The third 'Staffordshire Contemporary Artist & Designer Fair' 2014.
'In its 3rd year this one day selling event is in the lovely, historic market town of Leek. The event is held in the Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek and showcases high quality contemporary art, craft & design work selected from professional makers for its originality and high quality. Work includes ceramics, jewellery, textiles, printmaking, fine art and photography. The ideal place to purchase unique work direct from the artist'.
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Organised by Suzanne Mellor & Chris Thompson of Leek School of Art with support from the art department & Foundation Degree in Creative Art Practice students this years third event had 26 professional Artists & Designer makers plus the Foundation Degree in Creative Art & Design Practice students from Leek School of Art, Buxton & Leek College (as part of the University of Derby).
Over 500 visitors came to the one day event. Music provided by local talented musician Paul Hill to add to the overall ambience of the event. A raffle was held to win a piece of art from one of the designers at the event as first prize with other prizes of vouchers to be used at Spout Cafe (www.facebook.com/pages/Spout-Coffee-Shop) & Buxton & Leek College Hair & Beauty department with proceeds going to 'Love4Leah' charity and towards next years 2015 event.
The Staffordshire Contemporary Artist & Designer Fair 2015 is to be held on 05th & 06th December 2015. Anyone interested can contact event organisor Suzanne Mellor (s.mellor@blc.ac.uk) for further information.
Sarah Myatt Glass - www.sarahmyattglass.co.uk
'Since
graduating from Wolverhampton University in 2000, I have continued to work with
glass and set up my studio in Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands designing and
creating a range of glass pieces including jewellery, hangings and greeting
cards (and more more besides!)
I primarily use float glass which I combine with metal inclusions such as copper, silver and gold to create individual, handmade pieces. More recently, I have been using Bullseye glass and just love the endless possibilities and flexibility...such fun to use! All of my glass work is cut, drilled, polished, etched and finished by hand.
I absolutely love being able to create something unique that you can wear or treasure in your home for many years to come'.
I primarily use float glass which I combine with metal inclusions such as copper, silver and gold to create individual, handmade pieces. More recently, I have been using Bullseye glass and just love the endless possibilities and flexibility...such fun to use! All of my glass work is cut, drilled, polished, etched and finished by hand.
I absolutely love being able to create something unique that you can wear or treasure in your home for many years to come'.
Lauren Van Helmond - www.laurenvanhelmond.co.uk
'Over the last decade Lauren has combined a
background in Fine Art, Design Crafts and Illustration, to refine her artistic
skills. Her mixed media creations are
often humorous, depicting British life and are made from various found and
re-purposed materials. A love of animals
sparked a renewed interest in painting. Using just printing ink and a dry brush,
she applies the ink using a stippling effect, which creates the soft texture of
fur and captures the distinct personalities of each animal'.
A fondness for dogs also features in the images
Lauren designs for her screen prints and ceramics'.
Artists & Designers at the 2014 event:
Ceramics:
- Sue Blatherwick
- Dimbleby Ceramics
- Vivienne Ross
- Denise O'Sullivan
- Jon Green
- Sarah Myatt
- Cathey Robson
Jewellery:
- Lynne Cooke
- Jaqueline Harold
- Eve Redmond
- Libby Ward
- Lauren Van Helmond
- Penny Meakin
- Melanie Patterson
- Helena Shave
Print:
- Ruth Allen
- Zoe Badger
- Lewdy Birds
- Contemporary Mix
- Broad Street Gallery
- Val Travers-Muir
- Val Leeming
- Jo-Bo Designs
- Roger Waterhouse
'My work is based around the theme of both architecture and interiors. The main inspiration for the ways in which I develop my techniques, processes and use of colour comes from the 1950’s textile prints and interior design. My interest in the 1950’s has developed over the last ten years and the work of Lucienne Day has formed a vital component in the development of my own art practice.
In reference to my architectural pieces these are based on many European cities such as London and Amsterdam. This particular collection of work is currently produced onto both canvas and paper, using collage and a delicate black line to capture these beautiful buildings. These are also produced as limited edition screenprints and original line drawings. My interiors are approached in a similar way but on a smaller scale'. www.ruthallenart.co.uk
Eve Redmond - www.facebook.com/pages/Eve-Redmond-Jewellery/151857834910330 & www.craftanddesign.com/artists/divinity/
'I'm a designer jeweller based in Divinity Studio, Manchester Craft & Design Centre, Eve Redmond graduated from Central St Martins College of Art & Design in London in 1993. She is based in Manchester Craft & Design Centre where she sells her handmade collections and creates one off pieces for commissions and exhibitions. She has established a reputation for fresh & innovative jewellery. Contemporary but classic, she creates jewellery that embodies simplicity and strength. The understated elegance of the work brings together an innovative use of pearls, diamonds and precious metals to create timeless classics designed to be worn everyday'. http://artmarkets.co.uk/artist/profile/68/eve-redmond
http://artmarkets.co.uk/event
Libby Ward - Jewellery www.libbyward.co.uk
'My perceptions of preciousness in materials reflect toward the natural aspects and organic life around me. I see beauty in objects and materials, which most people wouldn’t regard; it is this curiosity that feeds my need to experiment, which then transpires into layers of depth in my finished pieces.
