Photography by Ross Hill
The Guild of Enamellers is delighted to announce the winner of their annual Bursary Award for 2011 to Victoria Lemon who graduated this year from The Glasgow School of Art, where she gained a first class BA Honours Degree in Design, specialising in Silversmithing and Jewellery.
Victoria has already won several awards for her enamel designs and a Precious Metal Bursary from The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths. She has been exhibiting her work in Glasgow, London and West Sussex over the past four years and took part in a student exchange to The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 2008. It was during the semester she spent in Australia that Victoria was taught the basic knowledge and skills of enamelling by Kirsten Haydon.
“Her classes sparked my love for the experimental and creative possibilities that enamelling allows.” says Victoria. “I use vitreous enamel to create the desired decayed aesthetic which I build up through stencilling and layering using the theme of typography”.Victoria describes the feeling of excitement and anticipation, (which many of us share) while waiting for a piece to cool down after firing and her application listed ways in which she thought the Guild could have a positive influence on her work. We hope that an association with the Guild will broaden the way this talented designer uses enamel help develop technical confidence with vitreous enamel.
The Guild is deeply grateful to joint sponsors - Craft&Design Magazine and W G Ball Ltd for continuing to fund the Bursary Award and we look forward to introducing Victoria Lemon at the 2011 Spring Conference where she will have the opportunity to exhibit her enamel jewellery; assist a workshop tutor; attend lectures and the master class. In addition to a free place at the popular annual conference, Victoria will immediately benefit from free membership of the Guild for the next three years and will have the opportunity to join any of the workshops in her region and around the UK in the course of those years. A programme of events and interesting contributions from enamellers are regularly advertised and reviewed in the Guild’s quarterly journal.Runners-up, Jessica Howarth from Dundee and Jeanette Ward from Plymouth, have been awarded free membership of the Guild of Enamellers for the next three years. They have also been encouraged to attend the annual conference and to reapply for the 2012 Bursary after graduating from their degree courses next Summer.
All those who were disappointed not to win the Bursary should not lose heart but continue their personal journey with enamelling and possibly consider joining the Guild of Enamellers in the coming year for a membership fee of £20. See www.guildofenamellers.org
Bursary application forms are available from next Spring for the 2012 Award and the closing date is 30th September. We look forward to hearing from you.
Gillie Hoyte Byrom
Bursary Secretary