As part of our ongoing showcase of contemporary crafts, the Modern Art Oxford Shop presents local jewellery designer, Holly Clifford.
Clifford’s Botanical collection will be shown as part of the new Contemporary Crafts Showcase, which will run until spring.
Clifford describes herself as an Art Jeweller. No two pieces are the same; they are wearable, one-of-a-kind artworks that cannot be reproduced. Drawing and painting are integral parts of her creative process, so much so that she has developed ways to incorporate them into the jewellery itself. She crafts pieces of epoxy resin (light weight but aesthetically similar to glass), which are hand-painted with delicate and detailed brush strokes in acrylic paint and pen. These ‘paintings’ are then encased within the resin layers.
Clifford’s Botanical collection is inspired by greenhouses; it bursts with intense green tones which are complemented by copper-coloured settings. Her jewellery celebrates “the curious attraction we have to plants and the natural world”, drawing inspiration from illustrations and paintings by great masters such as Monet and Klimt, as well as from old dioramic books.
Clifford studied in the heart of Birmingham’s jewellery quarter at the School of Jewellery, graduating with a BA in Jewellery Design & Related Products. She now continues to produce beautiful works from her small garden shed in the Cotswolds.