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Sheana Stephen

- BIOGRAPHY -

A graduate of Gray‘s School of Art, Aberdeen, Sheana Stephen lives and works in Edinburgh.

She is an artist jeweller working for exhibition and private commissions.

Silver, gold, pearls and semi-precious stones are used to create individual pieces of jewellery. Flowers and the garden, legends and the texture of the sea and shore inspire her work.

Sheana Stephen first exhibited at a festival exhibition in 1971. Since then, her exhibitions have included The Torrance Gallery, English Speaking Union, The Chessel Group, Edinburgh, The Gatehouse Gallery, Giffnock, The Kelly Gallery, Glasgow, The Green Gallery, Aberfoyle and the annual exhibitions of The Glasgow Society of Women Artists and Visual Arts Scotland (formerly Scottish Artists and Craftsmen) at the Royal Scottish Academy.

In 1991 she mounted an exhibition in Portugal. She has twice served as Vice President of the Scottish Society of Women Artists and has served as President of the Glasgow Society of Women Artists. She has also been chairman of the Friends of the Royal Scottish Academy and served on the committee of the Art Friends of St Columba’s Hospice.

Awards include 1990 Betty Davis Award for Jewellery, The Barclay Lennie Award in 1994 and the Blythwood Square Award in 1991 and 2001, 2014 The Louise Annand Award.

In 1992 she was commissioned to make a brooch for presentation to Her Majesty the Queen.

In 2005, she was commissioned by the Scottish Geological Society to design and make a piece of jewellery to launch The Geology Festival. The piece, in silver and set with Scottish stones, was auctioned to raise money for Maggie’s Centre.

In 2008, the Paisley Art Institute commissioned a silver Quaich and silver vase to be presented as annual prizes. In that year also, The Royal College of Physicians was the recipient of a silver cast of an eminent surgeon’s hand, commissioned by one of the college’s members.

She was part of an exhibition in The Millennium Gallery, Sheffield, ”Can Art Save Us?“ celebrating the Ruskin influence: through her connection with the Creswick workshop. October 2009-January 2010. Having studied textiles as well as jewellery at Art College, Sheana Stephen has designed and executed pulpit falls and banners for churches. These have included Christmas banners for St Giles’ Cathedral. With the Thistle Quilters, she completed four Easter Banners, which were hung in 2009 in St Giles Cathedral Edinburgh. New red silk banners were hung in November 2018 for the Chistmas Angels and in March 2019 the new "Road to the Cross" lenten banners will hang, again made with The Thistle quilters - lead by Georgina Chapman

They received a commendation in The Saltire Awards for Arts and Crafts in Architecture 2009. In 2013 new banners were commissioned to celebrate St Andrews Tide.

In May 2010, at the Aberdeen Word Fest, a new book of haiku poetry by Alan Spence “Morning Glory”, illustrated by Elizabeth Blackadder, was launched. To coincide with this a collection of the haiku inspired jewellery was exhibited by her, and is again presented at The Torrance Gallery Festival Exhibition 2010.

For the celebrations of Dame Elizabeth Blackadder`s 80th birthday, Sheana was asked to supply themed jewellery for the shop in the National Gallery and also for the Falkirk Callendar House exhibition.

Recent commissions include a silver salver as a prize for the R.G.I. schools art competition and a pectoral cross for the Bishop of Edinburgh.

2018 saw the 100th anniversary of a Woman's Suffarage. Celebrating her suffragette great aunt Jessie Stephen - a jewellery collection created and a banner stitched and carried in procession in June.

2019 saw a return to Sheffield - as part of the Benjamin Creswich Heritage. With Jewellery on display and giving jewllery demonstrations.

Travels continue to inspire the jewellery design.