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!

And The Winner Is......

Hi folks!

Yet another busy week draws to a close.  I managed to make a lot of jewellery while my husband was away and yet he doesn't distract me when he's here, but perhaps I feel the need to fill my hours more when he's away! So there's a huge pile for photographing now and now the sun's gone.......harumph....

A sample of what i've been working on this week!

So first of all this week I'd like to thank all of you who took part in last week's competition.  Lots of correct answers, however (drum roll.....) the winner is Lena Smith of Lena Smith Music. Congratulations and a lovely cuff will be on it's way to you this week!

The rest of the entrants will be added to my newsletter list so that they can receive a discount voucher to be used online. If you would also like to receive my monthly newsletter with discounts and special offers and early bird discounts on new collections before they hit the website why not contact me?

So, there's been a lot of deadline meeting this week.  My contract has now been signed and sent for the exhibition at Ordsall Hall, Salford and for selling at the brand new Landing Gallery at Salford Museum and Art Gallery and I've also sent off an application pack for selection for another exhibition so I shall be waiting with baited breath.

For those of you who were concerned for the welfare of the mouse last week, it disappeared without a trace!! Our victorian house has a void underneath, not quite deep enough for a cellar and not accessible to us, so we think that's where it went. At least it escaped the cat!

 

 My very tidy workbench - can't remember when it last looked like that!!

So what are we all up to next week?  Well I need to do my next newsletter and make a batch of earrings as Hannah's at Seale Hayne Gallery have run out! I also need to finish and send all the jewellery up to Manchester and I need to prepare for a workshop I'm running in Liskeard on the 10th August at Cartwheels Craft Centre.  If you would like to book a place, please follow the link.

Ok, thanks for reading and I'll see you next week!

News update!

Hello everyone! Hope you had a lovely Easter whatever the weather where you were.

The last few days have been totally hectic - on Saturday I was at the newly branded Tavi Arts Market in Bedford Square, Tavistock, on Sunday I wrestled a blind into submission and finally up at the window and on Monday and Tuesday I had a delightful student with me.  She was with me to find out a little about working with and colouring aluminium and after much experimentation she finally left for Hertfordshire on Tuesday with a couple of pendants, a couple of cuffs and loads of inspiration and enthusiasm. Good luck with it Libby!  If you would like to find out more about courses just follow the link.

Yesterday I had a phone call from a lovely lady who I'd met at the Arts Market on Saturday and who'd fallen in love with one of my silver pieces.  She wanted to know if I'd still got it and her very kind husband popped over and bought it for her! I was quite sad to see this piece go as it was a favourite of mine! I might make something similar in another colour - what do you think - should I?

I'm currently working on some new designs to show you so I hope you'll like them when they're finished.

I will also be stocking two brand new galleries in the next couple of weeks, Craft Mafia in Nottingham and Porters of Station Road, Bovey Tracey, Devon so I hope you'll check them out when they fling open their doors at the beginning of May.  As well as that I will be restocking Studio 61 in Matlock and Boo Gallery in Northamptonshire with brand new work so pay them a visit if you're in the areas. I'll also be at Crocadon Producer's Fair, St Mellion on April 20th so why not come and see me - you might be able to pick up a discount or two!

So, I'm off now to put my loaves into the oven (I've been inspired by Paul Hollywood!) as the breadmaker is temporarily redundant!

See you next week!

A Golden Weekend!

Yes it's me again!

I'm sitting in a sunny room thinking about my subject matter for this week and noticing that I've missed a bit when cleaning the windows!! A small matter in such a fabulous weekend! 

Now anyone who knows me will testify to the fact that I'm about as unsporty as it gets - a sloth may well be more energetic, so I hadn't really imagined getting quite so into the Olympic Games as I have.  I love a bit of gymnastics and was looking forward to cheering on fellow Plymothians and South Westerners but I really thought that would be it.  Not so!! I have found myself screaming at the TV, willing the last drops of energy out of already super-human beings and generally thoroughly enjoying myself! Not a medal ceremony has gone by without the tissues at the ready! I do appreciate the irony of the fact that this new love of all things sporty has all taken place from my sofa, but it's a start, don't you think?  So proud of all of our athletes, regardless of where they've been placed, they are there by merit, which is more than I'll ever be!

