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.
Jared Andrew Schorr . Stencil Artist
Jared Andrew Schorr is an illustrator working and living in Southern California.
He specializes in creating whimsical and surprisingly detailed work entirely from cut paper.
He received his BFA in illustration from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. His work
has previously appeared in the New York Times, Good Magazine, WIRED, and on living room walls
around the world. There’s a great sense of friendly fun and humour in his work.
I like his Valentine Viking. Lots more info on Jareds’ blog and in his Super Cool Spy Club shop on Etsy.
Oliver Jeffers New Books and ideas
Just came across some great video’s of Oliver reading his book ‘ Stuck ‘ here.
He’s got a busy schedule planned for promotion and will be in NZ and OZ next year, as well as the USA
see the tour guide to see where and when. In the meantime here’s some reminders of what makes his
work amazing. Unusual to see him using more collage work in his illustrations.
You can even get an interactive iPad Picture Book App which looks like great fun. See below for a demo.
Oliver has also been busy illustrating Noah Barleywater Runs Away by John Boyne who wrote
The Boy In The Stripped Pajamas and reviewed by The Guardian last year here..
Great to see so much creativity. Check out more on Olivers’ site here and an earlier post too.
A very happy 100th anniversary to Mary Blair today, here’s a post about her work here.
The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair approaches !
It’s all go here as we make preparations for the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair.
It’s a fantastic event taking place over three days Friday 21st til and including Sunday 23rd October.
Fri 10am til 7pm, Sat 10am til 6pm and Sun 10am til 5pm, and just £6 payable on the door. It’s based at
Quay House, Quay Street just off Deansgate, Manchester and next door to the Opera House. (See here.)
There’s over 120 designer makers. I’ll be on Tone Von Krogh’s stand on saturday so please pop by,
introduce yourself and say hello (stand 021 Room 1).
We’ll be showing our ceramic range at it’s first ever professional show. Exciting times !
I was up late last night, burning the midnight oil designing cards and printing off birds to decorate
the stand with tomorrow. Hope to catch up with some of you on saturday or if it’s not near to you, please
check out the ceramics on our website here. New jugs and vases to be added soon.
The Cheshire Food Festival and Craft Fair. Fishink Stall
I was surrounded by Design and Craft at the weekend. Walton Hall was a lovely setting to host the
Cheshire Food Fair and combined Craft Fair and there was plenty to see.
Maud Telastuo had some beautiful alternative accessories for the ladies. This is her stall.
This is my own stand ‘ Fishink ‘ and you can find my stationery items here, and ceramics here.
I’ll be selling at the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair friday til sunday this week
in Manchester, it’s a fantastic event with over 120 designer makers. I’ll be on Tone’s stand on saturday
so please pop by introduce yourself and say hello (stand 021 Room 1).
We got a small mention here on Indie Quarter blog.
Some interesting papier mache figures on Love Domini’s Stall, and some fab quirky ceramics from
Lisa Marsh trading as Betty Raspberry.
Buttons and decorated Peg Dolls from Nico Dawson, trading as Ophelia Button.
Nico also works for the Manchester Craft Mafia, and they’re always looking for new craft inspired
members so get in touch. Beautiful work from Laura Weston, who’s work I’ll blog about in more
detail soon and a couple of Broaches from Anna Wright who takes hand made orders
by contacting her on 01663 745822.
Lovely american inspired fabrics on the Stitch Me Lane site on Folksy.
Not photographed were sock monkeys from Ev K Kreations and handmade jewellery from Cee Gee.
Check out the interesting work with plants from The Clorofilas, who are also Manchester based.
Thanks to Jane and Jennifer for their organisational skills and smiles. A sun filled weekend.
biroRobot. Two sisters who illustrate success
biroRobot are two sisters, Elena and Lisa Gomez who have been ‘biroRobot’ for just five weeks !
Now based in leafy Surrey they have a great back history as Lisa used to work for Paperchase
as a designer and now she also creates for herself under the name of Apples and Bears.
Whereas Elena is a Children’s book illustrator, who also works with her brother doing 3D Modelling
in this great company Bandito.
