Photo : Kathleen Holland, Virgin Mary Shell Bracelet
Two West Cork-based designers have been selected for the Design and Craft Council of Ireland’s Irish Craft Village at Bloom, celebrating its 13th anniversary in the Phoenix Park, Dublin between May 30 and June 3. Jeweller Kathleen Holland and surface pattern designer Anne Harrington Rees are both inspired by forms and colours found in nature and are looking forward to sharing a stand in the Craft Village.
In 1990, Kathleen, originally from Co Laois, began her studies in sculpture and metalwork, studying in Cork, Glasgow, San Francisco and Dublin and completing her B.A in Craft and Design at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. In San Francisco she created individually crafted pieces for musician Prince, members of the X-Files television series and some of the cast of the film The Godfather. In Ireland she worked as an apprentice to some of the country’s top designers.
Kathleen established award-winning Kathleen Holland Designs in 2001. Her designs incorporate the boldness of sculptural design with the elegance of metal work to present an entirely unique set of collections. All of Kathleen’s pieces are individually crafted by hand. She works with precious and non-precious metals, as well as material she has discovered in her natural surroundings. Her most recent collection, The Virgin Mary Shell collection, is from a shell that was taken from Inchydoney strand. The jewellery is hand cast in silver and 18ct plate over silver. In line with all of Kathleen’s work, these unique, timeless pieces are directly inspired by nature.
This will be Kathleen’s fourth year to sell at Bloom. You can see and buy Kathleen’s jewellery on www.kathleenhollanddesigns.com, with collections also at The Loft Gallery, Clonakilty, where Kate Fitzgerald has curated an excellent collection of crafts and art, and at Wilds, Glandore under the brilliant stewardship of Joan Woods.
Kilkenny-born Anne graduated from University College Dublin in 1992 with a degree in Landscape Horticulture and taught Horticulture, whilst running a gardening business, for many years in the UK before a diagnosis of fibromyalgia enforced a change of career and a return to studies. Anne gained a Higher National Diploma in Design Crafts from Coleg Menai in North Wales. Since 2003 she has exhibited her lino prints and award-winning sculptural baskets throughout Ireland and the UK. She has also worked on the West Cork Arts for Health team and run workshops in local schools.
More recently, Anne has completed several online courses in surface pattern design leading to the development of this new range of work – creating colourful, bold prints from original hand-drawings of the little things found in nature that make her heart sing. Her designs are digitally printed onto fabric and made into a range of gifts – cushions, tea towels and bags to date. Anne hopes that her drawings and patterns pass on the magic of nature to people, and inspire them to look up from their phones, take notice of the wonderful world around us and help in her mission to protect it for future generations.
Anne’s range of designs are currently for sale each Saturday (weather permitting) at Skibbereen Farmers’ Market. They can be seen on anneharringtonrees.myportfolio.com, with an ecommerce website soon to be developed. This will be Anne’s first time to have a stand at Bloom, and the first time for her designs to be on sale outside of West Cork.
