THE Court Cupboard Craft Gallery near Abergavenny is a creative haven for budding artists. Hannah Wood went to find out more.

BURIED within the picturesque setting of the Black Mountains in Monmouthshire, the Court Cupboard Craft Gallery in Llantilio Pertholey is an art gallery that also offers a variety of workshops to arty enthusiasts.

From sugar craft, to spinning, to basket making and painting, the Court Cupboard really does have something for everyone. I went along to try my hand at jewellery making, one of its most popular activities.

The gallery and craft centre house some of the best artistic work to come out of South Wales. The volunteers who work at the centre are trained to perfection in their craft and hold regular classes for members of the public.

Frances Lester is one of the in-house jewellers at the gallery. I spent the morning with her learning how to make silver earrings.

Mrs Lester, who has been a jeweller for many years, comes into the workshop equipped with tool box and soldering equipment. I am dubious as to how this is going to go, but after viewing her collection, I know I am in safe hands.

To start the process, Mrs Lester presents me with a piece of silver. I use a piercing saw to cut out the desired shape from the silver, which is attached to a clamp on the table.

“Cutting out the silver can be quite difficult as you have to hold the saw really tight and it can be tricky if you are making an intricate design,” explained Mrs Lester.

After this stage, jagged edges are usually left on the silver as a result of the saw. These are then rounded off using a file to create a smoother, neater finish. I then use a puncher hammer to flatten and thin the silver.

Mrs Lester then instructs me to use a doming block to push the silver into a rounded shape. Laying the silver out on the table, I press the doming block into it to create a deep curve. The earring is now beginning to take shape; we are aiming for an oval design.

We then begin to think about the decoration for the earring. Using a long sharp tool, which almost looks like a pencil, I scratch some decorative markings into the silver.

A tool called a dapping punch is then used to create any indentations into the silver, which helps finalise the design. The tool is long and thin with a very small circular edge to it. I nervously hold the hammer and slam down onto the silver to create little circular patterns.

“The decorative stage of jewellery making can take all day, depending on how much detail you want to put into it,” explains Mrs Lester.

The next stage of the process is to solder the silver wire to the back of the silver design created earlier in the process. I first cover the silver in a flux paste, which absorbs the oxygen and cleans the metal, making both sections easier to attach.

Using a hand torch, I then, with Mrs Lester’s assistance, solder the wire to the back of the silver design. This is done by holding the hand torch close to the wire until the flame melts the end down into the back of the earring.

After leaving it to cool for a few minutes, the earring is then cleaned with an acidic solution and is then ready to wear.

Mrs Lester said: “This was a fairly simple process but, for more complex designs, different colours, materials and patterns can be created.

“The jewellery sessions always prove to be very popular and I think people do enjoy creating detailed designs,” she said.

After the jewellery making session I went inside the Court Cupboard Gallery to find out what is involved in the day-to-day running of the centre.

Inside the gallery bespoke items including, paintings, cushions and of course jewellery are on sale. Twenty-four members of staff work on a rota, taking two days a month, to come to teach and man the desk inside the centre.

Chairman Stuart Neale explains how hard work and devotion has gone into creating a successful 20-year art business.

The Court Cupboard Gallery was opened by The Black Mountain Circle (BMC) in 1995 after substantial renovation work.

The membership for the gallery was created exclusively for members of BMC – a group of local artists and crafts people whose work demonstrates and represents the best in traditional skills and high-quality products within their chosen discipline.

Mr Neale said: “All the volunteers are very dedicated to this centre and take pride in the running and organisation of it.

“The workshops do prove to be very popular. Sugar craft, pottery and basket making are always well attended.

“The number of people attending a class will be dependent on the person taking it.

“We always want to give people the best experience possible and if there are too many then the quality of the class is affected.

“The money made from people attending the workshops is put straight back into the gallery, but here we are establishing high-quality work and our volunteers are responsible for producing excellent work that is showcased to the public, so it is all worth it.”

“The running of the gallery has to be very well organised and you do have to a have a love of what you are doing,” he said.

Mr Neale said that one of the main tasks involved in running the gallery is the organising of the exhibition wall, which houses a different artist every month.

The exhibition has previously included blacksmith Barrie Hartley and wildlife photographer Sue Green.

The exhibition wall displays a variety of the artists’ work and visitors to the gallery can choose their favourite piece and be entered into a raffle to win a range of prizes.

The Court Cupboard Gallery is currently devising its list of workshops for the New Year and details will be published online.