GUY ROYLE

GUY ROYLE

NEW CRAFTSMAN GALLERYwww.newcraftsmanstives.com

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A COLLECTOR’S VIEW

I have had a fascination with jewellery since childhood,

and remember sitting with my grandmother rooting

through her jewellery box and being transfixed by the

bright shiny things.When I was about ten years old I

begged my mother for a little silver bangle, but she said I

would only lose it. Eventually she gave in and I still have it

to this day.

About forty years ago I started collecting jewellery. In

the 1960s, when in my twenties, I wore large brightly

coloured geometric plastic jewellery, as was the fashion.A

little later I started buying a few handmade silver pieces

by contemporary jewellers.Then followed a burst of

enthusiasm for ‘ethnic’ jewellery. I loved native North

American jewellery, particularly bangles and earrings

made of silver, with the additional allure of lapis and

turquoise stones.At that time I always wore lots of silver

bangles – that was, of course, until I discovered Guy’s

work. From then on I have always worn a large bangle of

his on each wrist.

In 1980 I met my second husband, a photographer,

who shared my interest in art and architecture.We were

constantly visiting art galleries and design studios together,

and we began collecting paintings and various artworks. It

was from this period that my contemporary jewellery

collection escalated.

I keep catalogues and articles on jewellery, ceramics

and art. I also keep a ‘diary’ on the jewellery I buy, drawing

each piece with a note of its materials, and from where

and when it was purchased. Drawing makes me look

carefully at the piece as I have a fascination with how

things are made.The back of each object should be as

well made as the front. Equally, I am careful about how I

keep my jewellery and store it in handmade wooden

boxes. I do, however, always wear the jewellery.

I first encountered Guy’s work about sixteen years

ago at a gallery in Farnham, Surrey. For many years I had

known the work of his mentor, Breon O’Casey, and have

a small amount of his jewellery and paintings. It was about

this time that Breon had handed on the mantle of

jewellery making to Guy, who took this on and made it

his own. I instantly fell in love with Guy’s work, and over

the years I have bought an enormous amount from

various galleries. I have numerous silver necklaces and

bangles, silver brooches and rings with gold detail and a

vast amount of silver and stone earrings. His silver

brooches are like small paintings, either a geometric

design with gold detail, or with an applied gold Braque/

Picasso bird.There is also a Celtic symbolism about his

designs, and there seems to be tribal and African/Egyptian

influences too. His work would not look out of place

amongst the artefacts in the British Museum. His work is

timeless.

What I love about Guy’s work is the boldness and the

simplicity of his designs.Also, I like his generosity of

materials, especially his profligacy in the amount of silver

he uses. I really like the marks left by his hammer beating

of the silver, as I always want to see the hand of the

maker whether it be in jewellery or ceramics.

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His fastenings are also very

substantial and therefore secure.

A necklace or brooch would never

slip off, nor would an earring fall out.

His work is built to last, beautifully

crafted and made with love and

integrity.There is an honesty to it.

The stones he uses to highlight

his earrings and necklaces he cuts

himself in his studio, or as he would

rather call it, his workshop. He

leaves the stones unpolished and

uneven. My husband and I have

visited his studio a few times, and

we were fascinated by the lumps of

uncut lapis, turquoise and other

semi precious stones, sitting

alongside semi-finished pieces of

work.Works in progress, like large

formed sculptural silver beads in

various shapes and designs, festoon

the walls and surfaces. My husband

was impressed by the fact that he

makes a lot of his own tools and

equipment as well. It’s a magical

workshop in which raw materials

are transformed into beautiful

jewellery.

VivienWoodiwiss,August 2013.

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AN ARTIST’S VIEW

The sharply cut profiles of two birds; one in yellow and

one in red gold swoop across the tooled silver surface of

my Guy Royle brooch. It has a direct simplicity at once

modern and timeless – it could easily be an artefact

excavated from an ancient site.

A walk down a main street in Penzance with Guy gave

me an insight into how he sees the world around him.

The aged chevrons cut into the large granite paving

stones are boldly satisfying in texture and pattern. It is

these elemental marks in natural materials that appear

again and again at a smaller scale in Guy’s beaten silver, a

primitive energy and directness belies highly sophisticated

material sensibility.

Guy is deeply concerned with the textural qualities of

stone and metal: beach pebbles are gently shaped, silver

beads are punctuated with carnelian; nothing is too shiny

and proportion is everything – many blue stones are

enlivened by the intermittent lustre of gold.

Mark Herald, August 2013.

A CURATOR’S VIEW

When I took over the New Craftsman in 2008 I also

took on responsibility for its illustrious art and crafts

history, and Guy Royle was very much part of that.

Guy’s relationship with the gallery has been a long

one, and we are proud to continue to show his work. His

jewellery has a special quality, a real creative veracity and

precision of workmanship that is unmistakable. Every time

we receive new work, I am always astonished by the

weight and beauty of each piece.There is a special thrill

to displaying it in the gallery, and I love to see the reaction

it draws.

I own several of Guy’s pieces myself and take a real

pride in wearing them.They reflect my life – my love of

art and craft and my love of Cornwall. And perhaps that’s

what they mean to all of his devoted collectors.They are

pieces of art history in our hands.

Ylenia Haase, New Craftsman Gallery, August 2013.

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Published by New Craftsman Gallery, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 1HE

www.newcraftsmanstives.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by anymeans electrical, mechanical or otherwise, without the permissionof the copyright owners and the publishers.

Jewelly photography: Bob Berry.Portrait photography: Martin G Howse.Copyright ©2013 New Craftsman Gallery.

ISBN: 978-0-9926590-0-4