Cara trained at Glasgow School of Art and the Royal College of Art, before establishing her own silversmithing practice in Northern Ireland creating silverware for both private and public commission. She has taught at Belfast School of Art and for Contemporary British Silversmiths, and her silver tableware is represented in many national and international collections. She has also won numerous awards for her work including the Royal Dublin Society Irish Craft Bursary 2021; the Rosy James Memorial Trust Award 2016; RDS Award of Excellence and California Gold Medal 2012.
QEST funding will enable Cara to study with three master craftspeople – Angus McFadyen, Malcolm Appleby and Jane Short – focusing on engraving techniques to enhance the organic patterns she creates on the surface of her silverware. She will also increase her knowledge of working with vitreous enamel to highlight the engraved patterns and allow her to produce larger scale pieces.
