Wellington Mill - Six Months On

In January, Jane and I started work on transforming Unit 31 at Wellington House into a productive and comfortable studio space. There's still plenty we would like to do, but here is a peek at where we are now, 6 months down the line. 

How the studio looked the first day we saw it...space to play with and lots to do!

 

This is my work desk. I got busy with the jig-saw to create a swanky curve in the mdf, and can rotate my canvas as I work on a swivel platform, which was no longer needed by my neighbour Dave Goodwin at Manchester Craft and Design Centre. When I salvaged it from Dave I had no idea what I wanted to rotate - turns out it's incredibly useful - thanks Dave!

This is our little living room space, thank you very much Mike Doward for donating the futon, it gets plenty of use! As does the sofa which was kindly donated by one of Jane's friends, (sorry I'm not sure who - thank you whoever you are, it is very comfortable!).

The kitchen has just come together after recently getting our sink plumbed in. Thank you very much to our neighbour John Brewer at the mill, who is swapping handy man expertise for one of my paintings. Just out of shot I have a little hob for making soft boiled eggs - priorities! Big thank you to Rachel Saunders (the Magpie's Daughter) for our kitchen table!

We have used some salvaged pallets to create a platform to work on by the windows. When we manage to get some more pallets we intend to extend it and fill in the middle, and also raise it by another layer. It gives us great natural working light, and an elevated view to the east, across Manchester to the hills of the Peak District.

This is Jane's packing area (fingers crossed she doesn't mind me showing you...)

Jane has made herself a mahoosive table to work on - a crafter's dream!

Thanks again to Mike Doward who donated a shelving unit he no longer required. It has been upcycled into a canvas storage system, with the help of lots of dowel.

Photography corner...I love that I can leave this all set up and ready to go.

Not much to show you here, but for a sense of completion...we also have two little rooms. This one has an odd window through from the main space. It's currently my varnishing room. Thank you Lucy Lloyd-Roach who donated the chair, and Bryony Anderson for some very useful shelves currently in there.

This room is on the other side, and will probably be a woodworking space when finished.

Also thanks to Nick Leyland (of Redstart Film) for help with seemingly never-ending painting of walls, and other assistance generally consisting of lugging heavy things around. One more picture for good luck...

Interview

It's almost a year to the day since my last post! (Can I get away with saying quality over quantity? Haha). Thank you Sue of Fir + Wren for reminding me yesterday that I even had a blog.

The reason for this post is that I was recently asked by Cerian Smith to complete an interview, for an award she is working towards in connnection with her work at Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, in Cumbria.

The questions are ones that I get asked quite frequently, so I thought I would post my answers here. 

Here goes! (It's quite long!)

What made you want to be an artist?

 There wasn't ever a 'eureka' moment when I realised it was what I wanted to do - I just always loved drawing, painting, making, getting messy and being creative. My plan was just to continue doing that for as long as I could, which meant figuring out if I could make a living from it. As well as being creative I loved the idea of being my own boss, and not working a traditional 9 to 5. My plan was to persevere with being creative and only stop and get a 'normal' job if it didn't work out - and fortunately I haven't had to go to a plan B yet. 

Why do you make art? 

There is something very intrinsically rewarding about creating something like a piece of artwork - I don't know quite how to describe it in words, but it feels good for the soul. So although I partly make art to sell and keep a roof over my head, I also do it because I find it enjoyable, peaceful, absorbing, therapeutic, joyful, challenging, surprising, calming, emotive, and a whole lot of other adjectives!
Artists are usually trying to prompt some kind of emotional response from viewers of their work, be that love, hate, anger, passion, or many other feelings. For me I like to keep it simple and it sounds quite cheesy, but I try to bring out a feeling of happiness in people, by striving to create something beautiful, through the colours and shapes that I use. If somebody buys a piece of my artwork and can feel happiness when they see it, then it was worthwhile for me to create that artwork. 

How do you start making art? 

I'm not sure if you mean start out in life as an artist, or start an individual piece of work, so I'll touch on both.

