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.

Creating new pieces and Special Offers for Valentine's Day!

**FROM NOW UNTIL VALENTINE'S DAY I HAVE A SPECIAL OFFER ON ALL HEART NECKLACES AND EARRINGS. Don't miss the chance to grab a bargain for your loved ones!**

So after the Christmas madness it's been quite nice to develop new ideas and get on with making new pieces. I started creating a new flower vase, which is the biggest piece I've made to date, it is about 50cm tall! I've been working on making the plaster mold for abou two weeks now, waiting for the plaster to dry takes a while too in this awful weather! 

This is the Master- copy of the new piece:

  

It takes 6 parts to make the whole shape in plaster, I will then cast it in slip (a mixture of clay and water.) I didn't quite contemplate how heavy the mold would be at such a big size, but I have cast it for the first time last night, and will wait until tonight to open the mold.

I have also made a video of me chiselling part of the mold in order to make the spare (the extra part that protects the shape of the piece when fettling.) The plaster in the mold must all be at the same level when I make the spare, and due to the fact that the shape of the ceramic pieces are quite unusual, the level needs to be reduced to completely flat before working with it.

  

Some other news about my practise, I have collected work from Aberystwyth Arts Centre from the Christmas Fair and also Milton Keynes Arts Centre, from the Wonderland exhibition which were both great opportunities.

I have had news about hopefully being a part of Cywrain, which is a series of exhibitions by established and emerging applied artists and craft makers from the Celtic Nations. Hopefully my work will be on show in Y Galeri, Caernarfon at the end of this year. 

I've also had some exciting news about a possible new outlet which is Nantgarw Chinaworks Museum. I will hopefully be selling some of my jewellery and a selection of ceramics there. It is such a privilege to sell some pieces here as the Nantgarw collection has been an insiration to my work during University through to the present day. 

I have also taken part in an online blog interview with Drowning Dogs, http://drowningdogs.com/ They send letters to you then scan the images in as an artists interview. I will upload details as soon as it has been uploaded. 

This week and for this whole series my pieces are on the S4C programme 'Cegin Bryn' (Bryn's Kitchen.) 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 Odete's in Primrose Hill, London.

Christmas Craziness and Unit Twelve Award and Exhibition Images

The last few weeks have been crazy with different Christmas / Craft Fairs in and around the Cardiff area. I have also been setting up for two exhibitions over the Christmas period, the Winterland Exhibition in Milton Keynes Arts Centre and the Contemporary Craft Open in Unit Twelve, Stafford. Here are some images from the exhibition:

I visited Stafford for the Open's Private View and Award Ceremony. I was lucky enough to win the Made By Hand Online Award which was a great, and Unit Twelve made a hand-made rosette too!

These are some of the pieces that I loved from the exhibition:

Ella Robinson

The Purple Thread Shed

Ruth Allen

The Exhibition has so many great little pieces of Arts and Crafts and is open until the 1st of March 2014.

In the past three weeks I've been a part of three Christmas Fairs, and have two this week also. I'm selling my Ceramic and Jewellery pieces also some new christmas decorations I've been working on, and some new personalized small heart necklace that can be found on my Shop page on my website : www.elunedglyn.com/shop

Here is my stall at the Canton Christmas Fair :

and at Porter's Christmas Bonanza in Cardiff City Centre:

The fairs this week will be Treganna School Christmas Fair from 5pm - 7pm.

And the Cardiff Arts Collective Christmas Fair at the Paget Rooms, Treganna from 11am-5pm.

I've also been working on some commissioned Porcelain Christmas Decorations, which also gets me into the Christmas spirit! 

It's been great to get involved with so many different exhibitions and fairs this month, and I've enjoyed meeting some makers from around the Cardiff area. 

Here is a Print Maker from the Cardiff area that makes amazing hand-made books, and illustrations.

http://www.thesho.co.uk/Lizprice.html

Also, a charity that makes hand-made t-shirts promoting hope through creativity in aid of young people dealing with depression with amazing designs.

http://hatw.co.uk/

Wales International Young Artist Award

This past month has been slightly crazy due to being shortlisted for the Wales International Young Artist Award with the British Council.

I applied around June-July time, so was stunned to receive the email that I had been shortlisted. The award ceremony was in the Radisson Blu in Cardiff and was a lovely evening. It was great to get recognition for the work I have been producing in the last year and it was a great feeling to be a part of the first award of its kind.

Here I am with the work that I submitted:

It was a great experience to be shortlisted and I've had some media attention from this including Wales Today, S4C and BBC online. I was also interviewed for Youth Arts Online regarding my practise and the development of my work during and after my degree.

http://youthartsonline.org/convergence-old-new/

I've been preparing some new pieces for Christmas Fairs that I am taking part in this weekend and the following weekends. The details are :

Friday the 29th of November - Plasmawr School Christmas Fair 3.30pm - 6pm
Saturday the 30th of October - St John's Church, Canton 11am - 5pm
Sunday the 15th of December - Paget Rooms, Victoria Road, Penarth 11am - 5pm

Over the last two months I've been running Welsh-language Adult Evening Ceramic Classes and the results have been great. I have really enjoyed sharing some of the skills I have developed and hope to glaze the pieces in the following final weeks.

