Hannah McGuiness.
HANNAH McGuinness is a Jewellery designer-maker who produces contemporary one off and limited edition jewellery pieces from her studio in Glenties.
She is a graduate of the National College of Art and Design, Dublin. Hannah is also the creative director to the Donegal Designer Makers-a network of twenty-five makers from all over Donegal.
While Hannah was at college in National College of Art & Design she spent a lot of time experimenting with materials and techniques.
Then her work concentrated on a series of sculptural vessels in metals, glass and plastics. Along with these, Hannah developed her jewellery pieces incorporating the sculptural elements.
She still uses a mix of precious and alternative materials for her work stretching from gold, silver, platinum to Perspex, acrylics and other mixed media. “As a designer I like to combine precious and alternative materials together and find that doing so I can achieve the innovative results that best reflects my individual contemporary style,” said Hannah.
Generally, Hannah’s work focuses on the interplay between form, texture, colour and is sculptural in style. “For exhibition I often work to a theme or concept-the last one the ‘Wild Atlantic Way.’ These exhibition pieces reflected my interpretation of the colour, transparency, wave pattern and movement of the Atlantic. I wanted to capture those vivid aqua and heather colours of the Donegal coastline in wearable sculptural form,” she said.
One of Hannah’s personal favourite pieces from this collection is a neckpiece called ‘Undercurrent’, hand-made in silver and Perspex. “Its construction shows a wave pattern visible under a frosted centre section at the front of the piece.”
With 2015 being the Year of Design Hannah is working on two collections for exhibition. “As creative director to the Donegal Designer Makers (DDM) I am currently planning two exhibition projects for the collective – one in the summer and one in the autumn. I am also working on a few special pieces for a Valentines project.
“I work like an artist and making for exhibition demands more time initially to work through the thought process/concept, then the actual design and finally the making of a one of a kind piece. I have also been actively working on trying to develop a creative hub for the Art/Craft sector in Donegal which would bring exciting new projects to the county. There is a wealth of talent in the county but it is difficult to access it in any one forum and this is also the case for any form of networking between the creative sectors of the county,” she said.
Hannah has always been passionate about design and for inspiration she usually goes to the London Design Festival every year.
“The festival programme is made up of over 350 events and exhibitions staged by hundreds of organisations across the design spectrum and from around the world.
“You could not be in a better forum to find inspiration. It is so important to me to see what is happening in the international design world.
“It is also a great networking event and a chance to check out the new digital technologies that are changing the face of craft and design now.”
Hannah McGuinness’s studio is based at the retail outlet at Main Street, Glenties. Tel 07495 51036 or Mobile 087 2971455, www.hannahmcguinness.com.
Hannah mostly does commissions and exhibitions through her studio, but you can also find her work at the Craft Gallery Glenties, the Donegal Designer Makers Collective Shop in Ardara, www.donegaldesignermakers.com
Zara McDaid can be contacted on Facebook, search ‘Zara Mc Daid Art’, www.zaramcdaid-art.blogspot.ie or e-mail is zaramcdaid@hotmail.com
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