Bridport Open Studios August 2015

Hi!

A quick note to let you know that I'm taking part in this year's Bridport and West Dorset Open Studios, and I'll be throwing open the doors to my secret headquarters, hidden away in the centre of bustling Bridport.

From Friday 28th to Monday 31st August the studio will be open between 10am - 4pm. I'll be there to chat about my work and there will be some pieces available for sale, including a freshly made batch of singing birds in a dazzling array of colours. Also available will be cards of my work and a special "Bargain Corner", with slight seconds and past works for sale.

There's lots to do in lovely Bridport if you're making a special trip - fab places to eat like The Red Brick Cafe or Soulshine (both a short walk), the vibrant "Arts and Vintage Quarter" on the St. Michael's Trading Estate, two great arts venues (The Electric Palace and Bridport Arts Centre) and of course beautiful West Bay just a mile or so down the road for bracing sea air, Jurassic coast views and of course fish 'n' chips.

You can find me at:
Cross Keys Studios, 13 South Street, Bridport, DT6 3NR. The entrance is just off Buckydoo Square, between Mango Hairdressers and Double D Computers (follow the BWDOS signs).  A short walking distance from town car parks or 1 hour free parking on South Street.

Access to the studio is reasonably good, although there are three slight changes of level from the street, each with a single step.

Contemporary Stained Glass Exhibition - One Square Foot

Some details from my contemporary stained glass panels currently on show as part of the One Square Foot exhibition (with Stuart Low and Christian Ryan), running for a couple more weeks until 21st June.

Work in Progress - One Square Foot

I've been continuing with designing and making my three panels for the upcoming One Square Foot contemporary stained glass exhibition which opens on 24th May.

It's been liberating to turn some ideas that have been inside my head for some time into actual pieces.  The process has also generated a lot more ideas for future projects and designs I'd like to work on.

If you are in the Bridgend area in May/June, do try and visit Chris's studio to see it.

One Square Foot - Contemporary Stained Glass Exhibition

Press release for the exhibition I am taking part in with Stuart Low and Christian Ryan in May.

Further information can be found at onesquarefoot.co.uk, or contact myself or Chris.

Flower Festival, Ely Cathedral

I sent a couple of boxes of new stock off to The Stained Glass Museum Shop recently. Included in there were some pieces to tie in with the Flower Festival being held at Ely Cathdral between 20 - 23 June. During this time, the interior of the Cathedral will be adorned with thousands of flowers and will be accompanied by performances from choirs and orchestras from around the world - alack I'm too far away to attend, so I'll have to imagine what an incredible sight, sound and scent that will be. 

This nasturtium is a new version of some I made a few years back.  I'm such a huge devotee of the humble nasturtium - it grows easily, looks great, you can chuck it in a salad, it attracts butterflies, covers weeds, climbs up or dangles down - it's the multi-tasker of the plant world.

Currently only available at The Stained Glass Museum Shop, but I'll see how they go and may add to my Etsy shop at some point.

Made By Node - Limited Edition Rugs at The Design Museum

Rug designed by Chamo

I'd love to see this - a collection of rugs designed by some of my favourite artists and produced by Node, a company set up by illustrator Chris Haughton and Akshay Sthapit (an entrepreneur based in Kathmandu).  Their aim is to connect designers and artists with traditional Nepalese carpet makers to produce stunning contemporary hand-knotted rugs.  Their rug makers are founder members of Fair Trade Nepal.  In addition to ensuring fair wages, employees are taught literacy and skills, and their work supports a school and an orphanage.

The collection is being launched at The Design Museum, London on the 5th March.  The artists involved are:

Beatrice Alemagna | Sanna Annukka | Lesley Barnes | Petra Borner | Chamo | Benji Davies | Chris Haughton | Clayton Junior | Jon Klassen | Micah Lidberg | Joe Magee | Geoff McFetridge | Neasden Control Centre | Patternity | Craig Robinson | Serge Seidlitz | Marcroy Smith | Kevin Waldron | Donna Wilson

Further details can be found on the Node website, along with some amazing images of the rugs in production on the looms in Nepal. 

Jerwood Makers Open 2013

A quick post to spread the word to anyone who might be interested in entering the Jerwood Makers Open 2013.

Jerwood Makers Open is designed to commission and showcase new work by emerging artists working in the applied arts. Five commissions of £7,500 will be awarded to artists to create new work, which will be exhibited as part of the JVA programme at Jerwood Space, London.