Here are some Christmas Lanterns that we have been working on:

I have taken some work to Stafford on the weekend for a great exhibition in Unit Twelve Gallery: Contemporary Craft Open Exhibition

 http://www.unittwelve.co.uk/index.htm

which will be running from the 5th of December to the 1st of March.

I will also be sending work this week to the Milton Keynes Arts Centre for their Christmas Exhibition : Wonderland.

http://www.artworks-mk.co.uk/ 

I have just started stocking in the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth which is a great achievement for me and I can't wait to go and see the pieces over Christmas.

Christmas Fairs and Media attention!

The last few months have been quite manic! I started a new job at the beginning of October and have been settling well in there. We have finished painting and renovating the house and now I will be able to give all of my time to my ceramics work.

After setting up my pieces at the Cardiff Open 2013 in High Street Arcade, I was approached by the welsh language magazine Golwg who wanted to write an article about my ceramic process. This was a great opportunity to showcase my work, and S4C then recorded a small interview about the exhibition.

I collected the pieces as the exibition finished last week, and I've also collected work from an exhibition in The Pound Arts Centre in Corsham, Wiltshire just in time for Christmas Fairs I have coming up. 

I returned to my home town for a few days and also delivered work to the Aberystwyth Arts Centre Shop for the Winter Christmas Fair. 

I will be also taking part in two Christmas Craft Fairs with the Cardiff Arts Collective, one on the 30th of November 11am - 5pm in St John's Church, Canton and the other on the 15th of December 11am - 5pm in Paget Rooms, Victoria Road, Penarth. 

I've had a few developments with my ceramic work too. I have been looking into using terracotta slip for the pieces too as an interesting contrast. I have bought a gold lustre glaze too, in the hope that the success rate is greater because of it being a glaze. My next few weeks will be used up making porcelain christmas decorations for the Christmas Fairs and making new jewellery pieces. 

The last few months have been mad, which is great and I hope that the Christmas Fairs will be just as fun! 

Summer, sunshine and sales!

I've been busy, after the Contemporary Craft Fair in Bovey Tracey, making new pieces and selling my work at various fairs, outlets and exhibitions.

I have so many ideas to create new work for the collection, but, after buying a new house I've been preoccupied with painting and refurbishing!

My work was shown amongst others in the National Eisteddfod in Denbighshire with Cwt Tatws. I was amazed to find out that I near enough sold out, so have been making more work to send up to North Wales in order to upload to their website, www.cwt-tatws.co.uk.  Here's an image of the pieces in the Eisteddfod :

I've also started selling in a lovely shop in my home town called Ian Snow. They have taken some jewellery from me and sold out already so have sent more pieces over, which is great news! 

Last week I drove to Corsham, Wiltshire to deliver around fifty of my pieces to the Pound Arts Centre. I will be exhibiting my work with other graduates in the 'Assembly' exhibition that centres around Contemporary Craft in the UK. The exhibition will run from the 7th of September until the 6th of October. 

I have also been selected to sell my work at the Cardiff Arts Collective Christmas Fair on the 30th of November and the 15th of December. Hopefully I would have made more work by this point and would have some christmas editions to add to the stall! 

I can't wait to get making again and hope to keep getting interest in my work around Wales and the UK. I have two commissions running at the moment too, which I need to continue work on so I'm busy busy busy! I've moved into my studio, which is the most important thing and will be living there for the next few months due to the interest in the pieces! Here's my shed gleaming in the sunshine!! 

The Contemporary Craft Fair!

I have returned from the Contemporary Craft Fair in Bovey Tracey, Devon! I was a part of the One Year On section which included many graduates from around the UK. This was my first craft fair so I was nervous to see what the general public thought of my work and of my concepts in ceramics.

We (Myself and a friend, Sally) travelled down Thursday morning, and arrived at around midday. Once we'd arrived it was all systems go from the off, trying to unload everything from the car in the hot sun! I had designed the storage unit to not only present my pieces in a stand, but also as the storage for the pieces in the car. Although everything was measured, we had a slight problem with the boot entrance being smaller than the measured inner of the car. Because of this, it was difficult to get the whole set in, but we managed, only just!

After re-painting the unit and placing all the pieces ready for the show we had a few hours to find the hotel, (which was another mission!)

Here is an image of the stand just before opening for the private view

I had some great feedback from the private view, some people intrigued with the method, some people wanting to touch the pieces and even some saying that it was unique and they had never seen anything similar before, which was lovely! 

The next few days of the fair were great, I got to know some of the other graduates with stands, talked to a lot of people about broken and re-constructed crockery and sold a decent amount of pieces. It was a lovely weekend weather wise, with the ideal festival weather throughout. The Fair was at Mill Marsh Park which was a great setting as there was plenty of room, and lots of activities for all! 

I have felt recently as if I've been making the work for so long, creating new pieces and constantly in a different stage of the making process with many pieces, so it was great that I could show people what I had been up to in the past year and just show off my work a little! 

The event also gave me confidence to carry on with this body of work and to make new pieces. It has also inspired me to apply for more fairs and events within craft, so it was a great experience all round! I'm already excited for my next fair! 

To finish, here are some very tall women from the Contemporary Craft Fair: