Media City, Salford Quays, Manchester.
On sunday the weather was so crisp and the sky so blue that we decided to have a stroll
around the all new Salford Quays Media City complex in Manchester.
A quick scoot around the Lowry, across the bridge and onto Media City via the new swingbridge
which looks like jets flying into the sky and is very impressively finished and constructed.
Hope there’s not too many images, but it was a lovely day.
There was an amazing structure of shiny metallic tubes in a semi circle from a project
called Aeolus by Luke Jerram.
More images about the project below and of the amazing new media centre building too.
The interactive table tops acted like giant I-pads and not only showed the internet
but you could play games on them and were generally just pretty damn impressive.
Crafty Fishink. Make, do and mend.
I’ve lost quite a bit of weight over the last year from careful eating and more exercise,
so when I came to get out my favourite winter sweaters, well they drowned me and
looked ridiculous, erm picture a match in a tee cosy, yeah right, well almost lol.
Now I’m a great believer in recycling. I’m also a little cunning, careful and craft driven
when it comes to rethinking how to make the most from a given situation.
It wasn’t worth donating the sweaters to charity as the elbows had worn thin but I did want
a new hot water bottle cover, as the need was increasing to make use of one over these cooler
November evenings. I had a brainwave. I checked that the cotton and wool content
of the jumpers were high, ie over 75%, threw them into the washing machine
and put them on a hot 90 degree wash. They reacted as I’d hoped, coming out from the washer
like some toddler versions of the ones I’d put in. The fibres had also felted together,
becoming denser and much thicker in structure, perfect for my needs.
Without making a pattern (as I’m a little random like that sometimes),
I cut the jumper up the sides and placed them front to back, allowing one to fall a few inches
lower than the other. Then curved the back piece over the front and cut around the bottle,
using it as a guide, leaving a good inch all round and a few inches straight from the neck upwards.
I then sewed the two sides together forming a pouch inside the structure (with the back piece)
and letting the original front of the jumper form the bottom front edge of the bottle cover.
I turned it right side out, placed the bottle inside and pushed the long neck shape back in
on itself to cushion the neck of the bottle. Allowing access for filling but giving it padding too.
Perhaps these drawings will help, or only help to confuse you further lol
Because the fabric had matted together so well, there was no need to finish off any raw edges.
Getting into the whole craft thing, I even cut some bird shapes out of the remains of the jumper,
added a small leather loop to the back and made some unusual knitted christmas tree decorations,
with very little fuss and in very little time too !
I then went on to make myself an artists leather wallet for carrying my sketchbook and pencils.
Using another piece of the jumper to add a degree of padding and protection for the book.
Quite a productive morning of recycling.
The new Green Man, from our trip to Holland earlier this year, appeared to be happy too.
Emily Sutton . New illustrations and Exhibitions Autumn 2011
Another favourite Illustrator of mine is Emily Sutton, I’ve spoken about her work before here.
She has a wealth of new work thats just appeared and I’ve included some older pieces from on her site.
She’s influenced by such greats as Bawden and Ravilious and you can see their qualities above too.
I wondered if some of these were Emily’s homage to Ravilious’s series High Street and why not !
There are some amazing buildings around, which should be captured in this way before they’re
taken down in the name of ‘progress’.
More high street references and even some from Italy.
Emily has also been busy decorating book covers for Faber and Faber as shown on Print and Pattern,
and illustrating a book called Clara Button and the Magical Hat Day by Amy de la Haye.
Rich, beautiful, creative and sophisticated work, a credit to the British Illustrators working in the UK.
Godfrey and Watt are a gallery based in Harrogate and are having an exhibition of Emily Sutton and
Mark Hearld’s work from 12th til the 20th November. The gallery is open between 12 and 4pm, map and
details here. Samples of the new work to expect from Mark below.
News just in from my lovely friend Bryony is that there’s a new exhibition of Emily’s work taking place
in Edinburgh at The Scottish Gallery between the 3rd and the 24th of December.
More info and a selection of her work here and below. Get over there and give yourself a treat !
I stumbled across the work of Dawn Machell today and really like her style and thought processing.
She is a freelance designer with a background in garment construction and works for companies such
as Mamas and Papas to create some amazing child-centred designs.
Dawn is a busy mum and a witty writer. Many of her creations come about due to real life events.
You can see what I mean on her pop-i-cok blog.
There’s a real talent at work here, and Dawn I hope you get to write that children’s book one day !
In a similar area is fellow designer Wendy Burns. She has been working in the children’s design field
for about 16 years now. With clients such as George at Asda, Next, Bhs, Mothercare, Boots you can see
why her work is popular.
