Experience the exquisite craftsmanship of Northern Ireland’s amazing designer-makers with the Handmade 100 campaign.
Craft NI are the sector-lead body for the promotion and development of the design-led contemporary craft industry in Northern Ireland. Recently Craft NI have joined the Handmade 100 campaign, which is promoting Northern Ireland’s incredible crafts and craft makers, and encouraging the people of NI to support local businesses and artists.
The Craft NI Gallery are showcasing the beautiful handmade work of some of NI’s most talented creatives. We have selected some of our favourites from the collection:
Deborah Toner
Belfast based designer Deborah Toner has a background in Architecture. She uses her architectural drawing skills to create beautiful embroidered pieces for the home, all machine stitched on locally woven Irish Linen.
Originally inspired by buildings and landmarks of Belfast, Deborah began to draw a range of images, which she then machine embroidered to form her first collection. A Belfast Skyline, the City Hall, the Albert Clock, Samson and Goliath – the iconic twin gantry cranes of the shipyards, are just a few of the subjects adorning a range of gift and homeware products. Moving a little further afield, Deborah began to draw other Northern Ireland landmarks, including Scrabo Tower, the Giant’s Causeway and Dundrum Bay.
Deborah’s work has expanded further to now include other cities. In the midst of all the drawing and stitching she also finds the time to offer a bespoke Architectural Embroidery service. She has embroidered maps and cityscapes from all around the world as well as individual houses and streetscapes for her growing customer base.
Keith Sheppard
Keith’s work explores the relationship between glass and natural light, and its artistic presentation, to optimum display. Keith’s Glass Art predominantly involves the infusion of metals into glass; this process gives each piece a further dimension of uniqueness and identity with enhanced vibrant colourations. This adds additional elements of depth, form, tone and colour to the overall beauty of the pieces.
Stephen Ryan
Fiona Kerr
Fiona moved to Northern Ireland after studying at Buckinghamshire University College in High Wycombe. As an apprentice to one of Northern Ireland’s leading jewellers she gained extensive knowledge in jewellery making techniques and manufacturing processes. Her first collection came out in 2002, and since then Fiona aims to create classic, elegant jewellery with a modern twist, which is loved and cherished and above all, worn.
Her early appreciation of the natural world shines through in all her collections, which are hand made in her small stone-built workshop in Co. Fermanagh.
Fiona says:
” I love working with precious metals at the jeweller’s bench, combining contrasting textures with the polished lustres of gold and silver, adorning with shimmering precious and semi-precious gemstones, the process of creation is an endless fascination for me.”
Adam Frew
Adam says:
I make clean, simple forms on the potters wheel that subtly show the makers hand in order to imbue a sense of life in the work. I enjoy the spontaneity of throwing, the speed of production and I seek to reflect this energy in my mark making. My marks are continually evolving, I am interested in contrasts; sharp lines, crayon scribbles, brush marks, sponged back sections. It is this ongoing investigation that invigorates my making.
Adam’s pieces are hand thrown and hand-painted in Co. Derry.
