Frances Noon is a jeweller and mixed media sculptor based in West Yorkshire. Originally working as a Fine Art Printmaker, she has exhibited her prints and handmade books in many galleries around Yorkshire. She has also worked as an artist in the community and taught printmaking and illustration at FE level. She started making jewellery over twenty years ago and this, as well as her sculptural pieces, is now the main focus of her work.
She uses silver to make her jewellery; manipulating the shapes, snipped and sawn from sheet metal, decorating the surface with punches, hammers and files. Much of the silver work is oxidised, then rubbed down in order to bring out the surface marks, in a similar way a printing plate is prepared with ink before going through the press. She has explored a number of different themes and currently garden birds play a big part in her collection. Her work is predominantly figurative and she gets her inspiration from observing and drawing in her garden. Each piece becomes quite individual and the birds take on their own personality and expression.
Her sculptural pieces she sees as an extension and combination of her jewellery and print techniques. She also likes to experiment with scale so her birds and gulls are larger than the boat or tree they occupy. Most of her sculptures have integral wooden parts, especially the boats and trees. She spends an equal amount of time sawing and sanding the wooden shapes then applying layer upon layer of paint to build up the coloured surface, then finally sanding it so it looks aged and worn. She hand textures the metal using a rolling mill and hammer. Like the jewellery, each piece is made by hand and has individual decoration and personality.
A selection of Frances Noon's jewellery and sculptural pieces are on show in the craft cabinet at Bonhoga Gallery.
