Giorann Henshaw

From Gibraltar, Giorann Henshaw was accepted at 17 years old at the Royal Worcester Porcelain in the UK on a one-year foundation course

"I entered the school where I was taught to paint on china and porcelain, make moulds and sculpture. On completion, I was offered a place at the factory floor on the enameling section painting dinnerware, thimbles, children's birthday mugs and Dorothy Doughty Bird Plates. I stayed there for 4 years until I came back to Gibraltar having met my husband Steve there and had my first child.

After having my two other children I was offered to take part in the Marina Bay market organized by Patrick Francis from Biancas Restaurant. This was the start of a great creative adventure. There I met Lavinia Borda who has remained a friend for more than 20 years, Dee Andrew, Doris Gafan, Angelique Spiteri and Arnica Swift, we all made crafts and sold these every Saturday morning. I also met Sonia Golt who took over the running of the market from Patrick. We all had a great creative need to show our products and constantly keep making different things. These were good times, where we all learned to work with each other as a group."

Giorann Henshaw received her BA Honors in Fine Art and History of Art through the Open University. For 20 years she has taught children from ages 4+ to 17+ and adults to draw and paint. She organizes exhibitions to show their work every two years with the purpose of encouraging them to take pride in the hard work that they do.

"I teach them to observe the subject matter and to mix colours and interpret what they see on to the picture plane. In the summer I take the students outdoor painting which they love. We are outdoors painting at the Botanical gardens or the marinas or sometimes the beaches.

I paint the china and sell these at the Gibraltar Museum, the Heritage Trust shop and at cultural events."