About the Artist
Dominic Walmsley was apprenticed in 1989 after serving under a traditional goldsmith/silversmith in Putney, London. He set up business in 1991, with a studio in London’s jewellery district, a stone’s throw from the Goldsmith’s Centre. I’d been frequenting the Goldsmith’s Centre (worth a visit!) to attend their superb workshops and exhibitions prior to opening my Gallery. This studio was where I first happened to see his jewellery collection inspired by mediaeval maps of the local district. I was preparing my inaugural exhibition, ‘Maps of the Imagination,’ so was delighted by this serendipitous find.
Dominic now has a shop and workshop in Sevenoaks, Kent. This is now the centre of their business. I took a print of Geddy’s mediaeval map of St Andrews to his Sevenoaks shop and met with Dominic. We spread the map out and identified an iconic image of St Andrews, little changed from mediaeval times to today! This is the area around the tower of St Salvator’s College, on North Street. St Salvator’s Chapel is one of St Andrews University’s two surviving mediaeval chapels (gently push the door to the chapel and have a look inside). Dominic was immediately enthusiastic about this special commission to produce the St Andrews collection. He explained how having control of the quality of their jewellery is very important to him – they make all of their jewellery in their own workshop. I was interested to learn about the complex processes involved. He was very generous with his time. It was fascinating and I was in complete awe of the knowledge, skill and experience involved. Things progressed from there – he and his team were consultative throughout the commissioning process. It was an absolute pleasure dealing with them. Dominic and his wife have since visited the gallery, when some fortunate visitors heard first-hand about his work. I’m just delighted with the resulting collection and with the global exclusivity granted to my Gallery. These are very special pieces indeed. I hope you like the collection too. Each piece would make an ideal graduation gift or memento of St Andrews to treasure for generations. -Beth Junor, Gallery Director
