ArtShades

Designer Maker Craft Market - Great Malvern 20 November 2016

I've been invited back to the beautiful Elmslie House to join 18 other designer makers on Sunday 20 November for its last Craft Market of the year.  Have a look at Elmslie's website for details of all the artists taking part, including embroiderer Sue Bibby, artists Jennifer Chance and Hilary Salmon, jewellers Sian Hughes, Helen London and Sue Trindle, porcelain vessels by Louise Hall and Jewels Williams and wood art by Sarah Pinnell and Jill Pargeter. The venue is at 8 Avenue Road, Malvern WR14 3AG and parking is plentiful nearby.  Anna's tea and cake is second to none!

One day event in Great Malvern - 21 November

I've been invited to take part in an inaugural designer craft event at a newly renovated venue in Malvern. Taking place on Saturday 21 November from 11am until 5pm at Elmslie House on Avenue Road (just up from Great Malvern station), it's the perfect venue for a spot of Christmas shopping.

I'll be joining other local designer makers Sue Bibby (embroidery), Guy Butcher (furniture), Sharon Curtis (printmaker & hand-cut paper), Ruth Green (screen prints, gifts) Emma Hardicker (limited edition prints, fabric), Sarah Pinnell (fretwork), Geraldine Poole (textile artist), Josie Seymour-Jones (ceramics), Julia Smith (jewellery) and Rae Stevens (art & illustration).  What a lot of talent!

Tea, coffee, home-made cakes and seasonal goodies available throughout the day. 

Hope to see you there.

Au Revoir Paris map shade

Anyone who knows me (and plenty more who don't) will be aware of my ongoing search for a vintage map of Paris to fulfill a special commission.  After months of searching old book and map shops, charity shops and the internet I came up with a beauty!  Unfortunately it was so lovely and so old I couldn't bring myself to cut into it to make a lampshade (instead it will be framed and hung on my wall).

  

So the search began again and I am relieved to report that last weekend I made the winning bid on eBay for a later edition, less valuable, but just as charming, city map.

 

The wedding is tomorrow afternoon and the lamp will be winging its way to Kent overnight to be delivered to the bride's house in the morning.

 

Talk about cutting it fine!

Showing at Forge Mill Needle Museum, Redditch 20 March - 25 April

Over the next month The Forge Mill Needle Museum, situated in a haven of calm on the outskirts of Redditch, plays host to an exhibition of work by members of the Worcestershire Guild of Designer Craftsmen.

 

We set up our work on the middle floor of the original Mill building against a backdrop of oak beams and red brick.  I noticed the National Needle Museum was opened by Her Majesty the Queen in 1983 and the Mill building has housed needle-makers for 250 years.

 

The museum tells the story of needle making in Victorian times and shows how Redditch came to dominate the world needle trade, at one time making 90% of the world's needles!  You can buy needles (some of which are still made locally) from the shop in person, by mail order or phone.

The Guild's newest guest member is jewellery designer and silversmith Becca Williams, who I am delighted to see also writes a blog.  Her work is beautiful - do have a look and see what she had to say about us when setting up the show. 

See the exhibition at:

Forge Mill Needle Museum & Bordesley Abbey Visitor Centre, Needle Mill Lane, Riverside, Redditch
B98 8HY.

April opening times are Monday to Friday 11am to 4.30pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 4pm

Three Takes .... on a Gothic arch

Yesterday's day out has inspired this week's quick creative experiment.  I couldn't get those Gothic arches out of my mind and felt the need to do something with the shape.

I wanted to capture the 3D aspect of the arch itself,

so I printed out the photo, cut away the arch, tucked it underneath the page in my pad and used a wax crayon to take a rubbing.

This formed the outline I needed for my layered, stitched and cut paper piece.  I like the simplicity of the lines and the monochrome colourway,

but could see it working in other colours for lampshade designs, so had a little play with the colour balance tool in Photoshop.

 

If I scaled the width of the arches to fit the diameter it would make an interesting continuous design for a straight-sided drum shade.  What do you think?

(To see my other quick creative experiments in the 'Three Takes ....' series click on the link in the sidebar under Categories).