"Zoë Ellison was an inspirational teacher, but she was also exceptional in making sure her students had the social support they needed. To help me settle in, Zoe Ellison paired me up with the jeweller, Charmian Harris. Charmian also had links to Africa – her parents had worked in Nigeria and she had spent her early childhood there. We would go to pottery, jewellery and, printmaking classes together. We explored the Fitzwilliam, Kettle’s Yard and Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and went to clubs and African Society functions. After briefly working with clay at Farnham, Charmian focused on jewellery and continues to make three-dimensional, wearable pieces. She begins her design process by drawing and this reminds me of how important sketching was in our training in Cambridge, and how interested we were in recording the objects we saw. Her long practice, and my own, are also testament to the longevity of making."
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