In terms of starting a piece of work, I tend to work directly on a blank canvas, with ideas in my mind before hand, but usually nothing in the way of sketches or prep work. This is usual for me but isn't always the case - I do sometimes draw a very quick sketch of the composition with pencil and paper. This is probably not what art teachers/tutors want to hear - I seem to remember at school/college the preparation and research pretty much always took higher priority than the final piece, but I don't naturally work that way - I like to do my experimenting, researching and thinking through doing - through making a finished piece straight off, and adapting as I go along based on how it goes.
 
In terms of starting making art in life - just by doing it, and continuing to do it! After a foundation art course and a university degree course, I graduated and had just a couple of days work a week at a gallery which helped me just scrape by financially. At that point I could have tried to get a 'normal' full time office job and been more comfortable, but I knew if I did I would be afraid to give up that way of life to try out the risky prospect of becoming an artist. So while I had nothing to lose I decided to give it my best shot selling my artwork, and over a period of many years (it is almost 10 years since I graduated now) - it very slowly moved in the right direction. That part time job continued to prop me up in the first few years, then I was fortunately able to quit that job in 2010 to work as an artist full time.

How do you know when a piece of art is finished?

That decision has to be based in intuition, the feeling that if you carried on it would be to the detriment of the piece rather than the improvement of it. You can rarely know for certain you have stopped at the right time, as by stopping you will never know what might have happened next - but something in your gut has to tell you that you're done, and you feel like it is time to leave it as it is - so you do.
 
Do you ever find it a struggle to create art?

I never find it a struggle to create art in terms of not getting started or feeling that I don't want to do it, but there are some pieces of work which can be more challenging than others and take longer to get right, particularly commissioned artworks where the client has something very particular in mind that you are trying to achieve.
 
What gives you inspiration?

Literally anything is capable of giving me inspiration, if it has a colour or a shape, (and that is basically everything!) then it's possible to have a spark of inspiration from it. To be more specific about main sources of inspiration though, most of my work is focused on nature and the natural world. I grew up in the countryside so I suppose it partly comes from that. I would never claim to be representing the gritty, often harsh, reality of the natural world in my artwork - it's more like taking elements of beauty in nature as inspiration and running with it, seeing where it can be taken. My work usually focuses on a glorified representation of beauty in the natural world. I also love oriental artwork as inspiration - for example Japanese kimono design. The use of strong but never garish colour appeals to me, and they often employ beautiful patterns.
 
Where do you work?

I have a studio at Manchester Craft & Design Centre which I share with three other makers. It's a combined studio and shop so I have a showcase of work on display for visitors to browse while I work. It's a great place to chat with customers, particularly if they would like to discuss a commission in person. I'm only there part of the week - at other times my studio mates are using the space. The rest of the week I work from a mill space in the nearby Ancoats area of Manchester - lots of room to spread out, and to store materials and artwork. I also sometimes work from home - generally it's more boring jobs like accounts and admin that are done at home though.
 
What technique do you use?

My primary technique is something which has very gradually evolved and developed over the last ten years or more, through making and making and making, and the process very gradually adapting as I go along. I use copies of my own paintings as collage material on the canvas. I have a 'library' of source paintings, which are not finished pieces on their own, but are copied, cut out, and used on a canvas. I paint the backgrounds of the canvases with acrylics. When I'm happy with it, I arrange my collage material, then fix that in place. I then often use washes of ink over the top of this, which reacts in a certain way with the glue from the collage, and colourises the collage. After this I might draw details over the top, before applying a varnish. The varnish both protects the collage, and adds an opulent, glossy finish.
 
What advice would you give to aspiring artists?

It's very different for everyone - I suppose I would suggest really trying to think about the business side of things as much as the creative side, in order to work towards a sustainable way of working. It really helped me to have that part time job to prop me up along the way to start with. Also try to avoid risky options financially like shelling out a lot of money to do an art show/fair - while you are finding your way with your artworks and your audience, you can show your artwork without big expenditure - make contact with local bars and restaurants where you think your work would fit in, to test the water. You never quite know who might see it and what it might lead to. Persevere, work hard, and try to enjoy yourself as much as possible!
 
What is the best advice you have received?

