Jewellery to be displayed at Art in Action

Art in Action is a festival of fine art and master craftsmanship, founded in 1977, that regularly attracts over 25,000 visitors over four days each year in July. Set in the grounds of Waterperry House, Oxfordshire, around 150 artists demonstrate their skills in jewellery, painting, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, calligraphy, illustration, glass, metalwork, nature in art, textiles, woodwork and more. Artists work in front of visitors, giving them the rare opportunity to observe the creative process at first hand, and there is also live music and performing arts from around the world; lectures on a variety of subjects; and hugely popular practical classes. The Metalwork and Jewellery section brings together artists from the United Kingdom and Europe who use a wide range of techniques and materials including silver, gold, pewter, copper, and precious and semi-precious gemstones. For example Barbara Christie, who is referred to as an 'icon' in the world of jewellery and has been making extraordinary pieces inspired by construction, colour, tactile surfaces and movement for a number of decades; Melanie Ankers, founder of Kokkino; Erica Sharpe, who has been a jeweller since 1986 and is fascinated by the unique qualities of precious metals and gemstones, and the scientific alchemy by which they are transformed into objects of beauty; and Hannah Bedford, whose jewellery designs explore texture and form using the traditional processes of granulation and Keum-boo (fine gold fusing). One of her designs is pictured here. For more information about the event, please visit www.artinaction.org.uk, call 0207 381 3192, or watch the short series of films on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/ArtinActionUK?feature=watch