Saturday, 3 July 2010

Back from my break...


...with some new functional tableware. It has been a while since I made serving plates and bowls, and have been getting lots of requests for them lately, so here are a few of the first ones to be released to my shop...


This set is a fun way to serve snacks, sushi or little side orders, and can also be used to hold jewellery or candles. I have been having lots of fun with the bird footprints :)

The next piece is a set of two small poppy serving bowls, designed for snacks such as olives, dips, or dessert.



I have really been enjoying making some tableware since I got home - my drying racks are bulging under the weight of the new pieces I'm making at the moment! I can't wait to get some of them, and the other new pieces I have been working on, out of the kiln :)

Tuesday, 8 June 2010

Flock





Some images from my recent installation, Flock. The piece comprised 100 porcelain swallows with subtle feather imprints in the surface of each, spanning all four walls of the room in which they were installed. It is available to order, and suitable for indoor or outdoor installation.

Sunday, 6 June 2010

Bank holiday weekend arty fun...

Last Saturday, Islington Mill studios Mill24 project had lots going on. We caught Bill Aitchison's fantastic performance/lecture piece on the subject of consipracy theories, and saw the making of a great animation piece by Manchester artist TXLW. Check it out on youtube here - guaranteed to make you smile.


Katie and I had to get into the drawing den as it looked so appealing with its lovely brightly coloured interior...

After that it was a civilised dinner and glass of wine, and then came Sunday's fun at Eurocultured street festival in the city centre...

Loved sneaking a peek at people's sketch books, and watching the artists painting, especially with a lovely beer or two and some good friends :)



There were some great artists there as every year, and it's great to see the wall pieces still there later in the year, brightening up what would otherwise be a pretty dull stretch of road in the city centre. There was some great music on too, with live artists and DJs. Great to see Manchester has so much to offer!

Wednesday, 19 May 2010

Things have been pretty hectic here lately...

It started with an exhibition I was in recently... I'll post some pics soon I promise, but until then I'll keep the subject matter a surprise. I had a huge amount of work to do in the run up to it, and at the same time I was as always ensuring that I had some work for my etsy and foksy shops too. Anyway, here's a pic of one of the new products I made during the madness, my Caribbean leaf bowl with recycled glass. I love the effect of this glaze and glass combination, and am really pleased with my new shape bowl. It's really good to be able to recycle glass too!

The glass makes me think of swimming in calm warm sea... Time to book a holiday I think!

Sunday, 16 May 2010

Summer is nearly here...


And there are some really beautiful things going on in my garden! I love the centre of these African daisies, and they gave me a fantastic opportunity to try out the macro on my new camera.
I can't wait for these next ones to turn into strawberries. I always grow strawberries because they taste amazing when they are freshly picked and organic, and with a bit more space this year, hopefully there'll be plenty.
This last one is like a big soft cushion of pretty white flowers - fabulous!

Saturday, 8 May 2010

Inspiring stuff....

This week I have been really inspired by some wonderful stained glass. I've had an odd run of noticing it everywhere lately, and have taken a few shots to share with you...

These first few were taken from inside a church. I'm not really a religious person, but seeing these reminded me of going to church as a child. I especially loved the next one, with the gorgeous blues and greens in the sky and scenery.

This next one had names in it, and the areas around the lettering had been blocked out so that the names themselves shone when the light caught them. Wonderful.


These ones are of the entrance to my friend's home. The porch itself is absolutely stunning, dark and moody. I'm guessing it's Victorian, just from the sombre feel it has, but feel free to correct me if you think otherwise!

Whilst the entrance looks dark from the outside, when you stand inside it and look out through the glass, it really comes alive. Beautiful!


I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did.
On a more serious note, I have had a couple of odd comments on my etsy shop's feedback lately.... I have a feedback score of 100% positive. However, two people have complained recently that their packages smelled of smoke, despite still giving me positive feedback, and being otherwise happy with their purchases. I want to categorically state that there is no smoking at all in my studio or packaging area. I can't understand how on earth this could have happened. I recently complained to an etsy seller that I felt they were copying my work, and did have a little backlash (coincidence?) whereby a large number of orders were separately placed, but never paid for, and I wonder if this strange feedback is genuine at all. Of course, I have to take it seriously, and taking it to be true, I am absolutely gutted that the recipient were disappointed in that way; the last thing I would ever want is for people to be greeted by the aroma of stale tobacco smoke when they received their item. I feel sure that it has not happened at my end, and with thousands of miles between me and the recipients, it is, I suppose, possible that there was some kind of burning or smoking near to a batch of post that I sent, either at the post office, in the post van, or at the port somehow. But what I do want to say, categorically, to all my customers, is that neither myself nor anyone else would ever smoke here. Even if I wanted to smoke, smoking is illegal in any workplace in the UK, and my own workplace is not exempt from that law, and nor should it be.
I have checked everything I can think of. I did recently change suppliers of my packaging, and I even went sniffing around the boxes that I have in storage to see if they smelled... I'm happy to say that they don't!
Anyway, all I can think of is that there was some strange occurence with that batch between it leaving me and arriving with those two customers. You have my word - no item will ever leave here smelling of smoke.

Wednesday, 5 May 2010

Wedding season continues...


A big thank you to Christine Olson Photography for sharing these fabulous photos that Christine took, using one of my heart shaped lace bowls as a prop.




For any of you who are planning a wedding, Christine is based in Utah, and you can contact her through her website. Some of the pictures there are absolutely beautiful, and I'd definitely recommend having a look around. It is a treat to see the bowl being used in such a lovely way - thank you Christine!