Techniques in Focus: Hand Engraving with Anna Ólafsson, Mon 25 January 2027, 6pm–7.15pm, Pay what you can: £8 or £12,Online (UK)
The practices of drawing, printmaking, etching and hand engraving have been entwined for centuries. Join hand engraver Anna Ólafsson in this Techniques in Focus talk, held in collaboration with the Hand Engravers Association, as she traces the links between printmaking and precious metal engraving and introduces how they manifest in her practice.
Anna is interested in the historical connection between hand engraving and etching. In the Renaissance, artists largely did not distinguish between different art practices – as Anna puts it, ‘art forms were closer’. She believes that a broad creative education that includes technical skills training lets you turn your hand to anything and invent new possibilities.
With a background in printmaking, Anna uses whatever she can find to make an interesting mark in metal. She practises die sinking, working in layers much like a seal engraver, to understand the sculptural possibilities of a surface. Using electro-etching, she clears areas and makes different levels in the dies, before working over them with gravers to produce a variety of pictorial effects. It is an experimental process: for Anna, the point is to be creative and to make her own discoveries.
In the talk, Anna will introduce her engravings and the drawing practice that underpins them. She’ll also be on hand to answer questions about your own use of different techniques, from drawing and engraving to printmaking.
Image credit: [image title and photographer to be confirmed – photos by Kyle Howie, Nancy MacDonald or Anna Ólafsson]
Who is our speaker?
Anna Ólafsson MFA (DJCAD) is a British-Icelandic artist and designer based in the Scottish Borders. Working across drawing, painting, printmaking, etching and engraving, she makes artworks from metal, paper and light, inspired by the natural world.
She trained in metalwork and hand engraving with the celebrated engraver, designer, jeweller, goldsmith and silversmith Dr Malcolm Appleby MBE FRSE at his workshop in Grandtully, Highland Perthshire. Anna’s studies were generously supported by the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, the Hand Engravers Association and the Walter Craig Charitable Trust, Dundee.
In the summers of 2024, 2025 and 2026, Anna was awarded three one-month scholarships with renowned master silversmith and designer Rod Kelly to study the arts of chasing and silversmithing, supported by the South House Silver Workshop Trust.
Anna is currently an Artist in Residence on the prestigious Springboard Studios Programme, working from South Studio at the Hugo Burge Foundation, Greenlaw, Duns, in the Scottish Borders.
Anna was the 2025 winner of The Silver Society Prize and was highly commended in the ‘most beautifully crafted functional object’ category at the 2026 John Ruskin Prize.
Instagram: @anna_olafsson_engraver
About the Hand Engravers Association
The Hand Engravers Association of Great Britain is a charity dedicated to preserving and promoting the art of hand engraving. We bring together engravers, students and supporters to share knowledge, exchange ideas and celebrate excellence across the discipline. Through teaching and outreach, we encourage future engravers, deepen public appreciation of its artistry and heritage, and secure its place for generations to come.
Instagram: @handengravers
Do you record or broadcast your talks?
We run our events in person at the Goldsmiths’ Centre and online, so that as many of our community as possible can exchange ideas, learn from industry experts and form valuable connections across the UK. We do not record these events, or broadcast them, to encourage the open sharing of ideas and experiences and preserve confidentiality. Popular topics will be repeated over time.
What are Techniques in Focus talks?
Techniques in Focus talks are a series of events that delve into specific jewellery-making techniques, offering insights into their history, application and relevance in contemporary practice. These Goldsmiths’ Centre talks are designed for jewellers, silversmiths and enthusiasts keen on deepening their technical knowledge and appreciation of the craft.
Do you have any access requirements?
We are committed to making our training programmes and events as inclusive and accessible as possible. If you have any access requirements, please inform us as early as possible and we will do our utmost to make reasonable adjustments. While we will do our best to accommodate your needs, advance notice is essential to ensure we can provide appropriate support.