This initiative offers makers at the early stages of their careers an opportunity to develop their creative ideas independently of specific commissioning structures. Artists will be chosen by an independent selection panel and must be UK resident and within 10 years of graduating or setting up their practice. The deadline for entries is 12th November 2012.  Further details about the Jerwood Makers Open and how to enter can be found here.

Launched in 2010, the Jerwood Makers Open follows on from The Jerwood Applied Arts Prize which ran for 11 years (1999-2007) in partnership with the Crafts Council, and Jerwood Contemporary Makers (2008-2010).

I've always found the work of Jerwood prize winners to be innovative and progressive, and have particularly kept my eye on the glass artists. Two of those that have interested me the most have been Heike Brachlow (2011) and Helen Maurer (2003).

Theme & Variations III - Heike Brachlow (2010)

Theme & Variations I - Heike Brachlow (2009)

Theme & Variations I - Heike Brachlow (2009)

Heike Brachlow works in cast glass, which she colours herself in order to get the subtle variations in tone.  Often her pieces seem to defy gravity and have a temporality and fragility which is deftly counterbalanced by the chunky, solid glass components.  You can read more about her process and inspirations here.

Helen Maurer works with glass and projected light.  Glass pieces and found objects are placed together on a horizontal glass shelf, like a stage set, and when light is projected through them, a new image is created on the wall above and below.  She explains her work in further depth here.

Relay Overlay - Helen Maurer (2012)

Eclipsed by the Boy - Helen Maurer (2011)

Loop - Helen Maurer (2002)

Stock for the Stained Glass Museum at Ely Cathedral

Sorry, that's a bit of a dry title.  

I'm trying to make my blog more "search engine friendly" 

I get a lot of visitors looking for peg dolls or paper chains,

very few for contemporary stained glass....

I just realised that although I tweeted my exciting news, I have yet to blog it.

I'm currently working my way through a large order for The Stained Glass Museum

who recently emailed me to say "Can we have 4 of each of your designs for our shop?"

Which works out to be quite a lot in total.

Last week was spent painting painting painting.

A few in-progress shots of the glass cut, and then painted.

(sorry... late nights + Instagram = grainy pictures)

It's been fun making a new batch of these guys too.

I've chosen some pretty, pale sugared-almond shades for them.

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The weather has been rather lovely recently.

These criss-crossed vapour trails late one afternoon were quite a sight.

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I notice there has been a flurry of new subscribers lately - thank you!

I must be coming up to my 3 year blog anniversary about now,

which I find extraordinary - I'm normally so faddy!

Thanks for sticking with me and reading and commenting.

It is always appreciated and treasured.

Pattern & Colour at RAMM

Yesterday we visited the newly re-opened RAMM at Exeter

It's a lovely museum -  just big enough and small enough to 

keep little minds (and feet) busy and interested.

Lots of weird and wonderful things to look at.

Some great reference material for me too...

Pop-up Shop

I'll be taking part in this Pop-up Shop event at The Pie Factory

in the hip n' cool Old Town, Margate, Kent between 16th - 23rd December.

There'll be lots of fab makers and doers joining in, including Ohh Deer, 

Rachel Loves Bob, Tri and Gull, Sanna Panda amongst others.

A great chance to pick up some last minute Christmas presents.

Exhibition

I've just finished and delivered a number of pieces for the Rostra and Rooksmoor Gallery in Bath as part of their All Wrapped Up exhibition.

I've included a new design, Crofter's Cottage, which was inspired by a recent re-watching of one of our favourite family films, "Ring of Bright Water".  If you haven't seen it, I recommend it, although it is a rather more tame version of the true story of Gavin Maxwell, his otters and his time at Sandaig (a remote part of the Scottish mainland).  The trailer below does not really capture the charm of the film (largely due to the awful voiceover man)

The cottage in which he lives is a derelict but idyllic Crofter's Cottage.  Typically, they are single-story, whitewashed dwellings with a tiled roof, like this one.

My version is a re-working of my original Woodcutter's Cottage.   Having spent a bit of time researching crofter's dwellings, I'm rather tempted by the idea of staying in one for a long weekend.  Tucked up by the fire on a sofa a bit like this one...

The exhibition also features Rebecca Coles incredible papercut butterflies,  Emily Lawlor's gorgeous mosaics and Claire Halifax's silkscreen cityscape prints.  Go and see if you're in the area!