Meet the maker: Sheila McDonald

Edinburgh-based Sheila McDonald is the latest member of our creative team to offer workshops at The Arienas Collective. I met Sheila for a quick chat to learn more about her day-to-day life as an artist.

Enameller and jeweller Sheila McDonald

Welcome to The Arienas Collective. How has your 2025 begun?

I have had a very busy January 2025 as I like to keep myself occupied at this time of year for personal reasons. The start of January found me travelling to West Dean, near Chichester to run a long weekend enamelling course for beginners/improvers. I have been a short course tutor at West Dean for more years than I care to remember; I always love meeting and working with the individuals on the course.

From West Dean I travelled to Buscot in Oxfordshire to run a masterclass with a group of students at Bishopsland Educational Trust. These students are at Bishopsland for a year of intensive workshop training in silversmithing and jewellery. This is a marvellous opportunity for post graduate students or anyone with a background in design/metalwork to expand their technical knowledge with intensive support and visiting specialists. I always learn as much from working with the students as they do.

My next visit in January was to Cardiff to set up an exhibition with Mandy Nash, a friend and jeweller who I met at the Royal College of Art over 40 years ago. The exhibition features our original College work and our latest collections and commissions. Our exhibition is currently running as the Makers’ Showcase, Craft in the Bay, Cardiff.

Apart from starting a series of enamelling workshops at The Arienas Collective, is there anything else new on the horizon for 2025?

Yes. I am now back in Edinburgh and facing my latest challenge: I have been asked to write a practical guide on ” Enamelling for Beginners”. This should be relatively straightforward, however I’m finding it more difficult than I imagined to impart my knowledge in an easily understood handbook. I think we always take our experience for granted.

How exciting! When is the book due to be published?

My deadline for the book is April 2025, and it will be published some time after that.

What’s next on the horizon after the April book deadline?

I’m looking forward to bringing my second enamelling workshop to The Arienas Collective in June: brooch making. And taking part in the first-ever Arienas Collective exhibition at SCOT-Art at the end of May. 

Enamelled copper brooch workshop

Our exhibition will showcase the challenges of earning a living as an artist, how easy do you find it to balance developing your creative practice and the practicalities of day-to-day life?

I have never been anything but self employed, and that has brought different challenges at different stages of my career. For example juggling my creative practice with paying the mortgage, family life, and so on. There’s always been an element of ‘spinning plates'. It feels like being in a small boat...as long as I can keep afloat.

What are your main sources of income?

I have 3 main sources of income: commissions, workshops and sales of stock I make. 

Does the pressure to make things to sell affect how you spend your time?

It’s really hard when you have to make a living. I have fallen into the trap of making things that I think people want to buy, but to keep me excited as a creative I have to make things purely because they interest me. As an artist money is not my motivation, and I feel fortunate to be able to have been able to keep myself afloat.

Do you have any tips to help artists struggling to find a workable balance between making art for love versus art they make to earn a living?

I think we need to make the most of opportunities that come our way, sometimes out of the blue - you never really know what these opportunities might bring. And to avoid only becoming a ‘people pleaser’: if you feel uncomfortable with a project, listen to your instincts.

I think of (running a workshop) as meditation with an end product.

It's clear that running workshops is an important element of your creative life, what makes it so special for you?

I enjoy teaching. It’s great to pass on the skills I’ve learned, and benefits of being creative. I think of it as meditation with an end product.

The wellbeing benefits of engaging in creative activity are fundamental to the aims and purpose of The Arienas Collective, so what a lovely thought to end on. Thank you.

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More information

Visit Sheila's website to find out more about her work and see examples of her fabulous enamelled pieces. You can also keep up-to-date with Sheila's life as an artist via her Instagram account @sheilamcdonaldjewellery.

Sheila is running her first Make silver earrings with transparent enamel workshop at The Arienas Collective on Sunday, 16 February 2025; and first Enamel brooch making workshop on 13 June 2025. Both are suitable for beginners.

If you are interested in attending the first Arienas Collective Exhibition being held in Scot-Art in Edinburgh in May, sign up to our newsletter for more information and to receive an invitation to our opening night on Friday, 23 May 2025.