I'm struggling to think of one specific thing which was the best - I think experience is built up through many little bits of advice that help you learn as you go. One specific bit of advice which has certainly helped me from a business point of view is to try to create a range of work which hits a wide variety of 'price points' - if people like your work, they may be able to invest in a large original canvas - but if not, they then may prefer to buy a print or bag which is much less financial outlay, or even just a postcard to pin on the fridge. Thinking about the business side in that way can feel soulless to some, but I consider it vital to enable me to continue painting.
 
Out of your artwork, which is your favourite and why?

I don't think I have a favourite work - I do generally enjoy the ones with the boldest colours most though - in particular I like the very vibrant red butterfly canvases. I'm not sure why, I guess different colours have different effects on people - I find red very energising.
 
Do any of your artworks have a deeper meaning?

From my point of view I like simplicity, and to that end most of my works do not have complicated reasoning behind them - I do what I enjoy, and then hope other people enjoy them too. I do however love it when the canvases embody personal significance for people. I've done commissions for people who feel as though they can see themselves and even their own future in apparently abstract colours and shapes. I've had customers who love the butterflies as signifying a new start, for instance the arrival of a baby or the beginning of a new phase in their lives. Another lady who visited the studio recently said the canvases felt very peaceful to her, as they embodied a soul being released when someone passed away. I love that the canvases do hold deeper meaning, but the nature of that meaning is very personal to the viewer.
 
Does any of your artwork symbolise anything?

My main aims when creating a work are to strive towards beauty through playing with colour and shape, so very much rooted in the aesthetic. As I mentioned above though, it's a wonderful feeling when the work becomes symbolic for somebody else on a very personal level. I wouldn't want to dictate what they should symbolise, it's so nice that it varies from person to person.
 
What made you want to illustrate children's books? [Note from me for those who don't know - I worked on children's book illustration during my degree at MMU]

Again the same word - simplicity. I was attracted to the simple yet rewarding aim of a children's book - to provide pleasure. Throughout my art education I saw a lot of artwork which seemed to be trying to be 'artistic' by having a very wordy, intellectual sounding blurb next to it, whereas in reality those artworks often served no purpose other than to make people feel stupid - making people feel like they don't 'get' art. To me it seemed like these artworks were usually pretty meaningless, and mainly trying to convey a very elitist 'us and them' barrier between the art world and those outside it. I had my fill of that during my degree, and loved the fact that children's illustration had a more noble, and simple, goal, to provide enjoyment. That really appealed to me.
 
Professionally, what is your goal?

I don't think I would enjoy being 'famous' and all that comes along with that, so my main aim is to be able to be creative and paint every day, and hopefully make enough money to keep a roof over my head in the process. I'd love to have some exhibitions further afield too - for instance it would be a bit of a dream to exhibit in New York City one day.

Spa Satori

I will now have work on display/for sale at the lovely Spa Satori in Manchester's Northern Quarter. They have one canvas available at the moment but I hope to add to their collection just as soon as I can.

This canvas can now be found in their super-relaxing chill out lounge...

Koi painting study.

Home Learning Centre, Gujarat

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a bit rubbish at regular blog posts, however a project came to my attention recently by way of visitors to my studio, and I thought it really was worth a mention.

Gautam and Krutika Patel visited my studio back in August. Here is photo of Krutika and I, where I am looking slightly sheepish as usual! (Posing for photographs isn't one of my strong points).

Gautam and Krutika used to live in the Manchester area but have now returned to Gujarat in India where they have set up the Home Learning initiative and are helping children from the most deprived areas to read and write.

This recent newspaper article gives a great overview of their project and some wonderful photos of the work they are doing can be found on their flickr page.

I asked Gautam if they accept donations of books to help them along, and this was his reply...

We would happily welcome donations of books. One element of our initiative is to provide children with the 'least', an experience of the best learning - this has been supported wonderfully by dear family and friends who have sent to us high-quality books from the UK that we struggle to find in India. Access to high-quality books has been a challenge. These days we are directly in touch with the best publishers in India of Gujarati-language, Hindi-language and Bi-lingual (with English) books - and have a good selection of local books for the children. We also have a growing selection of high-quality children's books from the UK and USA, you may be familiar with the Oxford Reading Tree series - the children have loved these and their thoughtful design is amazing in building reading skills and passion. We would be delighted if you would like to contribute to the range of books for these children.

