Native Makers and New Beginnings
Native Makers was my last event of 2017 and I only realised how tired I actually was when I stopped. What a fantastic way to stop for the Christmas period though. It was such a fantastic event, incredibly well organised and in such a lovely venue at Ocean Studios. The makers were spread over three rooms including the Column Bakehouse and what a talented bunch they were! I nearly always come back from an event having met at least two or three lovely artists/designers who've been manning stands around me. I would like to thank Rosie Drake-Knight and her team for making it a great event to be part of. Here are some pictures taken on behalf of Native Makers during the event, courtesy of Dom Moore.
At the beginning of December I took over a shared studio space at Ocean Studios with my college bestie Jane McEwen who is a fabulous ceramicist, specialising in sgrafitto work. It had been an idea on the back burner for some time but it suddenly took off with great speed once a studio became available!
We were both too busy in the lead up to our final events to be able to shut down our workspaces so that we could pack, however, the Xmas holidays have allowed us to make ourselves at home and yesterday was our first full day of making. We got our priorities straight and the kettle went on! Here's a few pictures of our lovely new space - I've never had so much room to work!
I feel certain that not all of my tools are in the right places yet but as I use them they will find their natural homes.
Jane and I spent a lot of time going around the place with a spirit level - level surfaces are pretty crucial for both of us. Jane uses the slipcasting techniques for some of her pieces and my jesmonite needs to cure on a flat surface. In such an historic building it was slightly more challenging but we got there in the end with much propping of table legs with bits of card!
I was really pleased to make a finished item on my first day and here it is - it's for sale so let me know if you're interested. It's white metal with a white bronze nugget on top. Drop me an email.
