Michael McCrory

Blessington Cottage
22 Ballynahinch Street
Hillsborough
County Down
N. Ireland

BT26 6AW

Work: 028 92683014

Fax:

http://www.michaelmccrory.com

Silverware to me has to be aesthetically pleasing, with a sculptural visual strength. My designs are founded on a balance of line, form and proportion, which harmonize with the detail in the tactile finished pieces. I have developed an interest in deep drawing and press forming silver and CAD to bring the traditional craft to a new level. The press can be used to make objects that would be difficult to make by hand.

However, it is no substitute for traditional silversmithing techniques, which I use in combination with the new technology. The computer has revolutionised how I work. I can use the drawings that I construct on the computer to create the forms, although there are elements that have to be done by hand and eye.

The inspiration, for my designs come from looking and seeing natural and manmade objects, visiting museums and archaeology sites. I am particularly interested in the growth, surfaces and textures of plants and this has led to the development of forms and the “prickly pear” surface decoration, which I have used in my latest work. The ‘prickly pear’ decoration, with it textured finish, also has an added function in that it hides fingerprints, which would be visible on highly polished silver.

Price Guide

Silver commissions from £200 to £20000

Specialist Techniques

1) All traditional silversmithing techniques
2) Deep Drawing
3) Fabrication
4) Forging
5) Press Forming
6) Raising

Training College

1970 FTC
1967 Postgraduate (Sir John Cass)
1965 NDD (Belfast College of Art)

Exhibitions

2009 Silver with a Pinch of Salt, Goldsmiths' Hall, London, England
2008 Portfolio, Bluecoat Display Centre, Liverpool
2008 You'll Never Walk Alone, National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, Ireland
2007 Method in the Making, OBG, Belfast, N.Ireland
2007 Method in the Making, Millennium Courts Arts Centre, Portadown, N.Ireland
2007 "Made in Northern Ireland: A Dynamic of Change", The S. Dillon Ripley Centre, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA
2006 "Silver Connections", a Crafts Council of Ireland touring exhibition, Island Arts Centre, Lisburn, N.Ireland, Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart, N.Ireland and the NCG, Kilkenny, Ireland.
2005 "The Art of Dining", Ireland Fund of Japan, Toyko, Japan
1999 "Cutlery", Goldsmiths' Hall, London, England
1998 "Silver and Tea", Goldsmiths' Hall, London, England

Publications

- Irish Arts Review, "Irish Craft 2007"
- Irish Arts Review, Spring 2007, "Michael McCrory Prizing Craft"
- The Royal Society of Ulster Architects, Perspectives 2007, "About: Michael McCrory"
- Crafts Council of Ireland, "Silver Connections"
- Irish Arts Review, Autumn 2006, "Silver Connections"
- Irish Arts Review, Summer 2006, "Design Portfolio - Family Connections"
- Northern Ireland Homes and Lifestyle, Nov 2006, "Home Truths"
- "Contemporary Silver", Merrell Publishers Limited, 2000, Michael McCrory silver cake slice/lifter, P.68

Public Collections

1) National Museum of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
2) Arts Council of N.Ireland
3) Cake Slice/Lifter, Prof Rabinovitch, V & A Museum, London, England
4) British-Irish intergovernmental Council, N.Ireland
5) Ulster Museum, N.Ireland
6) Lisburn Museum, N. Ireland
7) University of Ulster 'Mace'
8) University of Ulster 'Staves'
9) Parish of Limavady Ciborium
10) Presidential Heraldic Shield for President Mary Robinson displayed in Dublin Castle

Awards

2008 Support for the individual Artist Programme, Arts Council of N.Ireland
2005 Support for the individual Artist Programme, Arts Council of N.Ireland
2002 Major Award, Arts Council of N. Ireland
2000 Visual and Creative Arts Award, Arts Council of N.Ireland