Screen printing

I am gradually getting back into the swing of things after the summer holidays and have started on some new screen printed work today so thought it would be a good day to add a few pics to the blog.  I had a busy day on Friday getting all of my images prepared and exposed onto screens ready to start printing today (lots of lovely mark making with lids, sticks...whatever came to to hand!).  I bought some new fabric to  start on this collection of pieces as it will form the start of a new range of work, ready for the Country Living Christmas Fair in Harrogate, so it needed to be readily available when more is needed.  I will be taking all of my original devore pieces to the show but wanted to add to this with the more affordable work (Christmas present prices!) which has proved popular in the past, such as the printed applique work.

This pile is the order in which everything arrived, and the order in which I picked each colour.  I started off with sensible shades and as you can tell everything just got brighter and brighter!  Here are a few pictures of the process...

 

I have been having fun printing and over printing ready to cut the fabric up and piece together into some lovely, bright lavender bags and artwork in mounts.  Here's one I made a couple of months ago as a tester for something with a winter theme...

I will post some more pics when I have finished some more designs in the brighter colourways but will just leave you with a picture of an old letterpress drawer which is going to make a rather nice display for my badges etc with a bit of tlc......

And then it was gone...

No sooner had I got the gallery all organised than it was almost empty again.  Most of the work, 14 pieces to be precise, has gone to The Arc in Chester along with the full range of prints, cards and a selection of mini pictures.  The whole point is to get work out into the galleries and sold but I do like it when my little gallery space is bursting at the seams with work and I can show people a range of work.  Of course the only answer is to get working on some new pieces...such hardship!

I have also started planning for Christmas and will be in full production of screenprinted goodies over the summer ready to get selling in the Autumn.  I have to find things in the summer that I can do from home with the long school holidays so I will be exposing some screens at the studio and setting up a little studio in the kitchen to print away at home....I might even get printing in the garden if we ever see the summer this year!

So, for now, I am getting up to date with orders and exhibitions, the to do list is gradually getting shorter and I can see the July finishing post in sight.  I have dropped my three pieces of work at Holmfirth Artweek which starts this Sunday and a collection of cards and badges and have made a start on pieces for new exhibitions, so all that's left now is to get the studio tidy and I will be something resembling organised...surely not???

I will leave you with a glimpse of the sun taken in a lovely woven structure in the gardens at Dunham Massey, lets hope it reappears again soon...

Gallery

I've had a sort out in the new gallery space and it's looking almost how I want it so here are a few pictures taken using the Instagram app on my phone...

Been busy.....

So it's been a while, no surprise, since I wrote last and I have moved to a new studio...again!  I had just about got myself organised when my husband, who had the office above (and connected to) my workshop decided he could no longer manage without central heating and informed me that he had spotted a lovely old building up for rent.  So....to cut a long story short we are now in the centre of Gomersal, opposite the Co-op!  Mark has a smaller office at the front of the building next to my 'gallery' room and I have the studio which runs the length of the building.  We have a kitchen area and small outdoor space at the back and it seems to be working rather well, and it's WARM!  We have the luxury of central heating and I have found this makes a huge difference to drying times and the central location means lots of passing visitors.  We are excited about getting some lovely banners and signage outside the building, hopefully next week, and I will take some photographs then.  Even though we have been here since the end of January I am still not quite organised (shock!) but have finally got the gallery area to a point where I am happy with it so I am getting there.

One of the reasons for taking so long to get organised in the new space is that I did the British Craft Trade Fair again in April and got a pleasing amount of orders from the show meaning that I am extremely busy until the end of July (see website for more!).  It certainly seemed quieter than in previous years but new enquiries and order increased so I think the genuine buyers were still there!

Well I think I have rambled enough for one post and I will try my very best not to leave it as long in the future.

I will leave you with an image of a new piece of work that I am really pleased with...