NEW STOCKISTS, EXHIBITIONS AND EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES

So I haven't wrote for a while, and I've been busy preparing work for a very busy last 6 months of this current year, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

I've been working on new pieces for various shows, including new cards with my own original designs that have been selling very well. Here are some of the designs, they are £2.20 each and are blank on the inside for your own message. The cards are made on high quality paper that makes for a long lasting beautiful finish.

I have also been working on some new ceramic pieces that have a gold lustred addition. I have struggled previously as lustre is so difficult to get right, as there are so many things that can go wrong. I used to paint it on too thick then too thin, but I think I have managed to get the application just right as the gold is beautiful!

While working on new cards, and a new collection of gold lustred ceramics I have also been changing my display of jewellery, so they are now in neat little boxes, which are easy to post, and are a bit safer with regards to the ceramic cracking or breaking in transit.

 

From my previous post, I have finally managed to cast the wall piece that I've been working on. I've really struggled with the making of the mould, as the piece is a flat two part mould, the air bubbles would get stuck in between the two parts. I spoke to a friend, and he suggested press molding the piece, as the piece would be against the wall, the rough part would not show anyway. I tried this, and so far they seem to be working! Yay! Here's a picture of the work.

The only thing is, I have made them too big to fit in my kiln in the studio, so I will have to try and get them fired elsewhere. Let's hope that I will manage to fire them, as I feel it's a different avenue to venture into.

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 In August I took part in the Cornwall Design Fair in Penzance. It was a great fair with many incredible makers and I had the opportunity to get to know makers from the South West that worked in Glass and Precious Metals. 

I have just returned from the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair in Manchester over the weekend, and what a great fair it was! I loved meeting new makers and talking about my work. I had a bit of a struggle getting up to Manchester due to an accident and didn't arrive until 5.55pm and the opening was at 6! I managed to set up quickly and the rest of the Fair went well with no problems. Here's an image of my stand at the Great Northern.

I also took part in a Fair in London called Ceramics in the City in the Geffrye Museum in Hoxton. It was great to exhibit along side many artists that I researched at university.

There was a lot of interest in my work from various galleries, and I have just started stocking with a boutique in London called Bermondsey Fayre that is close to the Textile and Fashion museum and the White Cube gallery. Here they are at the Boutique:

I am also taking work up to Caernarfon in North Wales for an exhibition over the Christmas period in Y Galeri.

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I'm currently running a challenge on Instagram to sketch every day for 100 days. I'm really enjoying the challenge and feel as if it benefits my practice and the interest in my work is increasing. Here are a few examples of the 3-5 minute sketches.

I've been selling my work at the Parliment House in Machynlleth, and their new coffee and gift shop 'Siop Alys' with new personalized Sterling Silver and Porcelain jewellery. These are also some new jewellery pieces that I have been working on, they are made from a silicon mold then high fired to 1280 degrees celcius.

During the next few weeks I will be exhibiting work at Made by Hand, City Hall, Cardiff from the 31st of October - 2nd of November, then I will be travelling to Leicester to exhibit at the UK Young Artist Award for the next weekend, the Friday the 7th of November - 9th of November. Then exhibiting at the Hereford Contemporary Craft Fair from the 14th- 16th of November, so it's going to be a busy few weeks before taking part in the Cardiff Arts Collective Christmas Fairs in December. 

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My work has gone through a selection process to be selected by The Makers Guild in Wales, and I'm chuffed to say that my work will feature in Craft in the Bay from the 28th of November!! I can't wait to be featured at the Members Showcase for two months from December to January!

Pictures to come! 

New stockists and beautiful images of my jewellery!

Hello Blog Readers!

I understand it's been a while since I last updated my blog about my work. I've been in the shed almost continuously making new pieces and producing more from previous molds. I have been arranging stockists around the UK which now includes:

• Cloud 8 Gallery, Bacup, Lancashire.
• Siop Alys, Machynlleth.

This next week I will be preparing for a festival in Cardiff that I'm taking part in. I have a stand at Tafwyl, the annual Welsh Festival of Cardiff that is a free event to encourage the speaking of Welsh that will be held in Cardiff Castle on Saturday, the 12th of July. There are events on all day, music, games for children and my stall will be there too! 

www.tafwyl.org/en/

I have been in touch with Cloud 9 Gallery in Bacup, Lancashire and they have started to stock both my ceramics and jewellery. If you are in the area then go and visit, it's a lovely new gallery with hand-made and crafted produce!

Here are some images of my work that is showing in Machynlleth Parliment House over the summer. I hope that my work will then move to Siop Alys, which is the shop just next door to the Parliment House long-term with other makers and designers based in Wales.

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I visited Collect 2014 about a month ago, here are some images from the Fair. There were some amazing pieces from various galleries, such as Bodil Manz, Elizabeth Fritz and Michael Eden pieces, it was great inspiration for me to continue my work in Cardiff.

