Rothlú
Rothlú

Designer: Rothlú

  • Jewellery
  • Mayo

Painterly contemporary jewellery, designed and hand-made by Frances McGonigle at her Ox Mountain Studio, County Mayo. "I hand-pattern remnant textile and scrap paper using batik and shibori techniques- this material forms the basis for my all my pieces"

Rothlú Gallery studio

About Rothlú

The Ox Mountains are pre-Ice Age and low lying, littered with neolithic tombs. When I'm not making jewellery I paint in this lovely landscape. My surroundings are full of textures and hues, and the colourful lightweight pieces I create are certainly inspired by all of these elements. I studied Fine Art: Painting at Crawford College of Art, Cork, and before that attended Grennan Mill Craft School in Kilkenny where I discovered batik and loved it. I've explored this discipline and other resist techniques ever since. In late 2017 I started experimenting with remnant un-dyed silk/cotton/linens and scrap paper, discovering in the process a way to indulge a love of resist patterning, and with a little innovation to transform this material into jewellery. The act of turning waste fabric into a beautiful wearable piece is a thrill.

Discover more about Rothlú

Rothlú jewellery is hand-patterned and dyed using batik, sgraffito and shibori processes. In short, these are resist techniques. "I generally work with batik (where wax is the resist) on cotton/linens/papers, and shibori (where clamping/folding/pleating is the resist) on silk. Tjanting tools are used to "draw" in wax, and sgraffito is the act of scratching into waxed cloth. These processes result in every piece of jewellery having its own unique mark-making. One thing is certain, these methods allow for types of dyeing that yield stunning colours: some intense and luminous, others softer and gentler- an ever evolving palette"