Retrospective Reflections

Hi all!

Hope you will forgive my lack of contact for the last couple of weeks, but it's been a very busy time!

Anyone else visit The Contemporary Craft Fair at Bovey Tracey this weekend? If you did, you probably agree with me that it was fantastic, if you didn't, you really should go next year! My objective this year was different.  I wanted to catch up with a few people I already knew, I wanted to have a closer look at a few people's work I admire, but mostly I wanted to chat to exhibitors to get a feel for the show as I'd really like to apply next year.  Everyone was friendly and keen to pass on tips.  I also looked at the ways in which the stands had been set up, all so different.  I was thinking about my own work and trying to imagine it in the space.  I also want to say a big thank you to Justine Allison who gave me loads of great advice long before she realised that we were going to buy some of her beautiful handmade porcelain vessels. Hopefully she's going to take part in one of my collaborative blogs in the future. Also lovely to catch up with Alison Graham again and buy some of her lovely porcelain too - that's it now, all wedding present money finally spent on art (we've only been married 2 years!!).

I would also like to mention the lovely Sue Gregor, whose cuffs I adore.  She generously told me how she works which is a fascinating process and her display looked gorgeous.

In the Aim Higher section I was amazed at the quality and the designs of the jewellery coming out of the regions colleges - such a positive impression.

We also fell totally in love with the furniture at Coucou Manou - thinking I'm definitely adding some of their wares to my Pinterest want boards!!

One of the reasons I've been so busy is that I'm working on a brand new website! the address when it goes live at the end of the month will be the same so keep checking. I hope that you will see a more developed style throughout the site.  I've been working on lots of new pieces that will be seen for the first time when the site is launched and I hope that you'll like what I've been up to!

Here's a little teaser for you!

I'm also currently experimenting with a shape that is completely new and involves solving some pretty niggly mechanical issues, but I'm working on that! It is sometimes difficult to make something look simple!

Anyway, that's it for this week.  I'll be back in 2 weeks as I'm on holiday next week - I'll be coming back with a bang and a launch!!

Blog Collaboration Time Again!

Hello, it's me again and, fantastic news, it's another blog collaboration - this time featuring the fabulous work of ceramicist Alison Graham.  We met Alison in the One Year On marquee at the Contemporary Craft Fair in June in Bovey Tracey, Devon and we both loved her work which features lines scratched into the surface of her ceramics to create landscape effects and beautiful serene colours. I recently asked Alison a few questions about her work and this is what she shared with me, so I will let you enjoy it the way we did!

Trees

 1. Where do you get the inspiration for your designs?Inspiration for my designs comes from observations and sensations I have experienced in rural environments, from surfing in the Gower Peninsula along the coast of south Wales to memories of walking in the Lake District in Cumbria, where I grew up and studied before moving to Cardiff. I am inspired by painters such as J. M. W. Turner, Bridget Riley, Mark Rothko and Paul Cezanne whose works explore the ways colour and light interact both on and through a surface to create illusions of depth and movement. I also like to play with child-like fascination when I am working with clay, allowing new ideas to present themselves and then work with them. I believe in fate and serendipity and work spontaneously whilst listening to classical, 80s rock or easy listening music.

Landscape1

2. Is there a craft medium you’ve always had a hankering to try your hand at?
I have always fancied having a go at making my own paper and doing some mono-printing with an old printing press. I must look into that...

Beyond The Surface

3. If you could see one famous person owning one of your pieces, who would it be?
Prince William & Kate Middleton (they count as one choice now right?)

Lanterns

 

4. Where can fans buy your work?

From the following craft fairs: Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair in Manchester (October 4-7th), MADE London in Marylebone (October 26-28th) and MADE Brighton (November 23-25th). At the following exhibitions: 'Wells Art Contemporary' Wells and Mendip Museum (October 12-26th), 'Inspire' Walford Mill Crafts, Wimbourne, Dorset (November 3rd-Dec 31st). My work is always stocked at the Oriel Makers Gallery, Cardiff and will be stocked at Just Make in Wells from December 2012. Work can also be purchased privately from me in my studio in Cardiff. Please check my website for details and updates on forthcoming events. www.aligrahamceramics.moonfruit.com

I'm sure you'll agree that Alison Graham's work is stunning so I hope you'll take a closer look and treat yourself to something beautiful!  Thank you Alison for taking part.

So what have I been up to this week?  Well, yesterday I was at the Bank Square Artist's Market in Tavistock, Devon and I still haven't got warm!! The sun was out but never made it inside my stall and so I gave up and wore everything I'd taken! I met some lovely visitors to my stand, gave out plenty of cards and now I'm looking forward to the next event which is on Sunday 4th November - thankfully indoors in the Pannier Market!!  Come and see me and start (or finish!) your Christmas shopping, but don't forget to drop heavy hints to your other halves about what you'd like for Xmas and then send them back to me afterwards!!

