Marlene McKibbin studied at Ulster College of Art in Belfast and undertook postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Art in London. As a student she quickly lost interest in metal and turned plastics as the range of technical experimentation these had to offer held more appeal. At the Royal College of Art she worked in the Product Design School with vacuum-forming machinery and other industrial equipment, using neoprene, rubber, acrylic and similar materials. Her work in the Collection uses moulded clear acrylic, dyed and polished, sometimes combined with silver. The shapes are formed by heating the plastic and bending it to shape before colouring with dyes which remain impregnated in the surface. Pieces are lathe-turned, and then polished in a tumbler, or left matt. Elements are combined with pre-fabricated metal fittings, sometimes including special objects such as the long necklace.

All that glisters: New Jewellery in Britain, The British Council 1992

http://www.marlenemckibbin.co.uk/

Glossary

  • Acrylic

    Modern synthetic paint that combines some of the properties of oils and watercolour. Most are water-based, although some are oil compatible, using turpentine as a thinner. When it became available to artists in America around 1936 it was the first new painting medium in centuries and has become a serious rival to oil paint because of its versatility. Acrylic paints can be used on nearly any surface. The water-based nature of acrylic paint allows for easy application and rapid drying time: acrylic paint dries in a matter of minutes, as opposed to the many months required for oil-based paints. Once the paint has been applied to a surface, the water evaporates, leaving behind the synthetic resin (and pigment), which is no longer water-soluble. Visually, acrylic-based paints can appear to be very similar to oil-based paints, but they cannot rival the rich, translucent nature of oils.

  • Design

    The arrangement of elements or details in an artefact or a work of art.

  • Metal

    Metal is a medium frequently used by artists to make art works - from sculpture to printmaking. Surfaces can display an array of colours and textures, and are capable of being polished to a high gloss; metal can be melted, cast, or fused, hammered into thin sheets, or drawn into wire.