TUTORS

The school is led by Jo Pudelko who is an experienced tutor and jewellery lecturer who also runs a successful jewellery business.

Our weekly jewellery classes are facilitated by our loyal crew of professional jewellers, find details of the full lineup below. Our tutors are carefully selected not just for their talent in the field of jewellery making, but for their open and friendly approach to teaching the CSSJ way. Our regular lineup is complimented by visiting tutors who deliver masterclasses in their own specialist fields. See our weekend workshops page for upcoming classes.

Jo Pudelko, Jewellery Tutor

JO PUDELKO

The school was founded by Jo Pudelko, a polymath of the jewellery world who has taught with Edinburgh College of Art, DJCAD, Leith School of Art and more. She is passionate about creative learning for all and is continually adding her already vast repertoire of techniques to pass on to the students.

Jo’s work consists of mixed-media jewellery and small-scale sculptural objects. She specialises in casting techniques and often utilises found objects in her practice. Her jewellery has been exhibited in the UK, Europe, America, and China, and can currently be found at the Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh.

‘My work explores a continued fascination of how we interact with the environment around us – particularly examining the space where the natural world and the manmade world collide. Casting from household objects I try to highlight connections between our more intimate concept of ‘home’ and the greater responsibility to the planet we live on.’

Ailsa Ritchie, Jewellery Tutor

AILSA RITCHIE

Ailsa Ritchie graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 2013 and now works from her studio in the beautiful Briggait building in Glasgow. Most of the time you can find her huddled over her workbench, working on bespoke jewellery in recycled precious metals and stones. She has created everything from classic gold wedding bands and diamond engagement rings to silver grasshopper brooches.
Ailsa’s fascination with insects started at a young age and continues to influence her work. Her degree show collection featured a series of enamelled pieces inspired by beetles, exploiting their seemingly endless variations to create mesmerising repeat patterns. All of her designs start on paper and she explores different methods of turning her loose drawing style into tactile jewellery pieces; such as etching and combining traditional powder enamels alongside industrial enamel techniques to enable her to draw directly onto the metal.
Ailsa has been teaching at Central Scotland School of Jewellery since 2019.
Nicola Fabian, Jewellery Tutor

SHIRLEY WARNOCK-LOWE

Currently based in Central Scotland she splits her time between her own practice and tutoring at CSSJ and other venues.

The environment we live in is reflected in her work and she uses reclaimed, repurposed, or recycled materials, as the jewellery industry tends to rely on natural resources most commonly retrieved from the earth, she has set out to produce ethically sound and aesthetically pleasing pieces using traditional techniques, while reducing or replacing any toxic or harmful chemicals used in the process.

Shirley is keen to engage with fellow jewellers about forging a more ethical jewellery industry.

Nicola Fabian, Jewellery Tutor

STEPHANIE COLVAN

Stephanie is one of CSSJ’s success stories. Having been a loyal student for some years Stephanie has refined her skills, developed her designs, and has gone on to found her own jewellery business, Happy Callie Designs. She has developed a bold, minimal geometric style using many of the skills taught here at CSSJ, and we’re delighted to have her here with us to pass on what she has learned.

Nicola Fabian, Jewellery Tutor

TRISHA SMITH

Trisha started her jewellery journey here with its as a student five years ago when the school was first founded, and has been a regular fixture ever since. Through a combination of weekly classes and masterclasses Trisha has build both her making skills and her own distinctive  voice in her jewellery collections as White Loch Jewellery

Trisha has built a harmonious pallet  by amalgamating a spectrum of foraged sea glass with colourful enamels. Her focus on eco friendly and found materials is echoed by the natural textures and forms of her seasonally inspired jewellery.

 

Nicola Fabian, Jewellery Tutor

IEVA JANKOVSKA

Ieva Jankovska is a Latvian jewellery designer and maker currently based in Dundee. The duality of her identity is evident throughout her designs that merge traditional silversmithing techniques with modern technologies, like 3D printing and enamelling; contrasting natural forms with stark, geometric shapes and enhancing minimal aesthetic with fine details. As the visual inspiration in Ieva’s work is mostly derived from nature, time spent indoors observing the world through windows has prompted her to use architectural elements, such as rigid frames, straight lines and flat planes.

 

SUPPORT STAFF

Jo Pudelko, Jewellery Tutor

NATALIE MCILROY

Natalie works with us part time alongside her own creative practise as a site specific artist and curator. She provides administration support to the school and is our friendly first point of contact for all your enquiries.

Natalie recently relocated to Dunblane from  The Hague, Netherlands, where she was the curator of Morimaru, North Sea Thinkers, an interdisciplinary platform for artists, historians and scientists to share their knowledge of the North Sea.. With a degree from the Environmental Art Course at Glasgow School of Art and a Masters with Distinction from Chelsea College of Art and Design in London, Natalie’s practice is site specific and installation based.

Jo Pudelko, Jewellery Tutor

REBECCA WILSON

Rebecca started out working in ceramics, and over the years her practise has evolved through sculptural works, lighting and homewares, and now to jewellery. Her delectable jewellery collections in pastel porcelain and silver aim to transport you back to the retro sweets of your childhood. Statement pieces and everyday wearables combine silver and semi-precious stones with softly tinted ceramics, made for the individual who wants to indulge their inner child, while adulting in the real world.

Rebecca oversees our social media and marketing and provides technical support in the workshop. She also runs our sister school in Dunblane, the Central Scotland School of Craft.

“Fantastic school, course and tutor”

“Creative, fun – lovely people!”

“As Arnold said, I’ll be back!”

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