As we prepare to open this year’s exhibition at the National Trust’s Ickworth House, we’re delighted to share a glimpse behind the scenes with some work-in-progress shots from our talented makers. In a world dominated by mass production, it’s easy to forget that every piece in our exhibition is meticulously handcrafted - often using heritage skills - and always created with exceptional care, precision, and attention to detail.
Sarah Cannell’s practice combines drawing, colour, and experimentation to create both paintings and ceramics. Her passion for landscape drawing extends onto thrown earthenware and porcelain forms, developed further through an Arts Council DYCP grant. Rooted in the Waveney Valley, her work captures the traces of human and natural activity in its paths, hedgerows, and vibrant seasonal colours, translating these into bold compositions across canvas and clay.
Jean Fryer’s textile practice is inspired by the Suffolk countryside and coastline. Working with fine chiffons and silk gauzes, she layers fabrics to create subtle shifts of colour and tone, like washes of watercolour. Her panels often incorporate digitally printed fabric or text, enhanced with delicate machine embroidery, resulting in evocative works that capture the atmosphere of the landscape.
Clare Gaylard works with rods of Murano glass in an intense flame to create distinctive sculptures, vessels, and wearable art. Every element, including her own intricate detailing and inclusions, is crafted entirely in the flame. Inspired by people, places, objects, artefacts, and stories, her glass pieces celebrate colour, pattern, light, and the beauty found in small details.
Greta Hansen creates collagraphs and prints from lino and MDF blocks, often using the reduction method to build rich, layered colour effects. Her work is inspired by the Suffolk landscape, developed from sketches and paintings made on regular trips into the countryside.
Anna Schwegmann-Fielding’s work centres on transforming discarded objects into contemporary mosaics. She cuts and reassembles chipped British tableware, broken jewellery, and car glass into colourful, decorative sculptures. Guided by the patterns of each plate and her interest in ceramic history, she weaves together familiar designs such as Willow Pattern with makers’ marks and family heirlooms, creating artworks that resonate with memory and tradition.
Helen Smith specialises in Mokume Gane, an ancient Japanese metalworking technique that fuses 30 layers of contrasting metals into a solid block. Through drilling, punching, filing, and repeated forging, she reveals intricate, organic permanent patterns before the metal is milled into sheets. Taking over two weeks to create, these sheets are then transformed into elegant jewellery. Helen’s current collection showcases Mokume Gane set in refined Sterling Silver forms, often accented with 18ct Yellow Gold, Freshwater Pearls, and Semi-Precious Gemstones.
Friday 22nd August – Sunday 14th September, 10am – 4:30pm
Ickworth Estate, National Trust, Bury St Edmunds, IP29 5QE
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