She is a retail expert when it comes to Childrenswear and can work across print, weave, knit
and embroidery disciplines to fulfil her clients wishes.
I particularly like her wacky robots above and wide eyed woodland creatures below.
More creative work on Wendy’s blog.
Many thanks to Dawn and Wendy for letting me show you their creative designs on Fishinkblog.
Laura Weston . Printing in animation
I met Laura Weston a couple of weeks ago and immediately connected with her work. It turns out that
we went to the same foundation college and had the same teachers about two years apart.
What I enjoy in her relief prints, is the beautiful sense of colour and line.
When she’s not busy teaching Animation at Staffordshire University, being a mum then she finds time to
start new work. She initially creates sketches which then turn into limited edition relief prints.
Either through screen printing or cutting vinyl plates that will go to construct a completed image.
She has a beautiful range of prints and cards available for sale in her shop. Have a browse today.
Annabelle Morley has even animated parts of Laura’s work.
How lovely to see your art come to life !
Blackpool . A chance visit.
If someone said to me where would you like to go today, then I’m afraid to say that
Blackpool wouldn’t usually be very high on my list. However a friend of mine had reason
to go there yesterday so I tagged along to see how it had changed.
I’ve never been a fan of theme park rides. Nor ‘kiss me quick’ cheap plastic bits ‘n’ pieces
that I associate with old and often ‘faded from their heyday’ seaside towns. Blackpool from
memory, wasn’t planning on delivering any surprises to me.
But I think good fortune struck in the form of the sunshine, strong and bright and lit up the finer details
that I’ve taken here. Back in 2010 the council had spent a whopping £87 Million on a totally new
sea-front promenade, and they did a good job ! The sand coloured stone steps twist and snake
their way long the whole of the sea front, giving a beautiful set of curves that catch the sun.
We headed to Blackpool Tower which was opened to the public in 1894, and went in search of the
Tower Ballroom because the great grandfather of the friend I was travelling with, had worked
on the ceiling ! Blackpool Tower Ballroom was designed by the legendary Edwardian theatre designer
Frank Matcham and first opened its doors in 1899. It famously features the mighty Wurlitzer Organ.
We went inside not knowing what to expect. To say elaborate would be a considerable understatement.
We we’re lucky to catch the last waltz, which was literally the last dance of the afternoon. It did feel
quite amazing sitting in that huge space watching couples, totally lost in the music, whirling around
the floor like they would have done there for over a hundred years. Again some lovely details.
A last walk back along the seafront and time to head home. A pleasant surprise, was had by all and
thanks for the weather, that literally made me see Blackpool in a new light ! lol.
This is how it would have looked back in the late 1890’s.
Welcome to part 3, the final instalment of the GNCCF review for 2011.
Let’s start with some rich textural work from Clare Lane.
Clare says ‘ I record the physical environment through drawing, painting and photography and then
transfer selected images to a computer where they are layered and digitally manipulated.
Blocks of colour are “painted” into the piece, detail is emphasised and sometimes perspective is drawn
out or elements repeated, playing with depth and pattern. The completed montage is printed onto a
textile surface, which is itself a pliant material. The final process of stitching texture and line back
into a piece brings out a three dimensional quality, an echo of the source.
Next up is Julia Jowett, the last of the wire work artists I’m featuring in this review.
Echoes of Jane Austin and lovely free line drawings of birds are combined to create layered and
creative framed images.
Julia describes her work as mixed media illustrative pieces inspired by folk tales, legends
and surreal imaginings. There’s a real passion and connection to the work when you meet her in person.
Sarah Cant is an American milliner and textile artist based in England.
She has exhibited her work at Origin, The Chelsea Craft Fair, London Fashion Week,
The Designer Wedding Show, Lustre, Hereford Contemporary Craft, and The Contemporary Craft Fair
at Bovey Tracey. Her pieces feature in the international fashion press as well as in craft galleries
throughout the U.K. Sarah is also the Course Leader for the HNC in Millinery at Kensington and
Chelsea College and teaches regular short courses at West Dean College.
Lara Aldridge Glass , is a design partnership specialising in large scale architectural kiln formed
art glass installations. Established in 1994 , it is the premiere kiln forming company in the uk.
Beautiful creative pieces for the home or business. A quick mention for Claire Armitage who’s print
and coloured scarves were floaty, delicate and with beautiful prints, sadly I didn’t get a chance to talk to
Claire personally as her stand was full of customers, a good sign !
One of the more unusual stands appeared in the form of ceramics from Piret Kandler from Estonia.
Unusual, in so far as the variation of products on the stand. All beautifully created and so much that
made me smile, but for me perhaps too many shapes and textures which gave the stand a ‘pick and mix’
confused feel. Piret has a great deal of skill and obviously a great many ideas that she wants to make.
