Message the Team
Welcome to this week’s Artist of the Week
Abstract painter and jewellery artist Fhionna Mac from Lanarkshire in Scotland
This week’s AOTW interview took a different format from usual.
Fhionna contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in hearing her story and how the beautiful countryside scenery of Scotland inspires so much of her jewellery and how nature is the inspiration for her abstract art. Of course I leapt at the chance.
You can visit Fhi’s shop, Bunny Jewels Unique, by clicking HERE to view and buy a selection of her jewellery, abstract art and furniture.
The lovely Fhi has been affected by severe illness and often finds speaking difficult, something I can fully understand; as a stroke survivor I struggled with my speech for a long time. So, we decided to eschew the normal video chat and have a simple Q&A via email.
I’m sure you’ll agree that Fhi is as accomplished as a writer as she is as an artist and we hope you’ll be inspired by her story.
So, grab yourself a cup of something nice and I’ll let Fhi introduce herself in her own words.
Hi there, I’m Fhionna
I was born in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire, in 1968 to a Yorkshire mum and a Glaswegian dad. I’ve had various jobs and I’ve loved them but I’ve never really had a career as such. My main job was as a florist but I’ve also been a display artist and a personal carer for several years. I think the latter was the most intense job I’ve ever had but the most rewarding. Very hard work but making a difference to someone’s life was amazing.
What inspired you to become an artist?
I don’t think of myself as an artist haha but everything I’ve ever created has definitely been inspired nature… and my dad lol.
I was brought up to pay attention to the things around me. My dad taught me to ‘always look up’. He was a very talented stone mason, who’d carved gargoyles and beautiful stone for Glasgow Cathedral and other churches. My appreciation of the world around me, architecture, the colours of the sky, rainbows, flowers, trees etc, comes from my dad.
Is your family artistic?
Not in the sense of painting and drawing but we are all very creative humans haha. We are all musicians (I played the cello for years), my dad was a wonderful poet and I’m the writer of the family. I’ve had some success with that lol and I do try to keep a writers journal for notes and ideas. My brother is a famous musician and a very talented producer.
As a child I loved to press flowers. My dad made me a press and we made pictures together with the dried blooms and buds. My sister gave me a gift of a bracelet making kit to keep me active when I was recovering from a huge cancer operation to replace my tongue. I loved it and decided to learn more about it. I’ve been making jewellery for about 2.5 years now and have been doing really well at craft fairs, until Covid shut that down.
What’s life like as an artist in your area?
I live in a beautiful old cottage with a huge garden (the dogs love it haha) in the Clyde Valley. There are lots and lots of garden centres, most of which sell art and crafts but there are just so many of them! It’s a little overwhelming to be honest. I tend do go into Glasgow to craft fairs. Tourists seem to love my work but so do people in Glasgow’s trendy West End. I think because it’s unusual and I only ever make one of anything so they know they’re buying something completely unique.
Who’s your favourite artist?
Oh that’s easy haha. Definitely Vermeer. Girl With the Pearl Earring is wonderful. It’s been recreated and assimilated into recent culture in so many ways. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery they say hahaha. Even Banksy painted her with a burglar alarm standing in for an earring.
Well that’s all for this week folks.
Thanks so much to Fhi for sharing her story and what has inspired her to let her artistic side help her through such an awful experience.
You can check out Fhi’s beautiful jewellery and a selection of her abstract art and furniture in her shop, Bunny Jewels Unique, by clicking HERE.
If you’d like to share your story with the world, drop me a line at tom@localartandcraft.com and we can chat about what makes you tick.
So there we are for another week.
Looking forward to next week’s Artist of the Week story.
I wonder where it will take us.