Spotlight on Lisa Harrison
I grew up on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall, dad a potter mum a weaver - you could consider my early life an extensive 'foundation course', learning pottery, print making, basket weaving, textiles, woodcarving, paper making and many, many more crafts! I started metal working at the age of eleven when my dad swapped a pot for a day silversmithing with jeweller Janet Slack. From that humble beginning I set up my own jewellery business teaching myself and selling my attempts to the public through my parents shop. Every summer from the age of 12 to 15 I taught pottery classes. At age 16 I left school and started full time jewellery making, working for Julia Schofield at Tombodama jewellery shop, taking commissions and selling my work in galleries throughout Cornwall. My evenings were taken up by classes in photography, silversmithing and life drawing.
At the age of 17 some friends organised two weeks work experience with Alison Varley, a jeweller in Norfolk. She told me about Birmingham School of Jewellery - naturally I applied at once, and got a place. Before the course started I took the opportunity to travel, spending four months travelling alone around France. During this time I worked on an island for two months repairing wells, then spent five weeks working in a silver mine in the French Alps. This gave me an interest in where my materials come from and the processes they have gone through through the ages before they get to the craftsman.
Two years in Birmingham ensued, doing the National Diploma in Precious Metals and Gemstones. The course was intensive, and gave a complete grounding in traditional jewellery making to a very high standard. I loved the course but found living in the city stifling. Despite this minor drawback, I won the "student of the year" award.
Part of the jewellery course involved forging some tools in the forging room down in the basement of the school - I loved it! From then, I wanted to learn more. So, on completing my jewellery course, I got a job working for blacksmith Nikki Blake in Surrey. Four months of extremely enjoyable (and informative!) blacksmithing followed. Then I came back to Cornwall and set up my jewellery business. I did that for two years but found it quite a struggle in a very competitive craft where hobbyists can undercut you by miles and galleries treat you so badly. As such, I decided to take a year out to retrain and become a blacksmith. I got a place at The National School of Blacksmithing, Hereford. The course was great, being a full-on foundation in blacksmithing. I got as much as I could from the course - taking evening classes, spending every spare minute I could get away with in the forge, even sneakily listening to the BA course lectures.I won first prize at a college competition and took second prize at the Three Counties Show. When the course finished, I spent three months in Virginia USA, helping to set up a forge, and demonstrating at county fairs and visiting American blacksmiths. I then moved to Tuchan in the South of France for six months helping friends re-lay the foundations of their house and doing general building work and manual labouring, gardening and landscaping.
I set up Smythick Forge in April 2008 on my return to Cornwall. Working alongside Dan O'Shea I create my own designs of decorative ironwork and precious metal jewellery to sell in galleries. We work together to produce our standard range to sell at fetes and fairs throughout Cornwall.