I did have my own personal best on Saturday though.  It was a gold in the 8 and a half hour stand! My first artist's market and I forgot to take a chair. Doh!! 

I was pleased with my stand and met some lovely people and had quite a few sales so all was good, apart from my back at the end of the day!

I've also started working on another couple of collections this week.  Haven't got round to naming them yet so why not make a suggestion for the blue/green cuff?  The golden peachy cuff really has the relate to the phenomenal sporting achievements made this week I think so it will possibly be called Going For Gold, what do you all think?

I don't have a name yet - suggestions??

This is a pretty cuff with shades of turquoise and pale green, looks almost like water so why not have a go at naming this collection yourself?

So what do we think of this one - Going For Gold or Jessica or something else related to the Olympics?

That's it for this week folks - leave em a comment or email me your suggestions - who knows there may even be a little gift involved!!

Important News - Wish Lists and New Collections

Well, plenty of views of last week's blog about Carolyn Saxby's gorgeous work! Good to know I'm not the only person who gets excited about textures/colours!

Last Thursday was my husband's birthday and so we went for a picnic by the estuary near here and were privileged to see an otter happily swimming about and fishing for his tea! On the downside, I was bitten to pieces by some evil insect and spent the next 3 days in agony with massive bites and no sleep!!

Ok, time for some important news (well it was news to me!) - a couple of days ago I was happily adding items to my Amazon Wish List when I noticed that you could download a Universal Wish List button to your favourites bar and add items to your wish list from websites outside Amazon. Great, I thought, now I can add specialist tools and all sorts of jewellery making goodies and so I did.
Later that evening I gave it some thought and realised that my customers could add their longed-for pieces from my collections to their wishlists.  Great, I thought, but then a niggly little thought started squirming about in my poor old brain. 

Wonderful news if you produce multiples, however, not so great if, like me, you only produce one-offs.

I like to change my stock and add new stock regularly on my website so an item added may have disappeared by the time purchase takes place.  Ooops!

I spoke to the lovely Amazon people today and they hadn't really thought about this problem and do not currently notify a vendor that an item has been added to a wishlist although they might look into this for the future. As it's open to all, I don't see how we can opt out of this service if we chose to.

The way I see it is that it is lovely that fans can add our work to their wishlists, but we must make sure that they tell us they have, otherwise an item could already be sold or reserved more than once, leading to embarrassment and difficulties. As makers we can choose to reserve an item for a customer, but we must also then take the risk that the purchase will not be made after all. 

Hmmmmmm, a thinker! I'd really welcome your thoughts on this one.  For the moment, I've put a note on my home page asking fans to let me know if they've put one of my pieces on a wishlist.

Shades of Autumn Collection

So, onto my new aluminium collections!

The first collection was intended to celebrate the gorgeous autumn colours that are just beginning to appear in our landscape.

The collection on the right is vibrant and really looks like neon lights, perfect for that little black dress.

The collection on the left is very pretty and delicate and would suit anyone. They are all available from www.slicksilverjewellery.co.uk


That's it for this week, folks.  Do leave me comments about your feelings on wishlists - look forward to hearing from you.

Neon Lights & Party Nights Collection

Pink Ladies Collection

Colour & Texture Collaboration 2

I would just like to open this week's blog with a word of thanks to our emergency services and police for their stirling work, a hearfelt saddness for lives and livelihoods lost, deep thanks for the social media's tea and broom gangs cleaning up and a profound hope that we can turn all of this horror around.


When I came up with the idea of a collaborative blog featuring the work of artists I admire, I wasn't sure whether it would work or not, but I hoped that it would at least bring those people together in a common cause. I'm pleased to say that this week I have another fabulous knitwear designer's work to share with you.  I first came across Corinne Carr's designs at Gallery Latitude 50 when I was on honeymoon in St Ives in June and was instantly drawn to the colours and textures she uses.  I asked her about her inspiration.

