Eimear Conyard

Jewellery maker

©Dylan Vaughan

©Eimear Conyard

Fluid forms

Eimear's work balances materials and design
Her attention to detail is meticulous
She blurs the lines between function and art

Eimear Conyard has trained under many master gold and silversmiths at both the National College of Art and Design, Dublin and Glasgow School of Art. Her work combines metal skills with the use of surprising materials such as perspex. Her jewellery and timepieces seek to overcome the challenge of functionality, to not allow constraints to restrict imaginative designs. Her recent vessel forms bring a new scale to her work. These pieces use kum-bu, an ancient Korean gilding technique to apply thin sheets of gold to the surface of silver vessels. Eimear received the California Gold Medal and has work in the collection of the National Museum of Ireland.

Interview

©Eimear Conyard

What is special about working with metals?: Alloys are probably the first ever man made hybrid materials. We have a vast library of well developed metalworking techniques from many cultures to use when crafting objects from both these and pure metals.
Do you train apprentices?: I am the Course Director of the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland's Jewellery and Goldsmithing Course and Center of Excellence and am very active and passionate about education and skills and design training in my craft. My personal practice fuels my teaching practice and vice versa.
How do you start a piece?: My work comes to life at the bench. I have developed a vocabulary in my craft that allows me to make with ease but construction and design challenges continually keep me energised. I draw on many areas for inspiration; often the balance of materials, textures and colours in my work influences the form of my designs.
What is surprising about your work?: I am continually surprised at each of my new creations. By not knowing the exact path I will take in design and construction every piece and experience is new, challenging and energising. I think people are often surprised by how metal objects are made. Unless you work with metal, you probably think of it as a cold and inflexible material. But it can actually be highly adaptable and malleable.

Eimear Conyard is a master artisan: she began her career in 1995 and she started teaching in 1996