My name is Claire Settle (clairesettledesigns.com) and I live in the foothills of The Mendips in Somerset, UK.  This is a very rural area, and I take my inspiration from the hills and woods around me.  In 2022 I applied to University College Weston to do an Art and Design degree and I was lucky enough to get a place. In the last two years I have learned many new techniques and met some wonderful people.

One of the mediums that I have started to work with is concrete.  Specifically, art cement called Ciment Fondue.  It is an excellent medium and it has taught me a great deal. (see images below of my bowls) and, in my third year, which I am about to embark on, I will certainly be using it again..  

Other mediums I work with are Glass and Silver, but not necessarily in that order.  I have been working with glass for a few years and have started to combine the glass with concrete which in my work which is an interesting partnership. 

My work with Silver has been an interesting and educational journey, I have since learned is a naturally antiseptic metal which is why sacred chalices are often made of it.  My love of trees and interest in silver joined paths and during a course on Metal clay with my good friend Jo Millar I discovered a totally new way of working with Silver. I embarked on this new path to create an art form with the combination of silver and leaves.

 Although leaves have been made out of silver before, I have not seen it done with silver clay.  I have spent two years experimenting with different processes and I've arrived at a technique I am happy with, however, I am still learning, but that is what makes life interesting.

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My silver leaf jewellery is unique as of course every leaf is different  Each leaf is an exact copy/impression of a real leaf and rare as it is the only one of its type in the world.  Using a painstaking process each leaf takes several weeks to make. Some leaves are easier to use than others as the structure will dictate whether the leaf can be used. When the finished leaf comes out of the kiln for the first time, I will know if it's been successful.  The failure rate can be high, but if care is taken when going through the first process then the leaf can be perfect.   

My glasswork has taken me in many directions, combining glass, concrete and different metals, like silver, copper or brass.  Some glass contains ingredients which are affected by metal.  It is called Glass Alchemy.  There are types of glass which contain sulphur and selenium as part of their make-up.  When silver is added in the form of silver leaf or silver wire, the effects are amazing. These pieces of glass can either be worn as jewellery or be mounted together in a picture frame.

I have been very lucky to have worked with some wonderful people, who have taught me various things, one of which is Cyanotype.  This process is a fascinating medium, coating paper with UV sensitive solution

and using transparencies of photos I have taken and allowing the sun to do the magic.