Spotlight On: Vanessa Ree
If you're a regular reader of our newsletter, you'll undoubtedly have noticed Vanessa's fabulous concept jewellery and her bold colourful images. We're excited to introduce the maker behind the work: Vanessa Murtagh - based in rural Co. Kildare, Ireland.
We're a little jealous of Vanessa's international upbringing, living in Italy as a youngster, and later travelling across Asia with her husband. After university she settled into a career in the creative communications industry, where she developed a strong affinity with concept driven design, but still missed that creative element in her work.
I think all creatives live with a certain level of restlessness that can only be stilled by finding their unique vehicle for self-expression and creativity. In Vanessa's case she found herself in jewellery and developed her flair for jewellery design at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, followed by training in smithing skills at the School of Jewellery, Dublin.
As she embraces her unique, concept first approach to jewellery design, Vanessa takes cues from modern day living, inherent emotions and her environment, and her contemporary design aesthetic is evident in her clean lines and geometrical shapes. That said, she keeps the wearer at the heart of her designs and the belief that style is a language without words is key to her thought process. Her pieces have meaning for the wearer and are designed to empower and celebrate their individual style with a bold statement.
Over the years my work has evolved. While I’m still focussed on evolving my original collections, I’ve also turned to more sculptural collections, more precious metals and introducing colour through unexpected gemstones. However, I consistently stay true to modern concept design, creating not seen before wearable pieces of fine jewellery underpinned by my love of manipulating metal into surprising forms of jewellery.
Vanessa feels a responsibility to ensure sustainability in creating her fine jewellery. One way she achieves this is by using recycled precious metals throughout her collections. She further reduces her carbon footprint by crafting her jewellery by hand in Ireland, using a combination of traditional goldsmithing skills and modern day product creation techniques.
Since launching her jewellery brand 'Vanessa Ree' in early 2020, her business has gone from strength to strength. Her work has been featured across Irish media from the Irish Times Magazine, to The Gloss and Irish Arts Review to name but a few. You may also have spotted her mentioned in Forbes. She continues to develop her profile both in Ireland and abroad, exhibiting at The Glucksman Gallery in Cork, DesignYard in Dublin, Sieraad Art Fair Amsterdam, and later this year in Jewellery Week Romania in Bucharest.
In addition to running her jewellery business Vanessa works tirelessly to promote Irish makers in the international arena. She is a staunch believer that the quality of Irish made and designed jewellery is of an international standard and should be appreciated as such. To this end she was instrumental in founding the Irish Jewellers and Silversmiths Guild and is a prominent member of the Guild executive. More recently she also lectures in the Business of Jewellery at the NCAD guiding students in the development of their professional practice.
"I love the quiet and clarity of the morning and I can get loads done. Immersed in my studio, surrounded by my tools and the colourful pictures we’ve collected on our travels, I always have music or podcasts playing to either help me concentrate and focus, get lost in the zone."
