perfect presents

 

One of the things I have loved about working in a school community for the last two years is that I have caught a glimpse of a wealth of talent amongst the staff & parents. There are bakers, artists, crafters & musicians (to name but a few talents) in every year group of parents. I know that of all of the talented people I have come across, I have only scratched the surface in an enormous school (there's about 800 children).


Alison Murphy is a name I have heard a number of times & seen her beautiful work adorning the neck of one of my colleagues on many an occasion. Yet it wasn't until today that I got to meet the artist herself. I went to her stall in Woolies, an indoor market in Bristol, and had great trouble in choosing which one of her creations to buy. I finally made my choice, and gave it to the friendly looking lady sat on a chair, in charge of the stall, who said, 'I love this one - I made it and had great trouble parting with it when deciding to sell it.'


Knowing that only Alison Murphy makes these unique necklaces & brooches, carefully crafted from broken pottery that she has sourced from here, there and everywhere, I said, 'Are you Alison Murphy?!' with excitement in my voice. We spent the next 40 minutes engrossed in conversation to the point where I totally missed the huge downpour of rain that was happening outside the window, taking place of the fleeting sunshine that had been in the sky before I went into Woolies. 

Not only does Alison Murphy carefully select each piece of pottery for her necklaces, she makes origami paper boxes out of music manuscripts & maps as homes for each piece of jewellery, making them even more brilliant & unique.

Sadly, Alison doesn't have a website that I can direct you to, but if you like the look of her jewellery, I am more than happy to purchase you a piece on your behalf.