Found this today:
Handmade in Britain was set up by designer maker Piyush Suri to support and promote young and upcoming designers/makers who produce their work in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The organisation works to promote professional design excellence through productive partnerships between the designer and the public.
Their website:HANDMADE IN BRITAIN
Something I can look into for future shows, promotion, sales.
Bristol’s Create Centre supports sustainable and ecological businesses. They have exhibition space, a Christmas Fayre and wall space for small shows. I have links and contacts in Bristol, this could be an ideal way to promote my work in the South west of the UK.
Nice use of colour, pattern, humour, characters by this designer (unique styling on the website too):
FRANKENSTYLES
A european version of etsy.com has appeared online:
DAWANDA
I was considering putting my work on etsy to see what feedback I get, but this european version allows you to pay in euros instead of dollars – I for one would feel more compfortable with this.
Here is a serious contender as my competition:
LUCY JANE BATCHELOR
I love the presentation of her products in what looks like a tabbed book, the whole website is beautifully presented and her creations are delightful!
Running with the eco theme, style and humour Lucy Jane’s prducts are the closest I have found to what I am doing.
I found this link through the Crafts Council listings:
Kunsthåndværk i Centrum
KiC is the largest censored fair for crafts and arts in Denmark. The fair is a returning event since 2005, and it takes place every year around the beginning of November.
The opportunity to show at this type of event would provide an in-route to Europe and Scandanavia (where there is a strong history of hand knitting and felting that is still going strong). I also have family in Denmark which could help with connections. Applications for November 2009 are to be in by 1st April 09.
In my visit to London for New Year celebrations we went fo a trip to the V&A. The main reason was for an exhibition on the life and work of LEE MILLER. It was fascinating to see how she managed her various roles as model, photographer and journalist and how each role fed and informed the others. Due the nature of the media, the show was very ‘clean’ and information was limited to text panels at key stages of Lee Miller’s life.
There was also a free exhibition showing, entitled OUT OF THE ORDINARY: SPECTACULAR CRAFT. This was an unexpected and exciting surprise. I was not previously familiar with any of the 7 makers in the show and came away with a very different idea of how craft can be seen in a gallery space. Each piece was more of an installation rather than a craft object (i.e. for sale, for use, for decoration alone). Each artist used craft techniques to make large scale pieces that were fascinating and beautiful. The show made me think about the scale of the objects I make and how these larger pieces serve a completely different purpose. Craft skills + fine art ideas.
I was particularly taken with ANNE WILSON and her lacemaking skills used to create a landscape which for me had strong links with mapping and the imagination children have when drawing treasure maps. Her creation of animations using pins and threads with wonderful soundtracks were mesmerising yet simple.
My ‘take home’ item from th show would have to be one of ANNIE CATTRELL‘S glass pieces from ‘Conditions’ (or all of them). They were so delicate yet solid.
Filed under: inspiration, research | Tags: Bank's Mill, building, display, open studios, space, work
After the stress of completing the assignment this week it was a real joy to go to the Bank’s Mill Open Studios. Seeing such variety and quality of work on display fed the soul.
It really is a brilliant building with great spaces – it makes me want to move into one! Will definitely bear it in mind for the future as I don’t know how long working from home will continue to be productive. Being in such a place brings more than just the benefit of the space to work in too, I could certainly see myself there: wools stacked, drawings on the wall, laptop and needles.
- Find an ‘eye’ supplier
- Eco printing supplier (recycled paper, vegetable dyes). For business cards, packaging, boxes.
- Write to suppliers for sponsorship / freebies / discount
Filed under: inspiration, research | Tags: contemporary, craft, creativity, creatures, design, Donna Wilson, fair, favourites, Lustre, market, price, quality, toys
Lustre lived up to it’s name and reputation. High quality design and craft, all deliciously displayed for me to drool over.
I was pleased to see Donna Wilson’s creatures there, although sad they were in a glass cabinet and I didn’t get to meet her. I got to have a good look at her creature calendar and a Sleepy Pom notebook which I wasn’t aware was in production, they were lovely, creative and well priced. There were very few other ‘toys’ at the show, which I found interesting. Although I have had my fill of flower corsages – aren’t people fed up with these by now?
The quality is certainly very high and the prices reflected this – not your average ‘craft fair’. It gave me hope though, as my products are likely to come in priced at the higher end of the market, especially with the raw material being organic and therefore a bit more expensive than your standard wool. I think they wouldn’t look out of place.
I was surprised that there wasn’t more variety and creativity in the display of the work – some of it tried too hard and lost the products in the process.
Here are some of my favourites (i.e. I’d buy from them if I had the cash):
KEN EARLEY’s ceramics
Lauren Van Helmond’s little collage sculptures
David knight’s glass forms
SUILVEN PLAZALSKA’s contemporary jewellery
LYNSEY WALTER’s fun and fresh felt
