Scottish jewellers, textile and paper artists, glass designers and silversmiths headed for Chelsea Crafts Fair in October to show the best of Scottish craft at Europe’s finest showcase for contemporary crafts.

The Chelsea Crafts Fair, which takes place at Chelsea Town Hall in London during October each year, is a stunning display of established and emerging talent. The Fair is a setter of upcoming trends so it is not surprising that eighteen Scottish makers have been selected to exhibit this year including four first timers.

From the Highlands of Scotland glass designer Kim Bramley who lives in Sleat on the Isle of Skye joined Black Isle jeweller and silversmith Eileen Gatt and Dunoon-based woven textile artist Maria Mackellar. Kim and Eileen are both inspired by the environment in which they live. The colours of the sky and sea ebb and flow in Kim’s glass designs while ancient Scottish mythology and customs are preserved within Eileen’s jewellery and silver pieces. Maria creates hand woven scarves inspired by architecture, particularly the positive and negative spaces of the Art Deco period.

From the east coast of Scotland seven jewellers - Donna Barry, Carla Edwards, Anna Gordon, Ann Little, Grainne Morton, Kaz Robertson and Joanne Thompson – accompanied textile designers Tessuti (Fiona McIntosh) and Mogwaii (Sarah Campbell) and silversmiths Grant McCaig and Adrian Hope.

Across on the west of Scotland Marion Kane completed the trio of silversmiths along with interior textile designer Joanna Kinnersly-Taylor. Not to be forgotten is the Kingdom of Fife where jeweller Dot Sim and Karin Muhlert, who both work and construct natural forms with paper.

To view our own showcase of these talented makers simply click on their name to find out about their careers, techniques, inspirations and to see examples of their work.

The Chelsea Crafts Fair was started in 1979 and has become an important career move for makers as well as a unique selling and buying opportunity. For further information about about how to apply to exhibit visit www.craftscouncil.org.uk

We have also tapped in to Scotland’s tremendous resource of experienced exhibitors and created a ‘Chelsea Checklist’ for first time exhibitors which is full of invaluable advice covering everything from what to wear to pricing your work. 

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