Capturing history is real art
This portrait of jeweller Grainne Morton appeared in a Glasgow Evening Times feature on the DAZZLE Contempoary Craft Jewellery Exhibition.
It was an artistic aunt who enticed Grainne Morton to look at the finer side of life.Originally from Northern Ireland, Grainne now has a workshop in Edinburgh where she creates contemporary jewellery. From fashioning jewellery from flowers to trawling antique fairs for one-off items to complete her compartmental jewellery, Grainne is happy making a living doing exactly what she wants.
Exhibiting at Dazzle is one of the high points in the artist’s busy life. Grainne says: "I’ve been exhibiting at Dazzle since 1995. It’s a fantastic exhibition because it is geared towards the public."
"I’ve always been quite creative. My parents always encouraged me to work with my hands taking up needlework and craft hobbies when I was younger. My aunt, Alison Kinnaird is a famous glass engraver, so I suppose I have been influenced by her too." When Grainne left school, Edinburgh College of Art beckoned and although she studied many subjects, jewellery appealed because she liked to work on a smaller scale.
Grainne makes compartmental jewellery using bits including old buttons as well as materials like silver, gold and oxidised copper. A lot of her high fashion work - necklaces and bracelets - are made from laminated flowers.
The artist has work in galleries abroad and has found favour in the States. She already supplies Barney’s in the US and Japan as well as taking orders from Liberty’s in the UK.
Says Grainne: "My work is appreciated by American buyers because I make bigger pieces. I make a lot of compartmental jewellery for which I use old materials - the Americans like that because they know about history. The old paraphernalia isn’t worth a lot of money but I piece it together into very attractive jewellery."
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