To discuss your requirements when booking tickets for our Goldsmiths’ Centre training programmes, please contact us at boxoffice@goldsmiths-centre.org.
Ticket options
The practices of drawing, printmaking, etching and hand engraving have been entwined for centuries. Join hand engraver Anna Ólafsson in this Techniques in Focus talk, held in collaboration with the Hand Engravers Association, as she traces the links between printmaking and precious metal engraving and introduces how they manifest in her practice.
Anna is interested in the historical connection between hand engraving and etching. In the Renaissance, artists largely did not distinguish between different art practices – as Anna puts it, ‘art forms were closer’. She believes that a broad creative education that includes technical skills training lets you turn your hand to anything and invent new possibilities.
With a background in printmaking, Anna uses whatever she can find to make an interesting mark in metal. She practises die sinking, working in layers much like a seal engraver, to understand the sculptural possibilities of a surface. Using electro-etching, she clears areas and makes different levels in the dies, before working over them with gravers to produce a variety of pictorial effects. It is an experimental process: for Anna, the point is to be creative and to make her own discoveries.
In the talk, Anna will introduce her engravings and the drawing practice that underpins them. She’ll also be on hand to answer questions about your own use of different techniques, from drawing and engraving to printmaking.
Image credit: [image title and photographer to be confirmed – photos by Kyle Howie, Nancy MacDonald or Anna Ólafsson]
Who is our speaker?
Anna Ólafsson MFA (DJCAD) is a British-Icelandic artist and designer based in the Scottish Borders. Working across drawing, painting, printmaking, etching and engraving, she makes artworks from metal, paper and light, inspired by the natural world.
She trained in metalwork and hand engraving with the celebrated engraver, designer, jeweller, goldsmith and silversmith Dr Malcolm Appleby MBE FRSE at his workshop in Grandtully, Highland Perthshire. Anna’s studies were generously supported by the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, the Hand Engravers Association and the Walter Craig Charitable Trust, Dundee.
In the summers of 2024, 2025 and 2026, Anna was awarded three one-month scholarships with renowned master silversmith and designer Rod Kelly to study the arts of chasing and silversmithing, supported by the South House Silver Workshop Trust.
Anna is currently an Artist in Residence on the prestigious Springboard Studios Programme, working from South Studio at the Hugo Burge Foundation, Greenlaw, Duns, in the Scottish Borders.
Anna was the 2025 winner of The Silver Society Prize and was highly commended in the ‘most beautifully crafted functional object’ category at the 2026 John Ruskin Prize.
Instagram: @anna_olafsson_engraver
About the Hand Engravers Association
The Hand Engravers Association of Great Britain is a charity dedicated to preserving and promoting the art of hand engraving. We bring together engravers, students and supporters to share knowledge, exchange ideas and celebrate excellence across the discipline. Through teaching and outreach, we encourage future engravers, deepen public appreciation of its artistry and heritage, and secure its place for generations to come.
Instagram: @handengravers
Do you record or broadcast your talks?
We run our events in person at the Goldsmiths’ Centre and online, so that as many of our community as possible can exchange ideas, learn from industry experts and form valuable connections across the UK. We do not record these events, or broadcast them, to encourage the open sharing of ideas and experiences and preserve confidentiality. Popular topics will be repeated over time.
What are Techniques in Focus talks?
Techniques in Focus talks are a series of events that delve into specific jewellery-making techniques, offering insights into their history, application and relevance in contemporary practice. These Goldsmiths’ Centre talks are designed for jewellers, silversmiths and enthusiasts keen on deepening their technical knowledge and appreciation of the craft.
Do you have any access requirements?
We are committed to making our training programmes and events as inclusive and accessible as possible. If you have any access requirements, please inform us as early as possible and we will do our utmost to make reasonable adjustments. While we will do our best to accommodate your needs, advance notice is essential to ensure we can provide appropriate support.
To discuss your requirements when booking tickets for our Goldsmiths’ Centre training programmes, please contact us at boxoffice@goldsmiths-centre.org.
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