MICHAEL McCRORY
SILVERSMITH
Since 1996 Michael McCrory has been producing silverware for commissions and exhibitions from his workshop in Hillsborough, Northern Ireland, having previously lectured in Silversmithing and Jewellery at the University of Ulster, Belfast. To McCrory, silverware has to be aesthetically pleasing, with a sculptured visual strength. His designs are founded on a balance of line, form and proportion, which harmonise with the detail in the tactile finished pieces.
Inspiration for his designs comes from observing natural and manmade objects and visiting museums and archaeological sites. He is particularly interested in the growth, surfaces and textures of plants and this has led to the development of his forms and surface decoration. This decoration with its different textured finishes has the added function of hiding fingerprints that would otherwise be visible on highly polished silver. Michael makes his silverware through a combination of hand raising and hydraulic pressing. His interest in exploring the opportunities offered by pressing was rewarded when, in 2002, he was awarded a Major Individual Award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland to research this technique. Since then he has successfully combined this technique together with traditional silversmithing skills to produce work that is much coveted by collectors.
McCrory exhibits internationally and his work can be found in many private and public collections, including the National Museum of Ireland; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK; the Ulster Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland; the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Belfast; the Lisburn Museum, Northern Ireland; Dublin Castle, Ireland and the University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland. In 2009 he was selected to join the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, London Who’s Who in Gold and Silver – the prestigious directory of leading designer jewellers and silversmiths working in the UK today.
Blessington Cottage
22 Ballynahinch Street
Hillsborough, Co. Down
Northern Ireland BT26 6AW
+44 (0) 48 9268 3014
michael@michaelmccrory.com
www.michaelmccrory.com
and through exhibitions nationally
and internationally.
Image 2: 3 Prickly Pear Boxes. Silver, Ebony. 6cm x 6cm x 3.5cm, 8cm x 8cm x 5cm and 10cm x 10cm x 6cm (H x W x D).