Treeroot Studio - Diploma Support Centre

Owner: Jane Owen Inglis

Location: Inverness, Scotland

Address: Inchmore Gallery, Inverness, IV5 7PX

Tel: 07777 652953

Information about Jane

I have always been fascinated by textures and as a very small child I remember “touching” everything, from stones to paper, feathers to fabric and mud to rusty metal. Personally I don’t believe that you “look with your eyes and not with your hands”.

As most young ladies do, I developed a liking for jewellery but wanted to wear one-off, original pieces that didn’t come from the High Street and so, spaced out over a couple of years, I went on several silversmithing courses. I thoroughly enjoyed them, and learnt a huge amount, but found it too physically demanding since I had already developed arthritis in one hand and my neck. That is where my career in semi-precious bead stringing started. After two hours tuition, on a rainy Saturday afternoon, of a much gentler form of jewellery making, I was hooked. From that two hours I have gone from attending local craft fairs to selling jewellery from my own Craft Studio set up in my house, to supplying a number of established and successful Art Galleries within the Highlands.

Last November this “career” took an immense leap and saw the purchase of one of those Art Galleries where I am now the resident artist, the administrator, and the sales assistant – to name but a few of my jobs.

Even though life has always been extremely busy, my desire to further my understanding of different art mediums has lead me to read, and experiment with, a number of different crafts. I cannot quite remember how I came across silver metal clay, it was about four years ago, and almost certainly from a book in the library, but it was a complete revelation – finally I too could make beautiful, unique silver jewellery with a handful of tools, a little space and minimum pain!

I have undertaken quite a number of silver metal clay courses, from Beginner to Grade 3 of the MCSJ Silver Metal Clay Diploma and workshops to Masterclasses, and even now I am still utterly amazed by this incredible medium - there is nothing quite like it. It is the closest thing to alchemy anyone will ever see and I, for one, cannot wait to share this experience with others. My love of textures has never left me and now I can use and combine all those found objects that have cluttered my windowsills, cupboards and garden for many years, to create works of art – mainly wearable ones!

Jane’s Qualifications and Experience:

I am a self taught jewellery designer who exhibits at a number of galleries in the Highlands of Scotland, including Inchmore Gallery of which I am now the owner, and my work is in various private collections in Britain, America, Australia and Germany, amongst others.

I am a qualified teacher and hold a Bachelor of Education degree (BEd). I am currently working towards attaining the full MCSJ Diploma, and hope to complete the final grade by the end of this year.

Diploma Support Services Provided: