Showcase Ireland 2014

I'm currently busy filing orders I took at the trade show, 'Showcase, Ireland' that took place during January at the RDS Dublin.

The show was very busy and great to make new contacts.  I got a lot of interest in my jewellery and blown glass, and some of my jewellery range was chosen for 'The Edit' a curated exhibition of selected jewellery.

Here are some images of my stand.

'Colourscape' handmade beaded necklaces

Trade Fair Mania!

I am doing trade fairs in the next 2 weeks!  The first is Craft in Earl's Court, London.  It opens on Sunday 12th January and runs to Tuesday 14th.  The next is Showcase at the RDS Dublin, starting on Sunday 19th January and running to 22nd.  So needless to say I am and have been very very busy!

I'll be exhibiting my blown glass ranges along with jewellery, and for the first time my full range of 'Colourscape' necklaces.

Canvas Gallery Exhibition, Belfast

I am currently exhibiting a range of glass pieces at Canvas Gallery in Stranmillis, Belfast.  The exhibition, 'Made' opened on Saturday and will run until 16th November.  It's the final exhibition of the 'Making It' group that I have been part of for the last 2 years.  'Making It' is a business start-up programme supported by Craft NI, which gives a studio space, business advice and mentoring.  There were six of us on the programme, all working in a variety of materials and styles.  Therefore the 'Made' exhibition at Canvas Gallery is a really interesting mix of pieces.
The other exhibitors are:
Alison Lowry: Glass
Diane Lyness: Jewellery and precious metals
Eamonn Higgins: Metal
Michelle Stephens: Mixed Media
Katie Brown: Textiles

The exhibition will then move to Craft NI's gallery, Waring Street, Belfast from 2nd -13th December.

Canvas Gallery, Stranmillis

'Eye Candy, Green and Pink' and 'Urchin' in the window

My 'Jelly Beans' and 'Mini-Vases'

Alison Lowry's glass pieces

Necklace by Diane Lyness

Hurricane Lantern by Diane Lyness

'Tree' by Eamonn Higgins

Michelle Stephens

Katie Brown Silk Scarf

Katie Brown

MADE London 2013

I'm just back from 3 full days of exhibiting my work at the MADE London fair at One Marylebone.  It was the culmination of many months of planning and making to show a really cohesive and solid body of work.  I was therefore showing some new work for the first time:

'Jelly Beans'; these are pieces I had made during the summer in Stourbridge and have 2 layers of glass, an interior that is a bright opaque colour and an exterior that is a darker/deeper transparent colour. See previous blog post.

'Mini Vases'; I first made these in 2010 while working in Denmark, but haven't made them since and have now developed a colour range.  See my last blog post.

'Colourscape'; short and extra long necklaces of lampworked beads that show a subtle graduation of colour.  These were very popular, particularly the shorter version!

The fair had a great atmosphere, with lots of brilliantly high-quality work on display, including my boyfriend Adam Frew.

My Stand at MADE London fair

From the top: 'Colourscape' Necklaces, 'Jelly Beans' and 'Eye Candy'

A rainbow of 'Mini Vases', new short 'Colourscape' Necklaces and a muted range of 'Molecule' jewellery

Adam Frew Ceramics stand

Garage Glass

Last week I took a couple of trips to Newtownabbey, just outside Belfast, to blow glass in Brian Kerr's garage...Garage Glass!  I had the pleasure of meeting Brian and his wife Valerie about 6 months ago when Scott Benefield had brought his furnace to Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart.  Brian has taken various glass blowing lessons throughout the UK (such as at the Glass Hub  and World of Glass) and has purchased a Mini-Melt furnace/gloryhole combo unit to keep making, literally in his own back garden!

It's such a rare opportunity for me to blow glass in N.Ireland, so I'm delighted to be able to work at Garage Glass.  I'm currently preparing for Made London fair (which runs from 25th-27th October at One Marylebone) so I got lots of 'Mini-Vases' made this week.

'Mini-Vases' in the Lehr

'Mini-Melt'

Making new work in Stourbridge

Two weeks ago I was in Stourbridge again, blowing some 'Wild Flowers' for the Prince's Trust's Tomorrow Store, due to open in several weeks.  I also had a day making some new pieces at Stourbridge Glassblowing Studio.  I have decided to expand my range of glass pieces and focus on some of the simple and key elements of my style.  I combined the form of my 'Humbug' pieces and did two colour overlay pieces, a transparent over an opaque, you can see the results below.  The portrait shots are by up and coming photographer George Charles Maudsley.

Initial sketchbook plans

Starting off with a lump of solid light blue colour

Layer of clear, molten glass

Dropping on transparent pink for the overlay

'Necking in' (constricting part of the vessel so it can be detached from the blowing pipe)

Ian Bamforth assisting me

Ian blows the piece while I shape and cool it with newspaper

Using Paper Jacks to shape the piece

Opening the vessel

Shaping with newspaper

Using a sofietta to blow out the top

Final shaping before finishing

The finished pieces

Note the contrast between interior and exterior colour

'Making It '11' Exhibition, Bangor

I'm getting ready for a group exhibition which will run for the duration of August.  'Making It 11' is the name of Craft NI's business start up programme, which commenced in 2011 and which placed me at Flowerfield Arts Centre.  There are 5 other participants, who all have completely different approaches to craft so the exhibition at Seacourt Print Workshop in Bangor will show this diversity in a wide variety of works.

The other makers are:
Eamonn Higgins - Steel is Eamonn’s main medium. He pushes, then balances traditional blacksmithing skills with contemporary fabrication techniques, creating an ‘up-cycled’ material unique to him.

Diane Lyness - Diane is a designer and maker who produces unique pieces of fine, handcrafted jewellery and objets d’art, using precious metal, precious and semi-precious stones to make functional 3-dimensional pieces using traditional techniques that show precision and skill.

Alison Lowry - Her work is inspired by her interest in objects and antique Irish textiles. This fascination with lace and embroidery started with some family ‘heirlooms’ - a collection of beautiful and intricate Irish white work hand made by female relatives generations ago.

Katie Brown -Katie uses carefully calculated combinations of dye to add vibrant colour and graphic pattern to fabric, mainly silk. Katie works with screen-printing, combining digital with traditional techniques.  "My prints are inspired by the urban landscape and focus on transforming industrial images with soft, flowing silk"

Michelle Stephens -Her work combines quality craftsmanship and aesthetics with a highly conceptual approach. She utilises laser-cutting alongside woven construction techniques, with potential of adapting work to a variety of architectural and public spaces.

The exhibition opens at 7pm on 1st August and will run until 31st August.
Seacourt Print Workshop, Unit 20, Dunlop Industrial Estate, 8 Balloo Drive, Bangor BT19 7QY
Telephone: 028 9146 0595

Royal Hibernian Academy Exhibition, Dublin

Yesterday I called in to see the Royal Hibernian Academy's Annual exhibition in Dublin.  It's an open submission process so it is an ' unparalleled chance to view work by emerging artists hanging side by side with established artists and RHA members.' There is a huge variety of work on display and some truly amazing pieces of art, including fellow northern glass artist Alison Lowry's 'Dolly Mixture' sculpture.  I was delighted to have another piece exhibited this year, 'Humbug, Purple' which was very tastefully displayed in a mostly monochrome room of drawings and prints.  The exhibition runs until 17th August so there's still plenty of time to see the show!

'Humbug, Purple' set amongst mostly monochrome works

I particularly liked the piece directly beside mine, a nice symmetry of stripes!