For anybody who would like to help, their address is,

Gautam & Krutika Patel
242, G-1 type
Sector 9
Gandhinagar 382009
Gujarat, India

So, well done the Patels! I hope it goes from strength to strength.

Sydenham Arts Festival

Last weekend I tootled down to London for a rainy but fun weekend at Sydenham Arts Fesitval.

I began by finally visiting Webbs Fine Art, where Liz and Sue have been showing (and selling) my work for a little while now, based in the very nice Clapham/Battersea area of the city. From there I continued up to The Wallace Collection near Oxford Street where I had a swift but welcome half of ale with my good friend Sophie, who I used to work with at the Whitworth Art Gallery. Then on to Barnet where I was picked up by one of my best and oldest friends Sue, who generously put me up for the stay. (By oldest I mean we go back a bit - she's not ancient.)


Liz, the owner at Webbs, lives in Sydenham and so she had kindly included my work in an event at Mayow Community Gardens. As an experiment I was to be tucked away in an extremely cute little shed, which was full of character and with the surrounding flower beds alive with bees and butterflies it really was a beautiful setting. Just a short way away there was the work of several other artists, plus creative demonstrations, tea, and plenty of cake, so it all felt very relaxed and lovely. The only downside was the downpours, which hadn't really been counted on. Practicality was not the shed's strong point, but with Sue's help we managed to keep the work safe from harm and had a bit of a laugh into the bargain.

The next day the rain was still persisting so my work was moved to a bigger and more watertight shed, where it was easier for Liz to keep an eye out, so Sue and I took the chance to visit some of the open houses in the area. I felt a bit shy initially going into people's homes but everybody was incredibly welcoming and we saw some lovely work.

Later, a little trip to the Dirt exhibition at the Wellcome Collection, which was well presented and fascinating (also conveniently near Euston for my departure), and I was back off 'up north' before I knew it. I was pooped by the time I got home, but it was a lovely weekend all in all, yes yes.

Sue with the work

Online shoppy shop is go

The Lily Greenwood shop is now online! I have begun by adding a selection of small and medium original canvases, and will be working on listing more items and expanding the ranges available in the coming months.

I hope it all runs smoothly, if you encounter any glitches it would be much appreciated if you could drop me a line and let me know.

To celebrate, throughout June I will be offering 10% discount on purchases with the code 'buyhandmade'.

The shop can be found at http://lilygreenwood.bigcartel.com/

Happy shopping!

love yurts

Blimey, can't believe it was April when I last posted! I've been trying to be better with updates on the old facebook and twitter (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Manchester-United-Kingdom/Lily-Greenwood/20975126267, twitter is lilygreenwood)...but obviously it has been too much for me to cope with blogging too. Must try harder.

I've just spent the last week in a yurt in deepest Wales (Pembrokeshire coast) - and it was fantastic!

It did feel like camping - under canvas (so you could hear the rain really well!), cooking on a little gas stove, candle light - but it was that bit nicer. Very few other people around, nice proper bed, ample room to sit and have a game of scrabble, cosy woodburning stove to warm the yurt, proper covered area to sit and eat outside, barbeque, campfire and so on. The people who ran the place were great - ready to help and interested in what we were doing but not overbearing. They even brought some new fresh flowers for the yurt half way through the week.

We had some lovely walks along the coastal path poking in rock pools, oodles of wine, some nice ales, a day in St Davids where I had a coconut ice cream, a day on Skomer getting within a few metres of Puffins (which were really cute), built a sandcastle, swam in the sea (with the jellyfish - I later found out they aren't stingers) and lots of paddling, all good! Would certainly recommend it.

Chilled Camping - http://www.millhavenplace.co.uk/

Painting is keeping me busy busy all the time, and I have just completed a commission which involved painting all different kinds of insects, very interesting. I've started selling at Pad in Preston, so at the moment you can now get work from my studio, Webbs Fine Art in London, Portico Library and Gallery, Blossom Flowers in Chorlton, Pad in Preston, The Bowery in Leeds, online on Etsy and Folksy, and cards are available from Butterfly World, Herts. Hope I haven't forgotten any where. Phew!

In sadder news my print probably won't be sold in Next any time soon as my publishers The Art Group suddenly went into administration. I'm not so sad for myself as I don't get excited until I see it in person and fingers crossed I have ridden the recession quite well so far - I'm more sad for the 30 staff left redundant without pay or notice. I wish a speedy recovery and new horizons to all of them. On the bright side, my lovely contact there Helen is already coming up with new propositions and would like to look into publishing my work elsewhere, so a silver lining.

Ah look at the time, I better get on! Bye for now!

spring greens

Hello there!

This is a new canvas which will soon be winging it's way to Webbs Fine Art in London along with some other new work, including two I've been working on at home which are rather large if I do say so myself, at least larger than my usual size anyway. The second one just needs a bit more work which I hope to do over the next few days.

I have just come back from a flying visit to the parents, a nice relaxing time mainly consisting of sleeping, eating, cats and crosswords. Despite the recent wintery weather, Spring seems to be 'springing', with daffs up in the garden, buds on the trees, and even an occasional ray of sunshine. To celebrate I have planted mange tout and tomato seeds - never grown veg before, so will have to see what comes of that (hopefully some form of edible mange tout and tomatoes!).

The studio has been reasonably bustling over the past few weeks, which is nice as this is usally the quieter time of year. It's heartening that our Craft Centre may be becoming less of a 'hidden' gem - just 'gem' will do! I have no regrets about taking the decision to leave the Whitworth, apart from missing out on the office banter (and office baking now I hear!), as life has become simpler in a positive way, and dividing my time between the studio and home seems to suit me just fine.

Kathryn of Edwards will be leaving me (noooo!) but only for three weeks while she and her partner Chris tour their new project around Canada - 'We Are Willow'. (More details on Kathryn's blog). I'm sure they'll have fun times. For three weeks I will be full time at the studio, so six days a week. I wouldn't want to do it all the time, but three weeks is a good opportunity to try and get lots of new work under my belt.

In other news, some commissions have been keeping me occupied as usual, and the lovely people at The Art Group who have previously published my greetings card designs in America have been in touch with some new ideas which is great. I'm not sure how concrete they are at this stage though so more about that in the future hopefully. I've also sent some samples of cards and small canvasses to the shop manager at The Butterfly World Project, a new all singing visitor centre with butterfly houses, meadows, gardens, and lots more, opening in Hertfordshire soon, so we will see.

nice people

I have found two lovely little reviews of my work online, I don't know who you are, but big thanks to Jenny Hudson who has written kind words on Qype, and Rebecca D who has done the same on Yelp. Thank you both very much for taking the time!

I have been away cat sitting in Edinburgh this week followed by a visit from friends over the weekend. All lovely but I'm now itching to get back in the studio.

So the post isn't bereft of visual interest, here is a new little painting, a Long Tailed Tit. Soon to be available as a greetings card, along with a couple of other birdy delights, and I will also have birdy paperweights.

watch the birdie

New little painting inspired by wallpaper exhibition The Walls Are Talking currently showing at the Whitworth Art Gallery.

it's a sign

We've finally got our names up on the front of the studio, and it's about time too considering we moved in from next door back in May. It feels good knowing there is no longer a yawning expanse of nothingness up there...we have names! The background is vintage small-print wallpaper all the way from Johnny Tapete in Germany (although you can't see the pattern on this photograph) with the letters hand crafted by our own fair hands. You don't want to know how long it took us to choose a font.

This week I am tying up the loose ends of last week's commission, preparing more work to go to The Bowery in Leeds after good Christmas sales there, starting a new commission, and any other odds and sods which come my way. The work for Blossom florists (Chorlton) is now installed so if you are around that way go take a peek.

