work, and the print design and colour is the starting point for the development of form for jewellery.
Lorraine uses traditional print-making techniques on aluminium, to produce unique raw material. Her interest in old textiles and their history influences her surface designs and textures, and she enjoys the challenge of momentarily deceiving the eye into wondering if the material is cold, hard metal, or soft pliable textile transformed into an unyielding shape. Lorraine experiments with a variety of printing methods, from naïve block prints, etched and cut lino prints, and sharp digitally imaged screen prints.
Lorraine’s prints are shown off beautifully in her statement cuffs and earrings, but her work extends beyond this to include precious metals and gemstones of character. Every piece is considered not only for the aesthetic appeal, but also practicality in terms of weight, size, comfort in wearing and ease of use. Clasps and hooks are designed to be seen, and the back of a piece is often as pleasing as the front.
Whilst her materials are diverse, her forms and colours are repeated and echoed in both precious and non-precious media, so that pieces from any part of the collections can be chosen to sit well together for a very personal look.
Lorraine uses recycled precious metals as a rule, and sources her gemstones from trusted suppliers who can trace their stones and believe them to be fairly traded. She tries to use even the smallest of aluminium offcuts, and the leftovers are recycled.
Maybe you’d like to talk about recycling old pre-loved jewellery of your own into something newly designed just for you?
Commissions are welcome, and special requests in terms of colours, size, or tweaks to existing designs are always worth enquiring about.
Fleur Grenier - Pewterware
Fleur completed her M.A. on The Goldsmithing, Silversmithing Metalwork & Jewellery course at The Royal College of Art, London in 1996 and has since established a studio in W. Sussex . She is an active member of The Sussex Guild and a Freeman of The Worshipful Company of Pewterers.
She designs and makes contemporary pewterware, including bespoke commissions and sculptures. All her designs are individual and sculptural in style and she has worked as a pewtersmith for over 20 years using traditional pewtersmithing skills to make them.
Fleur’s fluid designs range from one-off pieces to tableware, such as cheese knives, serviette rings, desk clocks and vases. Fluid sculptural forms are the keywords used with her work, with the sculptural not being detrimental to the function of the piece. All her designs are individual and sculptural in style and some incorporate other materials in conjunction with the pewter, such as wood, glass, concrete and Welsh slate.
Her current range ‘Maris’, has developed from a series of drawings that she did of Bladderwrack seaweed which can be found on the beach near to where she lives in Littlehampton, West Sussex. Movement and fluidity are the main influences for her work and each piece is designed to capture these elements.
Her current sculptural range is called ‘Home’ Fleur started in 2019, to explore the word ‘Home’ and what it means, not only to us as humans but also the many insects, mammals, fish and other creatures with which we share our planet. This became a huge area to explore so she created a statement to use as the basis for her project.
‘Home gives us a feeling of belonging no matter whom or what we are, whether it is a nest, house, habitat or ocean. It is a place to feel safe, comfortable, connected or part of a community. A home provides space for an individual to shelter, sleep and eat in relative peace. For families, tribes or colonies it has the added opportunity to communicate and share knowledge. Whatever organism we may be, we all have a place where we feel comfortable – we know it as home. I reflected on the wildlife around me or that I had seen on travels; like the leaf cutter ants in Peru, marching in a long colourful line, taking back food and materials to their nest, or the honeybee busy in its hive, the shore crab resting in its rock pool.’
Jessica Jordan - Ceramics
Jessica Jordan lives in West Sussex, very close to the Sussex downs and the beach. The surrounding areas are a big influence to her work and she uses aerial views of the downs, looking at the changing landscape through the seasons as her inspiration.
Ideas are developed through drawing, print and paint keeping a sketchbook of ideas using the inspiration from natural objects, the human figure and corroded surfaces. Jessica loves how the landscape changes from month to month and the effects that farming the land has had, leaving patterns by man or nature.
Jessica is also inspired by corroded surfaces, the contrast of rough and smooth line, patterns and texture that are found on stones, wood, glass and metal that has been weathered and broken down from natural erosion.
Her work takes the form of decorative sculptural vessels for the home, wall hangings ,small bowls, sculpture for the garden.
Lara Sparks - Textiles
Lara Sparks is a textile, embroidery designer based in Ferring. She has been ‘drawing on her sewing machine’ producing bespoke homewares, for many years.
Lara makes lampshades, cushions, wall art and greeting cards. All her work is produced on a humble domestic sewing machine and using it as a tool for mark-making. Threads are used as though they are paint and the needle is the brush.
All embroideries are one off pieces and rarely reproduced exactly. She sells through various outlets.
Lara’s work reflects my surroundings in Sussex. The South Downs, the seafront with all the different buildings and the wonderful wild flowers we have on our doorstep.
Lara also runs workshops from her studio, sharing her passion for free-hand embroidery.
Elizabeth Welch - Glass
Elizabeth Welch creates highly detailed borosilicate glass sculptures of animals particularly bird, insect and marine life. Each piece is made entirely by hand using coloured borosilicate glass rods which are melted in a high oxygen and propane flame. Each piece is annealed in an electrically controlled kiln for lasting strength and durability.
By building layers of opaque and transparent glasses she has developed her own recognisable style of flame worked glass. Working from images of animals and breaking down the forms into simple shapes before filling in the details, Elizabeth creates quirky contemporary lamp worked sculptures. Her work is highly collectable, with additions to ranges yearly for customers to add to their collections.