These two examples of work both had similar concepts to my practise, that of breaking up and re-building ceramics creating new pieces from traditional inspirational methods and processes.

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I also visited the last year of Degree Show work at Howard Gardens, Cardiff. It was a brilliant show with some amazing pieces. The sculpture area had some amazing installations and the ceramics was also incredible.

This was an installation using acetate and film like materials to make floating shapes that were then reflected onto the walls using a projector. The way they moved in the space was incredible.

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I thought I'd give you a small insight into how my pieces look just out of the mold, and how much fettling is needed for all my pieces due to the complicated form of the work. I have also included a video of my making for you bloggers to see!

 

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I also wanted to show you my lucky streak in finding these beautiful two items in a skip near my home in Machynlleth. This mahogany veneered antique cabinet is a beautiful way to display my work, and compliments the pieces very well. I am to use it for my various craft fairs this year as a part of my stall to show my work. I also came across this lovely mirror in the skip that I will use for displaying jewellery for the fairs.

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Lastly, here is one of my exciting new wall pieces that I have been working on for a possible solo exhibition next year. I hope to cast these in plaster and including images of my work as transfers on the flat middle part. I love how the small handles and additions from previous ceramics flow into a frame-like shape around the centre part.

New opportunities and exciting news!

New opportunities and Craft Fairs!

I've been busy these past few weeks working on applications for many different fairs around the UK. I can now reveal that I have been selected for :

• Tafwyl Welsh Festival, 12th of July 

www.tafwyl.org/

• The Cornwall Design Fair in Penzance between the 15-17th August.

www.cornwalldesignfair.co.uk/

• Made by Hand, City Hall Cardiff. 31st of October until the 2nd of November. 

http://madebyhand-wales.co.uk/

• Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair, Manchester 9th - 12th of October.  

www.greatnorthernevents.co.uk

• Hereford Contemporary Craft Fair, Hereford November 14th - 16th!

http://www.brightstripe.co.uk/services/herefordshire-contemporary-craft-fair/

• Ceramics in the City 2014, Geffrye Museum in London - 18th September - 21st September.

http://www.geffrye-museum.org.uk/whatson/future/

I'm so excited for all of these various fairs and am looking forward to selling my work around the UK. I am hoping to create new work for these fairs, working on a more functional mug type in the same style as previous work and also continuing with my terracotta work as a contrast to the other white pieces. I've also been shortlisted for the Young Artist Award at the National Eisteddfod so I'm waiting to hear back.

                                        

New ideas and presentation of my work

I also hope to change my stall compared to my last fair in Bovey Tracey. I want the work on portraying the old fashioned Victorian era from which the inspiration to the work is based. I have a design that I would like to work on, but I'm not sure if the changes will compliment my work. 

This is the presentation I have been working on for my work. 

These are the Flower Vase that I previously showed on the last blog but was only the master copy. Since then I have cast roughly 15 of the white pieces, and only 1 of the terracotta due to problems with the mold. I am now on my third attempt at a 6 part mold which has been quite frustrating but I have learnt a lot during the process of casting a piece so big. Due to the colour of the terracotta I would not be able to cast any more white pieces without the staining of the plaster coming through to the pieces this is why I have continued to make a new mold of the same piece. I hope that the final mold of this piece will be completed without any more issues!

                 

Visiting Galleries around Europe

So in February I visited Barcelona where I went to many different galleries and museums including The Picasso Museum, The Miro Museum,

Museu d'Historia de Catalunya and the MACBA Museum of Modern Art. It was a great holiday and I enjoyed sketching the architecture and art works of other artists that have inspired me through my university years and throughout my life.

So it sounds as if I've been jet-setting all over Europe but I have also just come back from Perpignan with my family over the Easter break. I was desperate to visit the Salvador Dali Museum as I'd been there as a child but didn't remember much so it was great to re-visit.

A view on the way to Collioure along the coast. 

          

Card Making and Designs

Here are some designs I have been working on for Gift / Birthday Cards. I ordered them originally as a nice touch for my family but once they had seen them they wanted to buy some packs from me! I have been sketching for most of my life so it's such a compliment that people would like to buy these drawings on cards. I would like to think that when I am to show my work at various Craft Fairs that these cards can be a gift of a lower cost. I would love to sell them in various welsh gift shops in and around Wales. 

                       

Some more opportunities:

I've been asked again this year if my work would like to appear on the S4C programme 'Cegin Bryn' (Bryn's Kitchen) for the next series. This is a cookery programme with Bryn Williams through the medium of Welsh. Bryn Williams has had success on the Great British Menu on the BBC and now owns and runs Odette's in Primrose Hill, London.

I will be selling my work at the Parliment House / Senedd-dy Owain Glyndwr over the Summer with other local artists in Machynlleth. I'm always so happy to sell my work in my hometown, which will be running all through the summer holidays.