My design approach is based on experimental methodologies, I have a passion for juxtaposing unusual and an unexpected mix of materials using a myriad of making processes in order to create thought provoking pieces.
My making process starts from looking at objects around me that have interesting textures; I then make a mould of this and create that texture in either resin, silicone or latex. I then manipulate the processes by adding materials, etching, coating, layering, stretching, heating and also breaking.
I also do a similar process to metals, although the main techniques I use for this; are etching textures or images on to the surface, build up metal by electroforming and experimenting with patination. I carry on this procedure until I have acquired a large body of unusual samples, to which I also add strange existing materials that I have found or altered.
My current practice of work equates or references museum collection of strange and wonderful specimens and artifacts, which have been found and collated as ‘sequences’ for the viewer to observe and question'. www.libbyward.co.uk
Zoe Badger - www.folksy.com/shops/zebedee
'I am a printmaker specialising in multicoloured linocut prints. I would describe my work as contemporary and am strongly influenced by trends in design and colour. My subject matter tends to revolve around landscapes, stylised floras, architecture and love tokens.
I have explored many different types of printing techniques, but I always return to lino cut. I love the process of using cutting tools to carve out the linoleum to form the relief block.
My background in textile design has helped me appreciate the inter play of pattern and colour. Through the buildup of layers and textures I create my designs.
Design inspiration comes from a variety of sources, but predominantly I am influenced by nature and the countryside surrounding the area that I live.
The prints that I produce are hand pressed using water based pigment inks'. www.folksy.com/shops/zebedee
Jacqueline Harold - www.facebook.com/JacquelineHaroldDesigns
Val Muir Fabric https://folksy.com/shops/ValMuirFabric
'Designer/Silversmith. Jacqueline Harold is a designer/maker of tableware.
Using silver, gold, wood, resin, acrylic and ceramic and combining these materials with automata is what makes her work unique. Jacqueline designs and makes bespoke silverware and jewellery. Most items can be personalised'. www.craftmaker.co.uk/jacquelineharold/
Val Muir Fabric https://folksy.com/shops/ValMuirFabric
'I use digital and traditional printing methods to turn my original designs into textiles that will brighten your day and make you smile. My designs start from scribblings of things I encounter in my everyday life in Derbyshire, and holidays in Norfolk and further afield. I like to use natural fabrics and bright, strong colours'. folksy.com/shops/ValMuirFabric
Denise O'SullivanCeramics www.deniseosullivanceramics.com
'Denise O'Sullivan British Designer based in Stoke-on- Trent, Staffordshire, England.
I design and make distinctive ceramic forms and shapes, finished with exquisite surface finishes. My work is inspired by my love of past and contemporary couture, lifestyles and eras. Steeped in my family heritage from my hometown of Stoke-on-Trent, where I spent many happy hours sitting on pot banks as a child.
I create surface decoration with multiple firings and a mixture of stained clays, glaze, screen print and metallic finishes. Forms are designed and made in ways that reflect my background in handmade, industrial and sculptural ceramics techniques and processes that I enjoy fusing together. I enjoy creating statement ceramic wares both functional and decorative, which brings energy to interiors and surfaces alike'. www.deniseosullivanceramics.com
Lewdybirds - www.facebook.com/Lewdybirds
'Naughty but nice twists on your childhood favourites - to put a smile on your face and brighten your smallest room. Or make you frown, shake your head and go 'tsk'.
Each Lewdybird is made from a real page from an old Ladybird book, with some choice words added, individually typed by real human hands on a properly old typewriter.
They cost just £15 each from Spout Coffee Shop, 70 St Edward St in Leek, and a select range of markets and events including Leek's Sunday Supplement and the Treacle Market in Macclesfield. You can request on this page or by message and arrange to collect in Leek, or p&p costs £2.50 including a personalised note for gifts...AND NOW...You can personalise your Lewdybird! If we have the relevant book we can make yours specially with your own name or that of a loved one. Or a hated one - whoever you like! Just £2.50 extra to make your Lewdybird not only rare, but unique. You can't go wrong. Really'. www.facebook.com/Lewdybirds
Dimbleby Ceramics www.dimblebyceramics.co.uk
'Mathew and Rachel Dimbleby are inspired by their passion for ceramic design and painting. Having both grown up in Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire with a rich heritage of making high quality ceramics, the ethos for the comapny was clear from the start. To create high quality products that can be enjoyed any where in the home.