Finally I must give another mention to one of my favourite embroidery designers Linda Miller.
I covered Linda’s work last year at this event, but it never fails to make me smile and has such a fresh,
vibrant and wholesome feel to her creations that it seemed a logical conclusion. I asked Linda where her
inspiration comes from and she said, ” I observe people and make embroideries from my findings whilst
also creating images that I’d like to be a part of. ” Well it looks a fab place to escape to lol.
Superb work as ever Linda. Thanks to everyone for their time and patience in making this week’s
postings possible, and if you’re craving more high end craft then think about Made By Hand.
I know Tone Von Krogh will be exhibiting. It’s on at Tredegar House in Newport, South Wales
from the 2nd til the 4th December. Click on the link here for more information and an exhibitor list.
The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair 2011 Review Pt 2 . David Ashby , Emma Burton , Kate Lulham , Kylie Coles , Katy Mellor , Cathy Miles .
Part two of what was a wonderfully inspiring event in Manchester over the last weekend.
I’ll start off showing you some quirky hand made ceramics from maker David Ashby.
Based in Nth Yorkshire, David was a great smiley guy to chat with and his intricately incised and
decorated range give a positive message to all who encounter it. Subtle blues and greens sit against
sharp reds and soft creams. With phrases like ‘ Be brave, be messy, be loud, be strong … leave ripples’
We can all get the chance to allow ourselves to be creative and let out inner children out again lol
Emma Burton had a beautiful range of scarves, cushions, purses and garments which had all been
digitally printed. She is inspired by everything from retro plastic paraphanaleia to nature and explores
patterns, textures and colour within and around these themes.
New to the show was Kate Lulham who makes scenes from her childhood memories of everyday life
into contemporary keepsakes using painted metals and wire-work.
Kate remembers giving theatre shows to her parents with her siblings and you can see where
those early days have led her as she now gives shows for us. katelulham@mac.com for more info.
Working in the same field is english metal smith Cathy Miles. She creates fun and amusing birds and
beasts and is keen to continue experimenting with the possibilies of different scales and mediums.
Katy Mellor was showing a rich range of knitted accessories. Her stand looked like a public school
changing room and had a fun mix of sombre greys with ochre, orange and pink highlights and ribbons.
Gloves, scarves and all kinds of knitted covers could be seen, even mug cosies !
Cheshire based Wood worker Kylie Coles uses a combination of British reclaimed wood with layers of
recycled magazines to create variations in colour and line. Her bowls are carefully turned on a lathe
and the results are both smooth and pleasing to handle.
Again many thanks to everyone who kindly gave of their time to allow me to bring these images to you.
Part three still to come !
We’ve had a busy few days exhibiting work and selling the ‘ Craig and Tone ‘ range of ceramics at the
GNCCF in Manchester over the weekend. Here’s how the stand looked.
We had some sales and great feedback, with some interest from galleries who would like to exhibit a
selection of the range, which is encouraging news.
Pieces are still available to purchase from our Etsy Shop. Tone’s solo work was popular too of course,
and she had new pieces in the form of teapots. You can find her work for sale here.
More beautiful pieces in the form of coastal ships and cottages from Goodwin-Jones Ceramics.
This talented couple have moved from our Cornish shores over to Brittany and still return every two
months to stock galleries with their beautiful work. There are possible plans for more French inspired
seaside cottages and cafes.
Textile artist Dionne Swift was on the next stand to Tone’s, with an intriguing combination of cards,
broaches, wall art and textile backed journals, all printed onto felt with abstract shapes. She is based
in Holmfirth in W. Yorkshire and offers a range of workshops on the textile printing side.
Strong, masculine and angular jewellery was the theme from Sheffield based Chris Boland.
Wonderful pieces constructed from natural stone and crystals for men and women.
Light and colourful ceramics from Brighton based maker Ken Eardley. Ken has new work on his stall
this year in the form of cake stands and wonderful platters.
Janie Withers and Michael Hanmer had a stand full of subtle coloured and winter focussed weaves
and knitted scarves, tea cosies, purses and water bottle covers. They now work from a studio near to
Nottingham in the Harley Foundation Studios which look a fantastic place to work and be inspired.
More colourful jewellery was on show at Jenny Llewellyn ‘s stand. Jenny graduated from Middlesex
University in 2007 and has taken her organic, silicone creations to weird and wonderful heights.
I will be posting more of my discoveries from the Contemporary Craft Fair over this coming week, so
come back for more amazing work. Many thanks to everyone whom I spoke to during the show
who were kind enough not only to tell me about themselves and their work,
but to also let me take images to show on here.
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