Linda Connelly MSDC

Linda Connelly is an enamel artist and jeweller. She began enamelling nearly 40 years ago after her husband brought her home an old kiln, unearthed in a junk shop, for her to experiment with. She soon discovered enamelling, quickly falling in love with the colours, techniques and creative possibilities the medium offered.

Her speciality is jewellery, although she has also explored making clocks, silver boxes and dishes; and since 2020, Linda has concentrated on the traditional techniques of champlevé and cloisonné enamel combined with basse-taille, where the metal is engraved before being enamelled. Her base material is silver, on which uses fine silver and gold wires within which she sets her colours.
Quality of enamel surface finish is a vital part of Linda’s work; perfecting this makes her piecessatisfyingly tactile. However, the finishing stages of enamelling are technically challenging, making it easy to spoil an otherwise good piece during this part of the crafting process.

The year 2020 was also inspirationally significant for Linda. Since then, her pieces have revolved around exploring stories and memories, focussing on creations that connect their wearers with happy times. Items that, when touched or worn, give a direct link back to the memory source of their owner. Recent pieces have explored evocations of the seaside, wildlife and gardens.
All of Linda’s work is individual and unique and although she does repeat designs each one is slightly different. This uniqueness very important to her.

Learning and passing on knowledge is a central passion in Linda’s creative life. She has been fortunate to absorb skills from some of the very best enamelists over the years - Jane Short, Fred Rich, Joan Mackarell and the late Phil Barnes - and takes every opportunity available to learn new methods and techniques. Handing on her own knowledge of traditional skills, no longer widely taught, to fellow enamellists, she believes, is imperative for the long term benefit of the craft.

Social media has proved invaluable for learning and teaching: Linda has a You Tube channel and has found on-line spaces to be excellent sources of knowledge, enabling her to be in contact with enamel artists throughout the world. She is delighted, too, to have been invited to teach classes at The Forge Space in Hatton Garden.

Linda is a multiple award winner at the annual Goldsmith’s Craftsmanship & Design Awards since first entering her creations in 2020. This year’s award winning entries featured iris flowers and were influenced by the work of Edith and Nelson Dawson.

Recently, she has started making a series of brooch/pendants called, 'Let’s Talk'. These focus on environmental issues which she hopes will promote conversation and raise awareness of issues in order to help campaign for change.

Jewellery throughout history has often been used to convey messages and Linda’s work aims to continue this tradition. Subjects she has tackled include the degradation of kelp forests; these sea forests, important in the marine food chain and as a cog in climate change, are facing challenges globally but have a direct link for Linda as they are found off the Sussex coast near to her home.
Commissions have been numerous over the years but recent ones include a pectoral cross for a Suffragan bishop, a Rebus pendant for the Lord of the Manor, Stratford and commemorative pendants to remember a much loved family’s horse. Linda regularly shows her work at Sussex Guild contemporary craft shows, exhibitions with British Society of Enamellers, ACJ and at Goldsmiths’ Award winners exhibitions. For the future Linda plans to continue to develop her skills and aims to continue to make pieces that reflect her concerns for the environment and the mental health of others.

Education

I have been enamelling for nearly 40 years, beginning by teaching myself from books and attending workshops run by the Guild of Enamellers, later studying under Louise O’Neill at SCOLA, Sutton.

Qualifications

• Level 3 in Jewellery - Open College Network 2004
• Cert. Ed. (PCET) 2006
• City & Guilds in Enamelling 2008
• Advanced Enamel Techniques in Champleve and Basse-Taille, Goldsmiths Centre March 2019
• Mount Making and Gypsy Setting, Goldsmiths Centre, August 2022

Teaching

• Jewellery Making & Silverwork, Croydon Adult Education 2004 – 2016
• Jewellery Making & Silverwork, own weekly class 2016 – 2020
• Enamelling, own weekly class 2004 – 2016
• Enamelling classes at FORGE, Leather Lane, EC1. One day classes beginning September 2023 with more planned for 2024
• Various other workshops and classes for British Society of Enamellers, Guild of Enamellers and more recently a talk online for American Enamelist Society

Memberships

• Member of The Society of Designer Craftsmen
• Craftsman of the Guild of Enamellers, (Chair in 1998)
• British Society of Enamellers
• The Sussex Guild
• Surrey Guild of Craftsmen (Chair in 2021-2022)
• Association of Contemporary Jewellers (ACJ)
• Awards and Prizes:
• Goldsmiths’ Craftsmanship & Designs Awards 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024
• Peter Woolfe Cloisonné Cup: 1992,1996,2003,2004,2008, 2015, 2016, 2019.
• Maureen Carswell Award 1992
• Chairman’s Rosebowl 1992
• Winner of the themed exhibition at the Guild of Enamellers conferences in 2008, 2000 and 2023
• ‘Enameller Elect’ at the Guild of Enamellers’ conference 2015
• Croydon Council Awards 2015, Grade 1 Tutor

Publications

• 'The Art of Crafts – Enamelling', Joan Bolton King 2001 Croxford Press
• 'Narrative Jewelry – Tales from the Toolbox', Mark Fenn 2017 Schiffer Publishing Ltd

Exhibitions and Shows

• I exhibit and sell my work with the Sussex Guild taking part in many of their shows. I have also exhibited extensively with the Guild of Enamellers, British Society of Enamellers and the Surrey Guild of Craftsmen for the past twenty five years.

Recent events

• Heart of the Heat, British Society of Enamellers: School of Jewellery, Birmingham November – December 2013
• Enamoured, British Society of Enamellers: Goldsmiths Centre October – November 2016; Assay Office, Birmingham November to February 2017
• Academy of Makers, Freemans, Sheffield February – March 2017; Mid Wales Arts Centre March – April 2017.
• Goldsmiths’ Awards Exhibition 2020: Birmingham Assay Office
• Elements Redefined 2020, Surrey Guild of Craftsmen at various venues in Surrey 2020 – 2021
• Six Sussex Artists, Selmeston, Sussex October 2021
• ACJ Meanings and Messages; Touring Exhibition April 2022 – June 2023
• Goldsmiths’ Awards Exhibition 2022, Birmingham School of Jewellery
• Goldsmiths’ Awards Exhibition 2023, Goldsmiths’ Centre, London
• FORGE Kaleidoscope Showcase, London September 2023
• Galeri Caernarfon, British Society of Enamellers September – October 2023
• FORGE Anniversary Showcase, London January – February 2024