It's my last day at the Whitworth Gallery this Thursday, although I will be straight back on Friday to check out the launch of 'The Walls are Talking' wallpaper exhibition. After installing table (£12) and chair (£2) from Wesley Community Furniture Exchange, and a bit of cheap shelving, my box room is now a packing and storage room ready to go. Next phase will be to decide which products will be going online, how to package them, photographing them, getting some stocks in, working out postage pricing, and getting them online. There is also an enormous blank canvas waiting for me in the spare room, so, enough to do.

I took part in the RSPB one hour garden bird survey yesterday while my 33 weeks pregnant good friend Ellie took a Sunday snooze on the sofa. Should have done it in the morning really, as I only saw a blackbird, a wood pigeon, and two sparrows. Oh well, did my bit I suppose.

Time to get back to work. Or have a brew.

Show All

it's business time

Hello hello folks,

Brrr!

Actually it's not so cold here in the studio if I close the door to conserve heat - it's even warm enough to do some work. Quiet times here at the Craft Centre, people staying at home to avoid slippery roads and pavements - can't say I blame them. A few brave souls have made it through the door for the odd greetings card or little painting.

Fortunately I'm not just sitting and waiting for the hoards and have plenty of work to keep me occupied until things pick up, replenishing stock which sold over Christmas, completing commisisons, contacting stockists, drinking copious amounts of redbush tea, and making grand plans for the year ahead.

I handed my notice in at the Whitworth Art Gallery over Christmas, which is very exciting for me. I have worked there for almost 7 years now, and I couldn't have had a better job to get me through the transition from University to self-employment. It feels like the right time to try painting full time, so try it I will. At the moment I work 3 days at the studio, and 2 days at the Whitworth. Soon it will be 3 days at the studio and 4 whole days to myself to really get stuck in to work - can't wait.

I plan to start work on some new large scale canvasses at home, which I've never had the time to try before. I am also in the process of converting our boxroom to a storage and packing room for supplying stockists and eventually I hope online sales - which I'm going to work on setting up on my website, on etsy, and on folksy. It'll take time. I'm hoping to have time to work on developing the hand-painted butterflies and birds which form the basis of my paintings, which have sorely needed attention for a while. I might even have time for more regular blog updates.

No doubt when I have finished at the Whitworth I will still feel as though there are not enough days in the week, but c'est la vie.

Roll on spring!

thanks

Early New Year's resolution...be a better blogger!

I've had a fantastic year so thank you to everyone who has supported me. I'm excited about next year already. Only a couple more hours of studio time left in 2009, then I will be travelling oop north, to eat and sleep and generally be merry.

See you in 2010!

x

visitors

I had a surprise visit yesterday from Gavin, who got me doing artwork last year for ITV's 'Britannia High'. This time he wanted to hire a couple of paintings for use on set of his current production, which is BBC's 'Scallywagga', a comedy show which apparently isn't so funny, but hey ho. I might have to watch it now to try and spot the paintings, oh dear. Lovely to be remembered by them anyway!

I'm looking forward to tonight, as the in-laws are currently visiting, and Nick's mum will be host to a palm reading session and we have a few friends coming round. I'm meant to think of a question I want the answer to but I'm not sure I want to know anything! It should be a really fun night anyway.

My final bit of visitor-related news is possibly the most exciting...a real life woodpecker on the peanuts in our garden! The feeders only went out relatively recently and I've been pleased with just a few blue tits sniffing around, so I was uber pleased to see Woody out there. Like a paparazzi I took a picture as evidence, but I will have to add the picture at a later date as I don't seem to have the right cable with me today, d'oh.

Time to get on with a commission, then another to crack on with after that, no rest for the wicked!

EDIT: Terrible picture of woodpecker taken from far away in the back bedroom added...

wood

A shout out about our current exhibition here at the Craft Centre...

WOOD
A new exciting show which opened on Saturday 15th August, which embraces the diversity of this staple material. Whilst wood may be a medium primarily associated with furniture, we have assembled a selection of makers all using wood in very different ways which exemplify its versatility and sustainability.

Read more...

In other news I've been getting increasingly addicted to paninis from neighbouring independent business 'Bread and Butter' on Tib Street. I'd recommend them, although really I should behave and start bringing packed lunches again.

