About Shona Shona Macaulay Fidgett is based in her hometown of Glasgow in Scotland, where she has set up her workshop in the West End of the city. Since studying Jewellery Design at Duncan of Jordanstone in Dundee and San Diego State University in the United States, Shona has developed her own personal style of bold modern jewellery.After leaving school, Shona took night classes at Glasgow School of Art where she enjoyed crafting artwork in 3 dimensions. She soon became excited by the unique variations in scale that jewellery offered. The ability to fabricate precious objects from a flat sheet of raw material was a skill that Shona began to learn and she soon became fascinated by the limitless permutations which jewellery provided once imagination was combined with technique and precious metal.
Entering the Jewellery & Metalwork HND course at Cardonald College gave Shona the opportunity to develop her interest. With encouragement from her tutors, Shona decided to concentrate on getting into art school and she was subsequently accepted by the Dundee art school, Duncan of Jordanstone. Studying under Roger Morris, she learned to appreciate the effort that goes into both designing and handcrafting jewellery. In her second year Shona took part in an exchange trip with San Diego State University which offered an invigorating change of scene. Shona was introduced to a different methodology which allowed the environment to influence her design, making the work more organic. Shona also was lucky to study under the internationally acclaimed artists Arline Fisch and Helen Shirk, widening her understanding of both technique and international practise. Her degree show was then influenced by trips to Istanbul and Morocco, where Shona attempted to re-create the relationship between light and architecture within the smaller scales of jewellery.
Since graduating with a first class honours degree, Shona has successfully established her name by supplying her jewellery to various outlets, galleries and exhibitions. Her classic but contemporary style still takes inspiration from architecture, using geometric forms in bold clean-lined pieces with her work predominantly in silver using 18ct gold for precious detailing. Her 2006 collection featured new themes, including a range of earrings and pendants with 18ct moving circles that allow fluid movement.
From 1999 onwards, Shona has exhibited her work in Dazzle, the successful touring exhibition that allows makers to show their work within public venues in Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Glasgow. She now works in her Glasgow studio in the Hidden Lane, a vibrant mixture of West End workshops, where she designs and makes all of her handcrafted jewellery. (See News for the latest information on Shona's jewellery collections and exhibitions.) |