It’s easy to see that this talented pair have entered the professional print market already running,
with such beautiful images, you’d be well advised to purchase something from their Etsy shop
before it’s all gone.
There’s also a colourful blog that talks about their design likes and those people they hold in
high esteem. A fab start to you both, I look forward to watching you grow and grow.
Henrietta Corbett studied Sculpture and Print at Wolverhampton Polytechnic
where she was taught by the Artist Anish Kapoor.
Being a textile designer, I’m drawn to her textures, colour and sense of line.
She says ” The Rural landscapes of Leicestershire and South West Ireland are the inspiration for my
recent imagery. Time spent at the Cill Rialaig Artists Retreat in Co. Kerry, has had an enormous
impact on my work, not only visualy but creatively. The limited resourses in this isolated location
has proved an invaluble experience “.
” Animal tracks, black peat fields and the errosion of ‘weather beaten’ land, all have a certain beauty,
that taken out of context can lend their patterns to abstract interpretation of landscape shapes “.
Her crows and simplicity of landscape blend together effortlessly and take the viewer on their own flight.
Henrietta is also a skilled Sculptor and works her rough, rusted, metallic forms into familiar objects
such as birds and people, which also feel weathered and beaten like the land.
Exhibitions
2012
Solo Show, Brewery Art Centre, Kendal, Cumbria (touring to Bluecote Gallery Liverpool)
Solo Show, Ropewalk Gallery, North Lincolnshire
St Davids Studio Gallery, Pembrokeshire
2011
Twenty Twenty, Christams Show, Much Wenlock, Shropshire
Lund Gallery, North Yorkshire
Atelier Rose & Gray, Bury, Manchester
Twenty Twenty, Summer Show, Much Wenlock, Shropshire
Visual Arts Scotland, Annual Exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
Printfest, (Prize Winner), Ulverston, Cumbria
North House Gallery, Centenary Show, Mannigtree, Essex
Devon Guild of Craftsmen, ‘Up Close’ UK Print Show, Bovey Tracey, Devon
Look out for her work appearing near you in the coming months.
Adatine . Accessories for Grownup Children.
Adatine means ‘pincushion’ in Lithuanian, which is this companies native language.
They create such beautiful and sparky characters that I thought I’d share them with you.
Natural, simple, comfortable and stylish is how they promote themselves, and their amusing animals
can be purchased here. They also create children’s clothing but I think their ‘accessories for grownups’
are the real show stealers, and the creative photography is also a credit to their hard work.
Fun for all ages, and no shy mermaids here lol
If you liked these little fellows check out my older posts of similar work, here, here and here.
Cheshire Food Festival and The Great Northern Craft Fair
This is a quick reminder to those of you who may live in old blighty and around the north west
this coming weekend. I’m attending a Craft event held at the historical Walton Hall in Warrington
as part of the Cheshire Food Festival.
Here is a voucher you can print off to get a little off the entrance fee, do pop by and say hello.
The following week and specifically 20th til the 23rd, I’ll be showing my ceramic work with
Tone Von Krogh at the Great Northern Craft Fair. Tone can be found on Stand 021 in Room 1.
There are over 130 exhibitors showing work covered by Ceramics, Glass, Jewellery, Paper,
Metal, Wood, Textiles, Lighting and some beautiful items that could well be that early christmas
present you were hoping to find (for yourself!).
For those readers who are slightly farther from the UK you can still find my ceramics here and my
stationery items here.
Lev Tokmakov . Russian Childrens’ Illustrator
There’s an amazing blog by Will Schofield where the inspiration for this post on Soviet Illustrator
Lev Tokmakov has sprung from. These illustrations are taken from a 1973 book called
‘ Fairy Tales about Animals ‘. They have a beautiful watercolour feel to them as though they’re
paintings from ceramic surfaces.
There’s such expression in the faces of the animals and an underlying darkness that reminds me of
Aesop’s Fables.
Thanks to irtroit for the wolf image here. The four lower illustrations are taken from another book
called ‘ Katya in Toy City ‘ from 1973, and taken from the russian site Da-zdra-per-m.
More biography info about Lev available on this translated page here.
fishinkblog.com 
