So, I’ve been busy doing something totally new and thoroughly enjoying myself. An invitation to submit something for Spirals Summer Day’s Exhibition and a growing interest in birds has led to me developing a completely new range. Here are the first of my Abundant Birds.
The birds are now all on display on my website.
Thursday 8th October – Thursday 15th October
One of the joys and frustrations of handmade work is that every item is a tiny bit different. Occasionally too different! For every kiln full of coasters I make there is always one that does not obey the rules and ends up a strange colour, with small marks or bits missing at the edges. These are my “seconds”. Over the last year I’ve collected quite a few and am planning to sell them over the next week.
The Plan
The plan is that over the next week I will post images of my seconds coasters on Facebook. I will do my best to photograph them accurately. It is up to you to zoom in and see the flaws. All coasters will sell for £5 each. For orders £10 or over postage is free. If you want a coaster simply write “sold” underneath its image. At the end of the week I will add together any coasters you have ordered and send you an invoice.
I also have a few too many of some of my prints – I got a bit over enthusiastic with orders in preparation for events I was selling at. These prints are available online for the reduced price of £25 each rather than the usual price of £45.
The Creative Glass Society is creating a wall of glass postcards for the 2015 International Festival of Glass being held in Stourbridge this May. 180 members of the CGS have produced their own response to a call for a 15 x 10 cm postcard. Here is mine.
Stoodley Pike
My glass postcard shows Stoodley Pike which sits on the moors above Todmorden and Hebden Bridge. In creating it I have used a variety of glass techniques I have learnt over the years and it has visited the kiln four times for firing.
The exhibition runs from Friday 29 May to Sunday 28 June, with an opening event on Thursday 28 May. Admission to the exhibition is free, with the exception of 28 – 31 May when the Ruskin Glass Centre charges an admission fee during the glass festival
.For more information visit http://www.ifg.org.uk
I now have a set of 14 beautiful greeting cards with my Yorkshire Cyclists images on. Like my coasters and prints, each card depicts cyclists on the Tour de France route. I’ve chosen a high quality recycled textured card and a matt finish. They have been printed by the fantastic Imaging Centre and although I say it myself they are pretty gorgeous. They are now available in many of the galleries and shops that supply my work and also online.
The 14 images comprises 6 images of each of the two Yorkshire days of the race and 2 generic images:
I live near the bottom of Cragg Vale and so regularly ride up “the longest continuous gradient in England”. After a fab ride in the sunshine today I decided it was time it joined my Yorkshire Cyclist Collection.
I’ve added the Robin Hood with the yellow bike hanging from its sign, the Hinchcliffe, the caravan site and the geese that grace a small hill on the way up.
I thought I’d better add a bit of bunting as Cragg Vale residents are aiming for the world record for the longest bunting and plan to have it in place when the Tour passes through.
What do you think?
I’ve been on a bit of a journey over the last few weeks learning about printing and framing. I’ve learnt that gilcee printing is fade resistant and considered to produce the best results. I’ve learnt about conservation grade mounts that don’t discolour or damage your prints as they age and I’ve learnt it is much easier to get your original colours on paper than it is on glass. So, here to accompany my glass collection are my first Yorkshire Cyclist prints.
Each print is 15″ square including the mount and the actual image is 8.5″ square.
I’m pleased to announce two exciting new ventures for my Yorkshire cyclists collection. I am artist of the month in Spirals in Hebden Bridge and and my cyclist coasters and houses are now for sale in the Leeds Craft Centre and Design Gallery.
The Craft Centre and Design Gallery in Leeds
Spirals in Hebden Bridge
I’ve been working on more coaster designs inspired by the Tour de France / Tour of Yorkshire next year. I am working my way through all of the towns on route. These will ready for Art in the Pen (Skipton 17th and 18th August). Can you name these places?
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As a passionate cyclist I am over the moon to hear that the Tour de France is virtually passing my front door next year. I regularly cycle up Cragg Vale (the longest continuous gradient in England – 968 feet over 5.5 miles) and usually my head is full of glass. Now I spend my time trying to work out the perfect spot to sit and watch le Tour pass by. Inspired by this I have begun to work on designs that represent this exciting event.
I plan to make a range of coasters, keyrings and cufflinks with representing cyclists passing through the Tour route. I hope to cover all the major landmarks on route. The first two are pictured below and will be on sale in Hebden Bridge and Halifax within a fortnight. I am currently working on Leeds, Ilkley, Skipton and Hawes.
Yorkshire Cyclists coaster
Hebden Bridge cyclists coasters
Loving this camera… Still haven’t worked out how to do jewellery. Any tips?
