Meet Julie Mansell
Winner, Beginners Category, Journey Challenge
Congratulations to Julie Mansell, winner of the Beginner category in the Journey Challenge! Her winning piece, House Martin in Flight, is a fine silver pendant with a blue CZ.
Julie’s Inspiration
“In January, I hadn’t made anything for a little while and was looking for inspiration when I came across my bird mould,” says Julie. “My workstation is set up in a spare bedroom, and outside of my window are some house martin nests. The birds visit us each year, coming all the way from Africa to our house in England to raise their young, undergoing many hardships along the way. And then the light bulb moment came: is that isn’t a journey, then I don’t know what is!”
“The piece is larger than any of the other few I’ve made and so it was more challenging to de-mould. Once I had the piece out of the mould, I refined it, making sure there were no weak areas. Then I added the CZ for its little eye, and created a snake border and added a bail. I tumbled the finished piece. There’s always a hold-your-breath moment when you take it out, hoping that the tumbler gods have been kind and that it comes out in one piece!”
“I have also made a matching pair of earrings with a smaller mold, but these have a clay back as I want to practice my enameling skills.”
Learning During the Pandemic
“I first took a silver clay introductory class about 4 years ago, and I was mesmerized when a lump of something resembling putty turned into a silver pendant! I was completely hooked from then on. I took a couple of additional classes but decided I wanted to learn more, so I took a PMC certification course.
“It was a bit of a whirlwind as my wonderful teacher, Helen Drye, managed to squeeze it in during the gaps in lockdown during the COVID pandemic. I work in healthcare, so going to Helen’s lovely studio in the Yorkshire countryside was a very welcome distraction from hospital life during those challenging times.”
“Unfortunately, practicing my newfound skills often had to be put on hold: I had little spare time with work commitments, and had supply issues with clay during the pandemic. I took a few other courses to get more practice with things like soldering and enameling. It has taken me some time to feel that I can make adequate pieces, and I still make lots of mistakes.”
“I’ve never entered a competition before, as I guess like most people that I am my own worst critic. I was given an AMCAW membership for Christmas last year, and I decided to enter the Journey Challenge because I thought I would get independent feedback. I certainly never dreamt that I would win the beginner category! I’m hoping this win gives me the confidence to try and sell some of my pieces at craft fairs, which is something I haven’t done yet.”
About Julie
Julie lives in Yorkshire, England.
