From Cooking to Nature, New Graduates Find Inspiration Everywhere

We are delighted to reveal our Craft Scotland Graduate Award for 2019/20, an initiative we have developed specifically for undergraduates who work in a craft discipline that we support. 

It was a rewarding experience for the Craft Scotland team to meet the graduates and to witness the talented makers who are emerging from Scotland’s art colleges.

As the national development agency for craft, we are committed to supporting these graduating makers in continuing their practice. The makers’ work was judged by members of the Craft Scotland team and one member of our independent advisory group of makers, based on our quality criteria. We recognise the contribution that new graduates make to the vibrant craft sector and hope to encourage them to continue their practice after graduating in Scotland.

This year, graduates from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Glasgow School of Art, Edinburgh College of Art and Grays School of Art each received an award of £100.

Alongside the award, each maker is provided with a maker profile on the Craft Directory and featured in an article on our Craft Journal. The profile is live for one year, placing them alongside some of Scotland’s most exciting emerging and established makers. You can find out more about the award on the Craft Scotland Graduate Award project page.

We are delighted to announce the four graduates who received the accolade for 2019; Harriet Jenkins, Alison Thyra Grubb, Claire Frickleton and Jasmine Linington. Each maker works in an original way within their chosen discipline, with the process of making itself a great source of inspiration for all of the award recipients.

In the first half of this two-part series, learn more about silversmith Harriet Jenkins (Glasgow School of Art) and textiles designer Claire Frickelton (Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design).

Harriet Jenkins / Photography by Shannon Tofts

Harriet Jenkins (Silversmithing, Goldsmithing and Ceramics, Glasgow School of Art)

Harriet Jenkins enjoys exploring a variety of techniques including casting, forging, electroforming and enamelling to mimic the delicate textures found in everyday food items such as cabbage and bread. The use of precious materials highlights the value, and beauty of commonplace ingredients.

Influenced by her experience as a baker in Glasgow, Harriet combines her love of cooking and nature in her work. She continues to explore the relationships that lie between craft, ecology, community and well-being.

“The artisan bakery in the Southside of Glasgow offered a space that supported local artists and community projects, functioning as a hub where various walks of life came together over food.”

Harriet has brought this theme into silversmithing creating a range of white candlesticks and bowls by electroforming on to porcelain. Her collection also features metal bowls cast from cabbage leaves and spoon handles adorned with cabbage motifs.

“The tutors on my course were incredibly influential for my practice […] My enthusiasm to work with multiple materials and using varying techniques was encouraged, culminating in a collection that accurately reflects me and my journey.”

Harriet has also drawn inspiration from Dutch still life paintings, depicting perishables to symbolise life's fleetingness, an intrinsic reminder to stay present and embrace the moment. This aligns with her own personal values and ideas demonstrated by The Slow Food Movement, another branch of research that informed her body of work.

Since September 2019, Harriet has been Artist in Residence at GSA, working alongside eight other artists/makers. During this year-long programme, the artist’s work with current students to aid them with the development of their projects, offering additional support and guidance. In return, they receive access to the university’s workspace, allowing them to continue making with the use of their workshop materials and equipment. Harriet’s work created during this residency will be collectively be shown at an exhibition during Spring 2020.

Claire Frickleton / Image by the artist

Claire Frickleton (Textiles, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design)

In the UK an estimated 350,000 tonnes of textile waste is sent to landfill each year. Fast fashion encourages this waste as clothes are made at a rapid rate and not built to last, lack quality and are often referred to as throwaway fashion. Claire Frickleton is mindful of the harmful effects of this waste on the environment.

Focusing on the concept of sustainable design, Claire carefully selects materials to creates high-quality knitwear using natural fibres. Her chosen material, wool, is breathable and durable with temperature regulating properties - allowing these soft, versatile textiles to be worn year-round.

Photography, drawing, painting and collaging are used in her design process, capturing colours, textures and compositions to translate into finished pieces.

“Drawing and mark-making are a fundamental part of my design process as I explore colours, shapes and textures which I bring together and play around with to create ideas for samples and final designs.”

Claire draws her visual inspiration from the Scottish landscape, looking closely at organic structures and the irregular shapes and textures of rocks and cliffs. Influenced by the timeless beauty of nature, she has created collections that can be worn in all weathers and all seasons.

“I love to be outdoors and appreciate that the landscape is forever changing”

To combat fast fashion, Claire is creating pieces that last and become part of a capsule wardrobe, by combining different weights of natural yarn to create knitwear of different thicknesses, suitable for the changing temperatures. She plans to develop her studies into the field of PGDE Art Teaching or Art Therapy. When asked what advice she would give new students, Claire said:

“When I first started my degree, I wish I had known that there is no set answer to creating. Art and design can be interpreted in so many ways and taken in so many directions that even with the same brief a designer can put their own spin on it and create something truly unique.”

Discover more about the final Craft Scotland Graduate Award 2019/20 makers, Alison Thyra Grubb and Jasmine Linington, in part two (coming soon).

You can keep up-to-date with the progression of their practice over the next year on our Craft Directory, or visit our project page to learn more about the prestigious award.