Founded by artist and creator Marianne, Grey Clouds & Silver Linings is rooted in the belief that you can do anything

Meet Marianne, once a college illustration student who went on to become a graphic designer before developing her skills and branching out into the world of fine art, textiles crafting, metal clay, pottery, and photography, amongst other art forms, including the use of recycled materials. It was alongside her passion for animals that Marianne’s skills in fine art painting really took off, from personal interest to then painting for clients and in particular, pets.

While running primary school arts and crafts courses at several locations across the UK, Marianne was able to expand in her teaching and the use of different materials and techniques which helped inspire more diversification in her skill set.

Exploration into other mediums began to take off, ultimately leading towards a speciality in metal clay jewellery and to a Diploma in Art Silver Clay and PMC teaching certification which is now being delivered through her various workshops and courses.

Rising from the Ashes

The story behind the name

It wasn’t entirely plain sailing up to this point. In an incredibly traumatic event, Marianne lost her life’s artwork, and so much more, when her studio was burnt down. This was an extremely emotional time under such a ‘Grey Cloud’ with a huge amount of irreplaceable items. However, from this grew a new art studio which was quickly put to work with the growth of the skills that Marianne has today offering the ‘Silver Lining’ to this tragic ordeal.

Today, the art studio is busier than ever with workshops and classes going on every week and Marianne’s own creations being meticulously crafted on a daily basis. On top of that is her commitment to enhancing her skills further through higher levels of qualification and certification in metal clay jewellery.

Why Metal Clay?

An exciting medium to get creative with

Silver Clay is an amazing medium made from reclaimed powdered silver and an organic binder. It looks and acts like clay but when dried and fired, the binder is burned off and leaves behind the silver particles which bond together to create solid silver jewellery, which is able to be hallmarked. The true beauty of Silver Clay comes from the ability to shape and finesse it so finely and create the most spectacular pieces of art. You only have to take a look at our gallery to see the various ways that it can be manipulated to make exactly what you intend. This is what we want to teach you how to do.

There are several types of metal clay available these days from gold and silver to base metals such as copper and bronze to name a few. Most of the metal clays need to be fired in a kiln, either because they need higher temperatures or an oxygen free environment. Fine silver clay , which is 99.9% purity, can be fired at lower temperatures thereby allowing it to be used at home.

To find out more about this amazing medium and see how you can start making your own silver jewellery, go to the workshops page where there are various workshops from beginners to advanced, as well as certification programmes.

“This was the best workshop I’ve ever been on, not just because I was fascinated in how to make silver jewellery in this way but also because Marianne was so friendly, informative and passionate as she demonstrated her skills.”

— Ros, Beginners Silver Clay Workshop, Feb 2018