Country Living Spring Fair and BCTF, Harrogate

I promised to write a post after the Country Living Spring Fair but I was rather negative for at least a week as the show was disappointing (to say the very least!) and I didn't want to moan too much!  I had very high expectations for this show and the cost of the stand plus food and accommodation in London made it very expensive so just to break even would have been okay.  The visitors wowed and oooh'd and aah'd at my work  but very few actually bought.  People were going away to think about buying a few cards so the chances of taking a reasonable amount of money at the show were looking doubtful from the very start.  On the positive side my work was very well received and I am trying to take a few positives from the show rather than dwell on the negatives (not easy!).

By the time BCTF came around I was feeling ever so slightly less grumpy and had not really thought too much about the show other than what I was taking and how my stand would look.  I really enjoy doing this show as I am surrounded by the loveliest makers and it's a great chance to have a catch up and see what everyone has been up to.  So what can I say, expectations were pretty low due to the economy and the number of galleries which have closed in recent months and I had a fantastic show!  I was overwhelmed by the number of galleries selecting work and also the compliments that I received from other exhibitors.  In the end I had a small number of pieces left (and I took a lot!) and have already received orders after the show before I have even done any follow up.  So all in all it's been a roller coaster few months but I have come out the other side feeling much more confident about the direction in which I am going and with so many ideas for the future along with some exciting new opportunities....watch this space....

They're not seedheads!

Just a quick post as I haven't posted for a while...thought I would share a few almost finished pieces....of pears!!!

They still need stitching etc. to finish off and will be framed in a lovely dark brown frame just in time for Country Living Spring Fair in March.

Doing!

Finally I feel like I am getting somewhere!  I have started quite a few new pieces of work this week in some new colours (mainly blue) and am really please with how they are going.

I decided to do a bit of a stock check whilst they were drying and breathed a sigh of relief as I already have quite a few pieces wrapped and ready to go to Country Living Spring Fair.  It's amazing how many pieces you can store in a plan chest!  So I felt a little more relaxed knowing that I could just concentrate on the new work to go on the walls.....as I only have a 3m x 1m stand with 1 open side they need to be big eyecatching pieces so I am planning on creating 2 big canvas'......

this one is in the first stage of production and is the width and nearly the whole length of my printing table so it's going to be big!  This image is the reverse of the fabric stretched onto my table and has been drawn into with dye and also printed.  It will go in the steamer tomorrow and have it's first wash and then on with the next process.

I am also about to start a commission for a hotel who want five large pieces of work for their reception and dining area (for mid March!) and have been contacted by a new gallery regarding an exhibition in June/July so things are going a bit crazy lately.

I will post some more pictures once these pieces are a stage further and I haven't forgotten about the sketchbook pages that I promised to show you....maybe next week!

If anyone wants to sign up for my newsletter to receive occassional updates about exhibitions, events etc. you can subscribe on my website here and if you like my work and would like to vote for me in the craft and design Selected awards please click here....much appreciated!

Preparation and planning

 

I have spent this morning planning the colour schemes for the work that I will be taking to Country Living Spring Fair and British Craft Trade Fair.  I don't normally plan in this way but I often find that I have lots of work in certain colours and would like to ensure this time that I have a range of colourways and an even mix.  I am only selecting the colourways that are right for my work and that I normally use anyway but I am always looking at interior and fashion magazines and this just seems like a good way to collate all of the images that I have torn out because I like the texture/colour/pattern.  You can't get away from the fact that certain colours sell well when they are in fashion and whilst I would hope that my work will stand the test of time I don't think it can harm to keep an eye on trends and fashions as these are usually the colours that galleries/shops/magazines are looking for and requesting because they are current.

I have put this sheet up on my wall as a constant reminder as to what I am aiming for as I find it all too easy to digress and whilst I usually enjoy letting my work flow and evolve I am working to a pretty tight deadline and want to get this just right.

So I have planned my colourways and have so many images and ideas in my head of how I want each piece to look I just need a quiet few hours to get some of these onto paper.  If I am feeling brave I might put some sketch book pages on here too.....

Transfer Printing Part 1

Finally back in the studio today after an extended Christmas break!  I decided to ease myself back into things with a fun morning transfer printing as I have a few bags to finish for an exhibition at the end of January and I have decided to decorate them with some transfer printed satin.  I am always excited by the possibilities of transfer printing but never seem to have enough time to fully explore it's different methods of application so I have decided that this is one of the areas I am going to explore further this year.  For those of you unfamiliar with transfer printing it is when disperse dye is applied to paper (endless possibilities for doing this!) and once dry is ironed onto fabric (manmade).  I am planning to try different resists and today decided to use a dried piece of plant from my garden....here are the results..

 ...can't wait to try some more of the things that I have collected and to take these pieces further.

Country Living Spring Fair

I have had an enforced day at home today as my son is off school poorly so I have been catching up on a bit of planning and as usual ended up surfing the net.  I visited the Country Living Spring Fair website and had a moment of nervous excitement as I discovered my details had been added; it was only my name and address but it really doesn't take much!  It made me realise how near the event actually is and whilst I am looking forward to it I still have a huge amount of work to do.  It's so difficult to judge how much work to take as well; probably dependant on what will fit in the car; as I would hate to not take enough but must try and select the right things.  I am also going to order a new set of stationery and packaging with my fab new(ish) logo, designed by the very talented Michael Barrett aka emelbi, so everything works together on the stand.

I am looking forward to finishing some new pieces off when I get back in the studio....pears!  I started studying these before the Christmas rush kicked in and discovered some interesting new ways of printing off my screens coated in thickened dye using simple paper resists and printing and overprinting.  I just need to apply the devore paste and a little more dye and I will share them with you.


Before I go here are a few interesting blogs that I discovered today:

http://moobaacluck.blogspot.com/

http://ukhandmade.co.uk/


Happy surfing!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone! I am looking forward to a busy 2011 and can't wait to set to work on all of the new ideas I have for Country Living Spring Fair and British Craft Trade Fair. I have started by writing a list as usual......it just makes me feel like I have made a start! I am making only 2 new years resolutions this year:

The first is to not take on too much....easier said than done! I am prone to loosing track of how much I have achieved and concentrating a bit too much on what I haven't and this can cause me to try and cram in too many things. The Christmas break has been a good opportunity to look back on the past few years and see how far I have come; 2011 is a year for enjoying where I am now and really getting the most out of my creativity without putting myself under too much pressure.

The second is to try and blog more...this is a recurring theme! I am going to attempt a new post a week (at least) to try and form a visual diary of my year; what I have created, what has inspired me, who I have discovered and what exhibitions and events I have been a part of.

But for now I am calling it a day. It's been a really rewarding day working with teachers from Reinwood School prior to my creative partnership project there this term but a full on start to the year...bye for now.