My History!

I studied Silversmithing and Jewellery at the Glasgow School of Art and have over thirty years experience of designing and crafting goods in silver and gold. I am still excited by the making process – the transforming of a piece of metal into something unique, individual and beautiful. As a fluent Gaelic-speaker, I have a special interest in Celtic design – not just the intricate interwoven patterns of early mediaeval Celtic art, but also the wide range of other symbols used by Celtic artists, and the striking, dynamic and powerful ways in which they arranged them.

In 2016, I completed a PhD through Aberdeen University and Oilthigh na Gàidhealtachd 's nan Eilean (The University of the Highlands and Islands). As part of my research, I studied the distinctive vision of the sea painter, William McTaggart (1835–1910). McTaggart, who was a native Gaelic-speaker, broke through the stereotypical 19^th century depiction of the Gàidhealtachd (the Highlands and Islands) as a romantic land of mountains, lochs and glens. Instead, he presented the region's culture from a Gaelic point of view. His art was essentially an exploration of people, place and time – and this too provides an important inspiration for me today.