In other news, I have another stockist! Welcome to Mangojuice Gallery in Worcester http://www.mangojuicegallery.com

Today is going to be spent dyeing some more sheets of aluminium and I plan to try out some mono-printing myself but kind of in reverse.  Normally when printing in this way inks are applied to aluminium and then prints are taken from that with paper or acetate, but I'm going to apply my inks to acetate as I want the aluminium sheet to be the end result. We'll see how it goes. I noticed yesterday when laying out my display that most of my work is in the colour colour spectrum so I am in intent on warming things up! Will start by putting on some socks...........

I also made this Daybreak Collection this week and this is just a quick photo to show you the colours before it's photographed properly by my husband who does know what he's doing, unlike me.........I panic if I can't just point and shoot!!

Why not start your Christmas shopping from the comfort of your own home? Visit my online stores at http://www.slicksilverjewellery.co.uk and take your time to choose.

If you're interested in hosting a jewellery party and you live within a 25 mile radius of Plymouth please email me for further information info@slicksilverjewellery.co.uk.

See you next week!

Favourite at the Fair and Inspiration Pics

It's been another busy week folks! What's new, I hear you groan......

You may recall that last blog I was telling you that I was meeting the Ladies Wot Tweat for another lovely lunch and so last Friday, 10 of us met up for lunch at Jolly Jacks.  A fast-paced and hilarious few hours ensued and I didn't return from lunch until well after 4pm! I got chance to speak with those I hadn't managed to chat to before and met another new member and we found that we had musical offspring in common amongst other things.

The weather on Saturday was dire, but, as my husband was on a photography course, I spent the day working and on Sunday we woke up to sunshine so set off as planned to visit the Contemporary Craft Fair at Bovey Tracey, Devon.  I've been before, but the familiar excitement of seeing so much beautiful jewellery soon set in and no, I wasn't disappointed! I couldn't go last year because of surgery on my shoulder but really enjoyed the opportunity of chatting to makers whose work I was already familiar with.  I also met some really lovely designers, who had stunning work on display and who were really friendly.  To the two ladies who were manning stalls and who didn't look up from their mobile phones or acknowledge me the whole time I was looking at their work - bad move! I cannot pass up the chance to mention just a few designers who really caught my eye.  Anne Morgan for her amazing ability to reticulate large pieces of silver, Bryony Stanford's amazing crumpled cuffs, Jed Green's incredible shaped glass tube jewellery and Kokkino for some absolutely stunning new work. I also loved the aesthetically pleasing designs of new jeweller Katie Roberts in the One Year On marquee.  I'm a real sucker for ceramics too and have contacted two of my favourites in the hope that they'll take part in a collaborative blog. Fingers crossed!

Anyway, this week we've had a visitor to stay who was mixing an album with my husband, so after hearing many snippets of music many times, I retired to my studio to work!  I'm hoping to exhibit in the summer so I'm currently working on pieces for that theme.  I'll tell you no more than that, but you can see a picture of one of the pieces so far.

I thought that you might also be interested in seeing what inspires me.  We took a little trip down to Royal William Yard yesterday for a coffee and a look at Plymouth College of Art Degree Show which was well worth a visit, so if you get a chance to visit their two venues down there, do go.  Anyway, on to inspiration.  Texture and colour, every time.  We wandered round and I took some photos for my inspiration board - I hope you like them too.

An amazing rusty old door!

Old stone wall

Peely paintwork

Well, that's all for this week, hope you like my pictures!

Finished Work and New Plans

Well what a week!

I've had a couple of interesting meetings, one with a web designer who might possible be helping me with a completely unrelated project (I'm now investigating the minefield that is known as funding!!) and another very motivating meeting yesterday with a business mentor who caused me to look at how I view my own work.  As a result I shall be updating my website in the very near future and will use the opportunity to launch my new bronze collection. Do keep checking here http://www.slicksilverjewellery.co.uk for updates.

So what have we all been up to?  I've spent a very long time working on my latest Cherry Blossom piece which has led to some problem solving as I really wanted the central flower to appear unsupported from the front.  Eventually I managed to construct something that worked in the way I wanted it to. So here it is, Flowering Cherry!

Flowering Cherry

My other production this week has been my bronze bracelet.  I have taken pieces of scrap wood foraged on local woodland walks and have cast the pieces in bronze before connecting them into a stylish and unusual piece of jewellery.  Those of you familiar with my work will already know that I'm passionate about organic textures and I can already tell you that a number of rocks and stones from Wembury Beach have been cast and will feature in bronze in my next piece of work along with some gorgeous unpolished gemstones.  I have tried putting a heat patina on to the bronze and it works beautifully, producing fabulous shades of blue and pink, but I think that this will work best on single pendants so again, keep your eye on the website for the launch of the new collection.
Here it is then, Bronze Wood I.

Bronze Wood I

These two pieces have been featured in the Orchid Gallery which forms part of the world-wide Ganoksin Project - an online jewellery community for the whole world, and it has been wonderful to receive some nice comments from members in far flung places.

Anyway, the rest of this week will see me producing even more jewellery, no surprise there! A real treat on Sunday though will be a visit to the Contemporary Craft Fair at Bovey Tracey.  I've been before but couldn't go last year, so I'm really looking forward to seeing the work of other jewellers I admire and am inspired by. I'll let you know all about it next week!

See you then!