I grew up in France, near Cholet in the Loire Valley. From the age of 15, I focused on art & design subjects at school. After my A-level (applied art), I entered a graphic design and illustration school – L’AGR Ecole de L’Image in Nantes. Our training in the first year focused on traditional drawing, which I enjoyed very much. From the second year onwards, most of the time was spent on the computer. I realised I wanted to work with my hands, so I researched different traditional crafts and fell in love with jewellery making during an Open Days Event at l‘Ecole Tané – a professional school of jewellery and silversmithing in Brittany. I entered the school in 2007 and was awarded my diploma 2 years later after a full-time vocational training.
I have always been a true art lover, collecting sketchbooks and art journals since as far back as I can remember. Ever since I started making my own jewellery after my training, I have been trying to connect my two passions. I have experimented to find innovative ways to incorporate my drawing/paintings into my jewellery designs. I am inspired by Art in general, as well as dreams and tales, and small details found in Nature, especially forests. I started with very illustrative pieces and my style has progressively evolved with recurring elements and characters changing through the years.
I started my small business in 2010. I finished school in 2009 and moved to Brighton a few months later. I discovered Brighton during a work placement the previous year in Firefly studio, a jewellery workshop shared by 5 independent designer/ makers. For the first few years, I was doing freelance work in parallel, making and assembling for different designers, progressively developing my technical knowledge and my individual style.
I joined The Sussex Guild around ten years ago. I knew a couple of jewellers from the Guild. They advised me to apply as I was looking for local shows to start sharing my work. I went through the selection process and was very surprised to be selected! It was a real push and a fantastic opportunity to share my passion with an audience who were also passionate about craft, right at the beginning of my career. It helped my work to evolve and progress through the years. Over all the years with the Guild I have participated in almost all of the shows since I became a member.
In 2019, my partner Marek Machlowski and I launched Imaginarium Atelier, a project in which we can collaborate and showcase our personal work. Marek is a goldsmith and stone setter. He also joined the Sussex Guild, and we now share a stand at Craft shows. For the past few years, I have been practicing hand-engraving and want to pursue this specialty as this opens possibilities to incorporate my drawing into my jewellery designs. I also enjoy doing bespoke pieces and engraving offers great options for personalised jewellery. I want to combine engraving into enameling which I have recently been exploring. We just released a small Fan Earring collection with colourful enamel. Imaginarum Atelier Earrings
For the past couple of years, I have been focusing mostly on the Imaginarium Atelier project, creating a small range of fine jewellery that we are progressively expanding. I have been developing my technical skills and working around colourful and unique gemstones. 2020 was a time to go back to my roots and I naturally turned towards drawing and painting. I initially learned traditional gouache rendering during my jewellery studies. I created a series of miniature paintings exploring different feelings going through 2020. They combine jewellery design and illustration. Imaginarium Atelier Prints
Marek and I will be participating in all the forthcoming Sussex Guild shows. We are planning to open our Hove based workshop to the public this June for the Open Houses festival. We have also booked shows that have previously been postponed. We hope to be appearing in Bovey Tracey and Bath Craft festivals at the end of the year
I have been working on a fun commission over the last year. This is the remodeling of a pendant. I used an unusual piece of amber and set it in in a silver frame with a mermaid lying on the top of it. I created a short video of the making process See the finished piece
I am currently working on a series of new Jewel Objects. I created this concept 10 years ago and it stayed on the sideline for a few years. I want to revisit the idea and push it a little bit further by incorporating enameling and engraving in the wooden object. See examples of one-of-a-kind pieces and past commissions and on.