They have combine their talents and knowledge to design and make unique ceramics which feature the watercolour illustrations of Rachel. These exuisite illustrations are inspired by friends and family's animals as well as the wildlife from the wood at the back of the couples studio, with each piece having a story to tell'. www.dimblebyceramics.co.uk
'Vivienne makes pots decorated with figurative
drawings, employing humour to celebrate the simple. Each piece is unique, hand-made
using processes including:
press-moulding, coiling, throwing and decorated using slips and
sgraffito'.
Helena Shave - www.helenashave.com
'I make collage pictures using pieces
of plastic and driftwood which have been washed up along the tide line. I love
the way they have been broken, worn and changed by the action of the sea and
salt. I don’t cut anything up, or change them at all. My inspiration comes from
the pieces themselves, which suggest what they could become in a picture. I
then search through my collection for other pieces which are right for the image
I am making.
I love walking along beaches
collecting my raw materials. I have always had a keen interest in the
environment and a love for nature. I hope my pictures also raise awareness of
the damage our throwaway society is doing to our seas and beaches'.
Music from Paul Hill
8.00 - The set up: The transformation of the back room of the Foxlowe Arts Centre. Artists started to arrive at 8.00 - very exciting to meet them (some for the first time), Boxes keep coming in and then unpacked to see the individual spaces transform and the amazing array of wonderful art & design appear.
Lyn Cooke - www.lyncookejewellery.com
'In my work, I challenge the traditional notion of preciousness. Does a piece of jewellery have to be made entirely from precious materials before it can be 'precious', or does preciousness derive from design and the response of the wearer?
I work in silver, silk and porcelain and the addition of gold leaf and patination enhances the natural qualities of the raw materials.
I take my inspiration from the natural world, researching organic and inorganic sources although finished pieces are always abstract.
Silver, silk and gold leaf are used irreverently; distortion, curling, forging and sanding to a matt finish merely emphasise the fact that 'precious' does not have be glitzy'.www.lyncookejewellery.com
Roger Waterhouse - www.rogerwaterhouse.co.uk
Sarah Taylor - www.notonthehighstreet.com/sarahtaylor
'Sarah Taylor is a British surface pattern designer with a studio based in the Staffordshire Moorlands.
Sarah designs, prints and hand-finishes home interior products such as ceramics, lightshades, wallpaper and screen printed fabrics.
Her collection of contemporary plates and mugs are inspired by Japanese geometrics, spirographs and pendulum drawings. Screen printed lithographs in cobalt blue and grey are hand applied making each piece slightly unique but in keeping with a matching dinner service.
Sarah's ceramic collections are hand printed and finished on locally sourced Staffordshire fine bone china, a unique tableware collection perfect for mix and match modern dining for all occasions and giftware.
Sarahs ethos for her company which she started in 2013 is to only use British sourced, locally made and hand finished products of a collectable nature to keep and cherish, with a low impact on the environment'. www.notonthehighstreet.com/sarahtaylor
Val Leeming - http://www.valerieleeming.com/
'My particular interest is to experiment with textiles and use them in innovative ways to create 3D forms. This curiosity draws me to explore how I can portray the natural world through these processes'.
Aneta Brudkowska
Penny Meakin
Jo-Bo Designs -
'Jo-Bo Designs are handmade contemporary crafts, A mixture of goodies from textiles to ceramics, all made for people to enjoy!'
.....now the waiting - months of planning, advertising, etc and the anticipation, (a bit of worry) and thee excitement of waiting to see of visitors will come! Last year we had a footfall of around 500 per day - this year we matched that - brilliant.
10.00 - The visitors start arrive:
Lauren Van Helmond & Melanie Pattersons
Jon Green and Cathey Robson chat about their glass work to visitors. Jon & Cathey are both professional makers and currently 2nd year students on the degree course who are being extremely successful in selling their work.
Melanie Patterson - Design Crafts
Jacqueline Harold - Jewellery
Val Leeming Textiles
Val Travers-Muir
Eve Redmond - Jewellery
Rachel Dimbleby and Dimbleby Ceramics
Roger Waterhouse - Wood
Lauren Van Helmond
Penny Meakin
Jo-Bo Designs - Textiles
Viv Ross - Ceramics
Music by Paul Hill
Sarah Taylor - Ceramics
Another successful event. Comments from visitors and artist were wonderful with artists selling work and visitors leaving very happy with their purchases.
The 'Staffordshire Contemporary Artist & Designer Fair 2015' will be held again at the Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek on Saturday 05th & Sunday 06th December 2015.
Further details: s.mellor@blc.ac.uk.
Like us on facebook - www.facebook.com/pages/Staffordshire-Contemporary-Artist-and-Designers-Fair/1687897744768968
www.foxloweartscentre.org.uk
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