Thursday 22 August 2013

Open Studios and Stuff!

Hi all!

Well, this week has been all about Open Studios!  Artist David Muddyman (also husband!) and myself are trying Open Studios for the very first time this year.  I think I'm excited about it, I'm terrified that no-one will turn up or that we'll have no sales at all! It's definitely nervewracking! We've started to hang paintings and it's been a good exercise is spring cleaning!





If you're around the Plymouth area I do hope you'll come and see us!

I did have a plan to release a brand new style of aluminium jewellery at this event but my supplies still haven't arrived even though they were ordered a month ago.....grrrrrrrr......hopefully today though and I might still be able to do what I wanted.

I thought I'd also release a picture of a brand new piece that will be available to purchase at Open Studios, but there's only one so if you want it you'll need to be quick!


This collection is called Solar Flare and reflects the gorgeous weather we've had this summer. 

On another note don't forget that my work will very soon be available to buy in the gallery at Salford Museum and Art Gallery in Manchester and at a brand new jewellery gallery that will be opening it's doors in Frome on the 1st September, but more on that soon!

Hopefully speak to you next week with some pictures of how the Open Studios event is going!


Wednesday 14 August 2013

Courses and Cuffs

Hello again!

Yet another busy busy week! Last weekend saw me teaching at Cartwheels Craft Centre in Liskeard and a thoroughly good day was had by all.  All five students experimented with colouring pieces of aluminium before colouring and dyeing a final pendant piece and a cuff shape.  They then learned to drill and shape the metal before ending the day and taking home a pendant and a cuff worth £74!
Do check out other courses which are running at Cartwheels, I will be back there myself in October.
The following pictures were taken during the Aluminium Taster day and you will see the students showing off the cuffs they made.


Students filing and polishing the edges of their aluminium pieces.








Finished cuffs!










I shall also be putting some brand new work onto the website in the coming days so I hope you'll take a look.

I've been very busy and have a number of new collections to show you, however, I shall start by introducing Cottage Garden - the wide cuff shown was pictured in amongst the flowers in my garden - a perfect match for the Lobelia.

 


I shall be at Tavi Arts Market in Tavistock on Saturday if anyone wants to come and say hello.

I'm also working on a project that's a little different to the work I normally do - I shall be making cuffs to be worn in a fab new music video - more on that a little nearer the time! Watch this space!!








Monday 5 August 2013

Hello and Goodbye

Hello again! Where's the summer gone??

I'd just like to start this week by mentioning an amazing metal artist Katie Lake who was a founder member of Flameworks.  A lot of you may know her as having won gold in the Craft & Design Selected Awards twice including this year or will have seen her sculpture.  Katie lost her life recently whilst enjoying the Cornish sea.  She was an inspiration to so many people and enabled students with visual disabilities to use the furnace.  A larger than life character, full of fun and we shall miss her, but we will celebrate her here in Plymouth and at Flameworks.

I seem to have produced an awful lot of work over the last couple of weeks and that's been for a number of reasons. The first reason is now done and dusted because twenty pieces have gone off to Salford Museum and Art Gallery for their brand new sales area and also for the By Hand exhibition happening from October to January at Ordsall Hall in Salford. The second reason for all this activity is that my husband artist David Muddyman and myself are holding Open Studios this year starting at the end of August.  We are part of the Plymouth Arts Trail which comes under the umbrella of Drawn To The Valley's exhibition of art along the Tamar.



Full details of when we'll be open can be found in the booklet from local outlets and also on my Events page. Come and see us, there'll be some amazing artwork to buy and my jewellery and wall art.

Over the weekend I dyed some new sheets of aluminium and I'm really pleased with what's to come - one sheet looks like painted silk or batik in shades of pink, another looks like a field of lavendar just coming into bloom and othe other reminds me of surf and blue/green waves. I can't wait to start cutting them out.

So my project for the coming week to is to come to grips with making my site available to Stumble Upon - anyone else tried that?

Want a sneaky peek and what's going to be for sale soon on the website? This is the PopArt collection and there will be a necklace and earrings too.
 

 
 
 
So, see you next week all - have a lovely week doing whatever it is you do!