I've had a fairly unexciting day in the studio today, although productive nonetheless...I've sorted through and rearranged cupboard and drawer space, reordered supplies online, and done the recycling, as well as a bit of work on signage in the studio and some little paintings.

Starting to think about food as usual, but it will have to wait as I have a tenant's meeting here at the Craft Centre this evening. Must remember to pick up some Nurofen for the other half on the way home as he has come down with something - he best hadn't give it to me!

erm, august, already?

Hmm, it seems I'm not natural born blogger, considering my last update was in March, and it is now August...however I thought I would give my mother (avid blog reader and writer, well, avid in comparison to me) a minor heart attack by actually updating.

All is good both at the studio and at home, after moving both. Nick and I have done the stereotypical Mancunian twenty-something move from little city centre flat to the smug but lovely suburb of Chorlton. It's a sprawling three-bed semi with a garden, which was only affordable because it needed a blooming good clean, but after doing a lot of scrubbing it is now a comfortable home, and we have even conquered the slug problem. There's fresh air, a nature reserve 10 minutes walk away, and even closer is a large park which comes complete with rabbits, guinea pigs, and a goat. We've already had three crumbles and a fruit tart from apples and blackberries in the garden. The only downside has been changing my commute from two minutes to half an hour/45 mins, but a good book can do wonders for that, and I think it helps me separate work from home.

Kathryn and I moved to the studio next door back in May. It became vacant, and we realised it would be easier to decorate next door and move across than decorate our own studio, which was just starting to get a bit ragged around the edges. It is the same size, but comes with nicer flooring, a window which opens, and plumbing for a sink, so we went for it. It was also an opportunity for Kathryn to have more of a say with regards to decor, as she wasn't here when I did the first studio. Fortunately, I love her taste.

Painting continues to keep me busy busy busy. Apologies for the lack of new work appearing on the website - I've had so many commissions there hasn't been a lot of time for new work - I can't complain really. More new ones asap. I'm exhibiting again at Eighth Day Cafe, right now, and will possibly be exhibiting at the Bowery in Leeds later in the year, and in November will be part of the Craft & Gift Fair at the Portico Library and Gallery. I got my first royalty cheque from The Art Group for greetings card sales, yippee! Turns out they have sold about 16 000 so far, which is great.

So to finish, some pictures of the new studio...enjoy!
(I've just realised the pictures are a little out of date already - we've put up some lovely wallpaper in Kathryn's corner - you'll just have to imagine it for now).

new news

Hooray hooray, some nice people from The Art Group have contacted me to say they would like to publish 8 of my designs as greetings cards worldwide! I was feeling a bit cautious about it in case my images weren't good enough quality, but I was sent layouts to approve this morning and it looks like it will be going ahead. Brill!

Since Christmas I have been busying away with commissions, so not a huge amount of news on the new work front. However, I will have an exhibition opening at Littleborough Gallery on April 16th, so if you will be in or around the area please do check it out.

A wonderful new exhibition has opened here at the Craft Centre, so yet another reason to pay us a visit!


Bye for now!

horror vacui

Today is the opening event for the new exhibition here at Manchester Craft & Design Centre, 'Horror Vacui' or 'Fear of the Void'. It's an international touring jewellery exhibition, and this is the only place you can see it in the UK. More details can be found on the MCAD website here. The event is 2pm - 4pm with complimentary hot spiced port, and music for your ears.

I'm in the studio today, it's been a long 6 day working week though so I'm going to take it easy - cups of tea and the crossword are the order of the day. Tomorrow is a day off, so hopefully by Monday I will be refreshed and ready to throw myself back into work. Crammed in three previews last night, at International 3, Cube and the Cornerhouse. I was a bit worried about the real life pig at the Cornerhouse, but it looked very comfortable and happy snuffling in its straw, blissfully unaware of its new found fame.

Next week I have two commissions to get started on, plus new work to do for Mooch, and I need to finally get round to taking new stock to Blossom. Plenty to keep me occupied. Also planning on going to the opening of Jim Medway's new show at Common, just a street away from the Craft Centre.

Ooh, its colder than I thought it would be today, may have to nip home for an extra layer and some mittens...