1. Where do you get the inspiration for your designs?

My inspiration for a new design usually comes from wanting something different to wear, going into shops and not finding it. I find that is the trigger for a new shape. People will say, 'Oh I really like that jumper/jacket/cardigan' and it will become part of my collection. Then in terms of colourways, I draw a lot of inspiration from the Cornish countryside. My studio windows overlook the moors of Zennor and I find that the changing colours of the seasons filters through to my knitwear.

2. Is there a craft medium that you've always had a hankering to try your hand at?

I'd always wanted to do printmaking and finally a few years ago I was fortunate enough to be able to borrow a printing press and experiment. I fell in love with the process - the alchemy of it. Of course, you have control when you put the ink on the paper and place in on the press, but then there is a magical moment when the print is free from the pressure of the press and the final image emerges. That transformation that takes place beyond your gaze - beyond your control - is the fascinating part. Unfortunately, with the gallery and my knitwear business growing so much over the past few years, I haven't been able to return to printmaking and develop further. But I have every intention of doing so as soon as I have the time. I have not ruled out trying my hand at painting either!

3. If you could see one famous person wearing your designs, who would it be?

I can think of a few (if I'm allowed)

Ines de la Fressange because she is the epitome of French style and makes everything she wears look absolutely fabulous.

Camila Batmanghelidgh because she loves colour as much as I do and because she is such an inspiration with the work she does for children and I admire her greatly.

And maybe Annie Lennox because she is so stylish and she sang songs I danced to when I was just starting out in design. And because my aubergine 'Feather' cardigan would look amazing with her platinum hair!

. Where can fans buy your work?

My full collection can be found year round at my studio gallery Latitude 50 just outside St Ives and knitwear can be ordered online at www.corinnecarr.co.uk. In Cornwall and the Scillies: Gallery Tresco, Trelowarren Gallery; Trellisick Gallery; Guild of Ten Truro; The Round House Gallery Sennen; The Square Gallery, St Mawes; Wave 7 Gallery, Port Isaac; Mid Cornwall Galleries, Par; UK wide: The National Trust Cotehele Gallery, St Dominc; Heart Gallery, Hebden Bridge; Blue Duck Gallery, Reading; Blue Ginger Gallery, Malvern.

I'll also be exhibiting at these national craft fairs for the first time this year: The Cornwall Design Fair, Trereife House later this month, Made11 Brighton in November and Made by Hand Wales in Newport in December.

 I'm sure that you will agree with me, that Corinne Carr's work is stunning.  Walking into her gallery is like looking at an open packet of Fruit Pastilles - your mouth literally waters at the array of coloured cones of wool lining her work area! Make sure that you visit the gallery at www.gallerylatitude50.co.uk or check out www.corinnecarr.co.uk and start writing that Christmas list.


I asked Corinne to think about autumn colours and I love what she's supplied.  I think that her designs would work really well with some of my own pieces.
The collection on the left is called Stained Fingers from Blackberry Picking and the collection of the right is called Nighttime Reflections in Inky Water.  Both collections are available from my website at www.slicksilverjewellery.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

I've also included a few images of some other pieces which are available from me on request.

This wide cuff is from the Andromeda range and is £39.00 It is approximately 5cm wide.

The choker pendant on the right is also from the Andromeda collection and is £29.00.

I hope that you've enjoyed my blog and that you will add Corinne Carr and Mhairi Wild to your list of 'must haves' (and me too if you like my designs!!)  I shall now toddle off and ferret out another top designer to share with you in the not too distant future.

Inspirations

This week, whilst still exploring and learning about online marketing, I have been thinking about the sorts of things that inspire me.  Really I'm yearning to start making again, but physically my shoulder hasn't recovered enough for that yet - so let's take a look at my inspiration board.  It sits obediently at the side of my workbench and I glance at it periodically, but I'm not entirely sure that I'm using it as I should.  It's covered in pictures I really like, postcards, odd ideas that I've tried (some of them really odd!!), love notes, business cards, application forms, a couple of little paintings by my husband etc, but does all that just make it a noticeboard??? When does a noticeboard become an inspiration board anyway? I feel like it needs to fulfill it's potential by being draped with beautiful swatches, colour charts and the like and perhaps I'm letting it down a little - holding it back as it were.



