Allyson Simmie

Allyson Simmie grew up in Halifax and graduated from NSCAD University ( BFA Jewellery) in 1989. In 1994 she began teaching jewellery–making at Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit. For half a decade Allyson traveled widely in Canada’s Arctic giving workshops, establishing jewellery studios, teaching, and encouraging others to pursue a career in the arts.  There she created her Arctic Landscapes series that combines precious metals with stone from Canada’s Arctic. She is proud to have participated in the creation of the Northwest Territory Mace and the Official Symbols of Nunavut.

In 2000, Allyson moved back to Nova Scotia and began work on Seal Rock Studios where she works as a professional artist who continues to explore the Canadian and Arctic landscapes.

The reward is in the act of observing. Stone colours, textures, the shape of leaves, the ebb and flow of the sea, the changing seasons - all of these things continue to inspire my work. A gesture of thanks and appreciation. At first it was a technical challenge - to really learn to see the natural world and to develop techniques to capture a sense of it in metal. But as time has passed I am now realizing another purpose: Connection. People connecting to place, places connecting to each other and our shared connection to the world around us.