ABOUT ABI, FOUNDER OF DEER & SHINE
Abi features in the book 'Make: Cornwall' - A Celebration of modern craftspeople from the South West by. Anya Rice & Katherine Sorrell
Born in Winchester, Abi was raised in a very creative home, both parents artists themselves as well as lecturers in Art & Design. She remembers many weekends were spent on the train to London to visit the Tate, Serpentine, Whitechapel and Frith Street galleries and holidays in the south of France being pushed from one Picasso museum to another.
"At the time it was all incredibly boring, Abi explains with a smile, but of course all this was massively influential in where I am now."
It was a chance meeting with her now husband of 23 years, that brought Abi to the far west of Cornwall. He himself was born and raised on the very Western tip of Penwith and after they both had finished part of their studies, they uprooted and travelled together through Australasia and America.
On her return, Abi studied for a degree in Media & Visual Arts receiving a 1st class honours. At a time when everyone was gravitating to London, she turned on her heel and went to live in Cornwall. She started working for a graphic design company, designing websites and working as a freelance photographer before taking up a position at the British Broadcasting Corporation where she stayed for thirteen years.
During this time she continued with her creative work - mainly photography - and studied, alongside working for the BBC, for an MA in Contemporary Visual Arts at Falmouth University. During these years Abi also found the time to have three children, go part time and start a baby swim business which helped her to work around raising a family and all the commitments it brings. This however, left little time for her own work. As such, she took the decision to leave the BBC and turn her attentions to more creative endeavours.
"It's always been there, a passion to work in jewellery, but up until the last few years, I haven't had the time to invest in the idea of taking it up and I'm not the kind of person to do things half heartedly."
Then a great friend and jeweller herself, began offering lessons and Abi started creating pieces under her guidance.
"As soon as I started with Anna, that was it. Something just clicked. I think that part of my brain had been dormant for a while there, and it was as if a light had been switched back on. It's something about the place I'm in when I'm working. I guess it's the present. The here and now. I'm in the moment. It's so totally and utterly absorbing."
Abi gravitates towards sleek, geometric shapes and a delicate mixture of textures and materials.
"It's been interesting to watch my style develop. I'm not going to suggest it's one thing or another. My life to date has a rich tapestry of influences and every single part of that history shapes the way I work and what form and mediums I choose."
"At the time it was all incredibly boring, Abi explains with a smile, but of course all this was massively influential in where I am now."
It was a chance meeting with her now husband of 23 years, that brought Abi to the far west of Cornwall. He himself was born and raised on the very Western tip of Penwith and after they both had finished part of their studies, they uprooted and travelled together through Australasia and America.
On her return, Abi studied for a degree in Media & Visual Arts receiving a 1st class honours. At a time when everyone was gravitating to London, she turned on her heel and went to live in Cornwall. She started working for a graphic design company, designing websites and working as a freelance photographer before taking up a position at the British Broadcasting Corporation where she stayed for thirteen years.
During this time she continued with her creative work - mainly photography - and studied, alongside working for the BBC, for an MA in Contemporary Visual Arts at Falmouth University. During these years Abi also found the time to have three children, go part time and start a baby swim business which helped her to work around raising a family and all the commitments it brings. This however, left little time for her own work. As such, she took the decision to leave the BBC and turn her attentions to more creative endeavours.
"It's always been there, a passion to work in jewellery, but up until the last few years, I haven't had the time to invest in the idea of taking it up and I'm not the kind of person to do things half heartedly."
Then a great friend and jeweller herself, began offering lessons and Abi started creating pieces under her guidance.
"As soon as I started with Anna, that was it. Something just clicked. I think that part of my brain had been dormant for a while there, and it was as if a light had been switched back on. It's something about the place I'm in when I'm working. I guess it's the present. The here and now. I'm in the moment. It's so totally and utterly absorbing."
Abi gravitates towards sleek, geometric shapes and a delicate mixture of textures and materials.
"It's been interesting to watch my style develop. I'm not going to suggest it's one thing or another. My life to date has a rich tapestry of influences and every single part of that history shapes the way I work and what form and mediums I choose."