Reticulated Sterling Silver Pendant
 with Blue Seaglass



So here's the thing. I like having somewhere to keep the bits I don't want to throw away. If I'm really honest, my inspiration comes from what I see outside the house.  I can go into raptures over the colour and texture of an old stone wall, rusty metal, lichen (don't get me started!), the bark of a tree and whilst I don't always try to recreate those textures, I do believe that they show in my work, particularly in my reticulated silver. 

Recently on honeymoon in St Ives we spent a great deal of time in galleries, in fact, there were few we missed in the area.  There are a couple of places that I particularly love that we visited again and previous visits had led me to some designs.  The first is Barbara Hepworth's studio and garden.  Her amazing scultpures immediately make me wish I was at my bench. My other favourite place is the Tate overlooking the beach, particularly out on the rooftop coffee shop on a gorgeous sunny day.  I don't think there's a more stunning view.  Recently I was colouring a sheet of aluminium, and as I've said previously, I'm never quite sure what the final result will be, but as soon as this particular sheet came out of the dye bath I knew what it would be called.  This collection is called The View From The Tate and if you've ever visited the area and seen the amazing light you'll know what I meant.

The View From The Tate Cuff and Pendant (there's also earrings available) and indeed the silver pendant above are all available from me should anyone be interested in buying them by contacting me at info@slicksilverjewellery.co.uk

or through my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/SlickSilver-Jewellery/241037522592328 or you can contact me on Twitter at SlickSilverJ

One final shoutout this week to my lovely Twitter friend S L Jewellery and Accessories.  She wrote a great blog about me but she also makes beautiful wedding jewellery and button bouquets which deserve a look so check out her site at http://www.sljewelleryandaccessories.co.uk/

What A Week That Was!

Well folks, last week I promised to be a more regular blogger and here I am and what a week it's been! If you recall I wrote that I planned to get to grips with my online presence and I have since realised just how little I know. I started off by emailing my good Twitter friend http://www.sljewelleryandaccessories.co.uk/ to ask her what I should do.  She, bless her, sent two very detailed emails about increasing this and that and I didn't understand much of it at all so I realised 'Huston - we have a problem'!!! Now I know when I'm defeated and whilst we didn't have slates and chalk when I was at school, we didn't have computers either so I've acquired my skills through work and play (my greatest skill being shopping!!) so time for some more formal learning.  This came in the form of an ebook from Pete Mosley called Make Your Creativity Pay which I duly read and which was very good.  It explained the whys and wherefores of having a good web presence from a creative perspective. So far, so good. Another Twitter friend http://www.shellybobbins.blogspot.com/ asked me if I would like to be involved in a feature on her 20,000 visitor celebratory blog and of course I said yes and donated a couple of pieces of jewellery for her to give away as a prize.  This kind of took the brakes off!!! As a result my Twitter account was getting a lot of action and it was pointed out to me that I only had a Facebook group and not a page where people could like my work.  Oh dear I confess that I got into a bit of a kerfuffle and made things a lot more complicated than they needed to be which resulted in a telephone call from Shelly and her daughter who talked me through putting it all right - they shall be sainted! Anyway as a result I have a bright shiny spanking new Facebook page where you can 'like' me! http://www.facebook.com/pages/SlickSilver-Jewellery/241037522592328  Poppies Wide Cuff http://slicksilverjewellery.co.uk/A200.htm  I am now drowning in a weighty tome about online marketing which should keep me out of mischief whilst my shoulder continues to mend. Onwards and upwards with my jewellery though and I've been asked if I make aluminium rings and I didn't before but I shall in the future so look out for those and one of my cuffs was featured on http://www.guildedgems.co.uk/ so all in all an exciting but exhausting week!