Nicola Lillie uses solid metal to capture flux and flow

We love learning more about the Crafts community – who they are, what sparks their curiosity, and (perhaps, most importantly) what they enjoy making. So earlier this year we took to Instagram and asked our crafty readers to share a photo of our Spring/Summer 2024 issue in their studios, for a chance to be featured on our website and social platforms.

We’ve now selected three of our favourites – next up is Hereford-based artist Nicola Lillie, who uses steel, silver and other metals to create sinuous pieces that can be displayed both on and off the body.

How long have you been a maker and how did you get to where you are today?

I have been making contemporary jewellery since graduating from my BA in contemporary design crafts from Hereford College of Arts in 2015. My journey of making has involved periods of restriction and acceleration; I have two young children and whilst this can be limiting in terms of time, it has also focused my determination to demonstrate first-hand a life filled with passion.

I believe in reaching for as many opportunities as possible, as the answer is a definite no if you don’t try. This proved true for me in 2015, when I won Goldsmith’s Precious Metal Bursary Award. I went on to be selected for the BBC Two show All That Glitters, which aired in 2021. This latter experience gave me exposure that I would have struggled to find on my own, and I have since been predominantly commission focused.

Which craft techniques are involved in your work and how did you learn them?

I predominantly use fabrication techniques for forming my jewellery work, combined with a strong importance on concept and quite a specific design aesthetic. I also have a background in textiles, and a husband who’s a precision engineer; these transferable skills inform my problem solving.

My BA laid the foundations of my making knowledge, and in the intervening years I have had some master tuition for specific skill sets such as mount making and setting; however, my greatest teacher has been practice.

I am now expanding into silversmithing, forming anti-clastically raised, air-chased objects, which capture a sense of flux and flow within solid metal. This is a hybrid technique, which after an initial masterclass from silversmith Rauni Higson, I have adapted to become a vessel for my material explorations.

Tell us about your studio and how you like to work.

I have a small workshop at the back of my house, which is a haven for basic benchwork – although it is now bursting at the seams! For my larger scale and remodelling work, I relocate to a communal workshop in Alloy, Herefordshire’s jewellery and silversmithing collective (of which I am chair).

I work deepest when alone, listening to a podcast and tapping into a true flow-state. However, ideas for me often emerge through reflection, research and creative conversation. Therefore, I value a mix of collaborative and focused working space.

What’s the inspiration behind your pieces, and how does each one develop?

My current collection, Thresholds, has taken a rather dramatic shift aesthetically since my Elements II series, however there are still significant underpinning strands which were present a decade ago – this reassures me that there are core discourses of myself which transcend materiality.

As an artist, I am interested in connection. This initially focused on our value of architectural space but has since transversed into valuing human lived experience: seeking common thresholds within which we are able to connect, heal and grow.

My practice is a process of material metaphor, and development is circular: objects represent thought; thoughts become poetry, which inspires responsive mark making; and the quality of these marks inform my metalsmithing. As silversmithing is relatively new to me, I have found that in combination with this methodology of design, I must also play, test possibilities and follow the metal. It is refreshing to work in dialogue with my material; it feels respectful and reminds me that I do not always need to be in control.

What encouraged you to move into making sculptural metal pieces as well as traditional jewellery?

I felt the need to move away from jewellery for Thresholds because I needed the theory behind the work to breathe, without technical restrictions of wearability. The body is still integral to the collection, as they come alive when held. However, they are a marked move away from conventional understanding of adornment. This felt incredibly vulnerable, but exactly what was needed.

I will continue to make jewellery, and these newer skillsets are now informing emerging collections; however, I feel that through the process of my MA I am an artist, thinker and maker foremost – and that the scale of my work can be disclosed later.

You’re currently working on increasing the scale of your silversmithing techniques – what style of work do you hope to produce going forward?

I am fixated on capturing flow. For me, this is a visual anchor that represents the transience and changeability of life. I love to contrast fluidity and flux with solid material. My knowledge base is precious metal, however, this restricts me to a scale that I increasingly want to expand.

Such scales lead me to working in differing metals, but also techniques: I am looking into carving models and having them cast at a foundry, for example. Small-scale sculptures I have crafted from metal mesh could be scaled up to the size of edifices, through panelling.

I have also always loved wood and long to try carving sculptures you can rest on or crawl through – tactile engagement is important to me regardless of scale. My challenge now is finding avenues to explore these ideas, as they require teamwork, space and funding, which I am currently seeking.

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