Kitty And Dude, Linzi Ramsden, Anna Creighton, Gavin Marshall, Lucy Roscoe

Following on from yesterdays’ blog, highlighting exhibitors from last weekends’

Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair in Manchester.

Glasgow based ceramic artist Cosima Sempill originates from South Africa and has

a fresh slant on traditional shapes we are familiar with. She uses a fifties palette and

design style to make salt and pepper hand-grenades with flowers on them, or mugs

with guns for handles. For the less military focussed amongst you there are beautiful

bird houses and ceramic jewellery too. More work and items here.

Another ceramic artist is Linzi Ramsden. She is manchester based and creates wall tiles and slab

made pots and vessels.

(photo taken from the M.E.N paper )

Linzi has developed a way of decorating her vessels and wall art with embroidery

and pieces of fabric, and stains them with coloured oxides.

Her pieces retail from £12 to more than £1,000 for a series of vessels. Having a studio in the cities

Craft Centre suits Linzi well. She says “It’s a total community here, like a village within a city,

and the studios are so affordable and inclusive,” she said. “I’m a regionalist and I love being

in Manchester and having my business in the Northern Quarter.

Anna Creighton is the brainchild behind the company Sockees, fun, spongy filled

creatures made from… you guessed it socks ! Kids seems to love them and I also saw

a few adults purchasing one for themselves. Anna also runs courses and coming with

a degree in Embroidery, her stock (or should I say socks) will raise a smile !

I also thought this advertising was pretty clever.

Glassworker Gavin Marshall graduated from Sunderland University in 1999, gaining a BA Hons

in Glass & Ceramics, where he also received an Award for Excellence in Architectural Glass.

He says “I try to keep my designs as simple as possible. I use the texture of everyday materials

or objects to create moulds for slumping the glass over. I base a lot of my wall sculptures

on movement, whether it’s the flow of water or a flock of migrating birds.

Glass is a liquid and I try to use the inherent strengths that the material possesses.”

I thought his pieces were priced very reasonably with items ranging from £40 to a few hundred pounds

and he also takes commissions on through his website, have a look at some examples here.

Lucy Roscoe not only is a fine illustrator, a printmaker and paper sculptor but

she also set up a small printing press in Edinburgh called The Book Tree Press.

It is a press producing hand printed limited artist books and paper works

for purchase and exhibitions. The manifesto for the press is to explore the concept

of a sculptural bookwork inspired by the printed word, and develop publishing and

exhibition opportunities for this medium.

Lucy is interested in referencing such novels as Alice in Wonderland and Noah’s Ark

and fairy tales like The Red Shoes. Beautiful, delicate work.

More designers work this week.