guy royle - an accidental jeweller
DESCRIPTION
A catalogue of recent works by jeweller Guy Royle showing at New Craftsman Gallery, St IvesTRANSCRIPT
GUY ROYLE
GUY ROYLE
NEW CRAFTSMAN GALLERYwww.newcraftsmanstives.com
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A COLLECTOR’S VIEW
I have had a fascination with jewellery since childhood,
and remember sitting with my grandmother rooting
through her jewellery box and being transfixed by the
bright shiny things.When I was about ten years old I
begged my mother for a little silver bangle, but she said I
would only lose it. Eventually she gave in and I still have it
to this day.
About forty years ago I started collecting jewellery. In
the 1960s, when in my twenties, I wore large brightly
coloured geometric plastic jewellery, as was the fashion.A
little later I started buying a few handmade silver pieces
by contemporary jewellers.Then followed a burst of
enthusiasm for ‘ethnic’ jewellery. I loved native North
American jewellery, particularly bangles and earrings
made of silver, with the additional allure of lapis and
turquoise stones.At that time I always wore lots of silver
bangles – that was, of course, until I discovered Guy’s
work. From then on I have always worn a large bangle of
his on each wrist.
In 1980 I met my second husband, a photographer,
who shared my interest in art and architecture.We were
constantly visiting art galleries and design studios together,
and we began collecting paintings and various artworks. It
was from this period that my contemporary jewellery
collection escalated.
I keep catalogues and articles on jewellery, ceramics
and art. I also keep a ‘diary’ on the jewellery I buy, drawing
each piece with a note of its materials, and from where
and when it was purchased. Drawing makes me look
carefully at the piece as I have a fascination with how
things are made.The back of each object should be as
well made as the front. Equally, I am careful about how I
keep my jewellery and store it in handmade wooden
boxes. I do, however, always wear the jewellery.
I first encountered Guy’s work about sixteen years
ago at a gallery in Farnham, Surrey. For many years I had
known the work of his mentor, Breon O’Casey, and have
a small amount of his jewellery and paintings. It was about
this time that Breon had handed on the mantle of
jewellery making to Guy, who took this on and made it
his own. I instantly fell in love with Guy’s work, and over
the years I have bought an enormous amount from
various galleries. I have numerous silver necklaces and
bangles, silver brooches and rings with gold detail and a
vast amount of silver and stone earrings. His silver
brooches are like small paintings, either a geometric
design with gold detail, or with an applied gold Braque/
Picasso bird.There is also a Celtic symbolism about his
designs, and there seems to be tribal and African/Egyptian
influences too. His work would not look out of place
amongst the artefacts in the British Museum. His work is
timeless.
What I love about Guy’s work is the boldness and the
simplicity of his designs.Also, I like his generosity of
materials, especially his profligacy in the amount of silver
he uses. I really like the marks left by his hammer beating
of the silver, as I always want to see the hand of the
maker whether it be in jewellery or ceramics.
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His fastenings are also very
substantial and therefore secure.
A necklace or brooch would never
slip off, nor would an earring fall out.
His work is built to last, beautifully
crafted and made with love and
integrity.There is an honesty to it.
The stones he uses to highlight
his earrings and necklaces he cuts
himself in his studio, or as he would
rather call it, his workshop. He
leaves the stones unpolished and
uneven. My husband and I have
visited his studio a few times, and
we were fascinated by the lumps of
uncut lapis, turquoise and other
semi precious stones, sitting
alongside semi-finished pieces of
work.Works in progress, like large
formed sculptural silver beads in
various shapes and designs, festoon
the walls and surfaces. My husband
was impressed by the fact that he
makes a lot of his own tools and
equipment as well. It’s a magical
workshop in which raw materials
are transformed into beautiful
jewellery.
VivienWoodiwiss,August 2013.
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AN ARTIST’S VIEW
The sharply cut profiles of two birds; one in yellow and
one in red gold swoop across the tooled silver surface of
my Guy Royle brooch. It has a direct simplicity at once
modern and timeless – it could easily be an artefact
excavated from an ancient site.
A walk down a main street in Penzance with Guy gave
me an insight into how he sees the world around him.
The aged chevrons cut into the large granite paving
stones are boldly satisfying in texture and pattern. It is
these elemental marks in natural materials that appear
again and again at a smaller scale in Guy’s beaten silver, a
primitive energy and directness belies highly sophisticated
material sensibility.
Guy is deeply concerned with the textural qualities of
stone and metal: beach pebbles are gently shaped, silver
beads are punctuated with carnelian; nothing is too shiny
and proportion is everything – many blue stones are
enlivened by the intermittent lustre of gold.
Mark Herald, August 2013.
A CURATOR’S VIEW
When I took over the New Craftsman in 2008 I also
took on responsibility for its illustrious art and crafts
history, and Guy Royle was very much part of that.
Guy’s relationship with the gallery has been a long
one, and we are proud to continue to show his work. His
jewellery has a special quality, a real creative veracity and
precision of workmanship that is unmistakable. Every time
we receive new work, I am always astonished by the
weight and beauty of each piece.There is a special thrill
to displaying it in the gallery, and I love to see the reaction
it draws.
I own several of Guy’s pieces myself and take a real
pride in wearing them.They reflect my life – my love of
art and craft and my love of Cornwall. And perhaps that’s
what they mean to all of his devoted collectors.They are
pieces of art history in our hands.
Ylenia Haase, New Craftsman Gallery, August 2013.
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Published by New Craftsman Gallery, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 1HE
www.newcraftsmanstives.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by anymeans electrical, mechanical or otherwise, without the permissionof the copyright owners and the publishers.
Jewelly photography: Bob Berry.Portrait photography: Martin G Howse.Copyright ©2013 New Craftsman Gallery.
ISBN: 978-0-9926590-0-4