Hello Everyone,

I want to  give some credit where some is due.I thought it was time some of the Great Artist from SJA got some well deserved PR.This is Ms. Gill Pottle of Aeris Designs and she is from the great United Kingdom.She was born in Essex in the South East and now resides in Northamptonshire in the East Midlands.She is a single MUM with 2 teen-aged boys.In her non jewelry life she is a Teaching Assistant in a children's home.

When I ask her to tell me a little about herself this is what she said," I'm a bit of a social recluse - I prefer my own company most of the time. I've always been quite creative,but single parenthood stifled that for many years,as there was never time to do whatever I wanted to do. I love reading, watching rubbish chick flicks, knitting and crochet. I'm musical (I played the recorder,clarinet,cello and saxophone when younger,and in recent years taught myself to play the piano), sarcastic, a little grumpy when pushed to the limit. I worry about the planet and my kids' futures, I try to recycle as much as possible, and I hate people being mean to each other.

She has not had any  formal jewelry making training and is mostly self taught.Her sister started all this for her,by buying her a small box of beads and a jewelry making book,for Christmas of 2007.She says ever since then it has been an obsession.She has learned a lot from the web and all the great folks on there.The forums are another great source of information,for her.She now takes a class once a week,to learn new techniques and to see what others are out there doing,in the jewelry world.Jewelry making is not her only creative outlet,she also knits,crochet,and does sugar craft."I am extremely Stubborn and tend not to give up on something until I know I can do it as well as I possibly can",is one of her mottoes.I think that statement says it all.She first started with wire wrapping in April of 2008 and went on to wire crochet and to metal fabrication from there.She says,"metal fabrication fascinates me".She uses Sterling Silver and some Copper in most of   her jewelry but she is thinking about getting into the non-precious metals like steel,in the future.She also uses gemstones and crystals along with glass beads to pretty up her jewelry from time to time.When I ask her what her Philosophy was,in her jewelry making ,she said,"Since I have not been making jewelry for long I am not sure I have a philosophy but if pushed I would say,To keep creating,learning and improving for as long as it takes until I am completely happy with my skills.Even if she is self taught her skills are exceptional and her work beautiful.

When I ask her where she got her inspiration I was expecting the usual answers you know like,nature,my family,my surroundings,but I did not get those answers."I find myself inspired more by techniques than by visual stimuli",was her answer.This was something very different.She went on to explain,"If I find a new technique I want to try I will get seriously obsessed about learning all I can about it.I will then take that fresh knowledge and go off and design new pieces.I usually know what I am looking to create,but the small details tend to make themselves known along the way.She has a really great lineup for designers she calls some of her favorites,like Eni Oken whose unique design flare and great eye for color is a wonderful inspiration for Gill.Laurel of LA VALLEY GIRL is another designer Gill calls a favorite along with Mei From WIRE BLISS.She meet these 2 great artist on the Starving Jewelry Artist Forums."Actually there a oodles of great artist on the SJA that inspire me.They are all so very talented and make me feel very inept",she says.Her style is very unique in its own right.She has a very intricate and colorful style when it comes to her crocheted and wire wrapped pieces,while her fabricated work is more simple and straight forward.She explains that this is due to the fact that she has way more experience with wire wrap and crochet and has not been fabricating metal for very long."Since I have many more years experience with crochet and wire wrapping,I tend to take more chances and be more bold,while I seem to hold to the simple lines with the metal fabrication due to not having years of experience behind me",she states.

Most of Gills jewelry is sold to friends and work colleagues.She also sells quite a few of her pieces on her web site and on Etsy.As for her family she states,"I could never sell to my family,it would just be too weird".She gives lots of her jewelry away to others.Gill does her best to make each of the young ladies she helps teach a special gift for their birthdays, made just for them.She enjoys it when other asks her"YOU MADE THAT ?".She,like so many others,finds this a great ego boost.She dose not normally wear a lot of jewelry,but she does make the sacrifice to check for comfort of fit and durability when it comes to her designs."More days than not I can be found wandering around with a different earing in each ear and about 15 rings on, all in the name of quality assurance",she said.This is Gills Etsy shop web address:www.aerisjewellerydesign.etsy.com and this is the address to her direct web site:www.aerisdesigns.co.uk.She is considering a few shows shows this summer and will know more at a later date about which ones and when..With 2 teen-aged boys I am sure it is hard to get all the prep work done in order to get to summer shows.Remember to jump on the computer and check out her selling sites,I promise you will not be sorry.