Witches 400 brick waymarkers

Well the last community workshop is over we had a lovely day in the 'bowels' of the Judges Lodgings in Lancaster working with 7 participants. We looked at the medicinal side of the potions and spells said to be used to cure the ills of the folk and livestock of the time by the accused. These will be stained and send back to the brick factory in Chesterton to be fired and then displayed at the Platform Gallery from the 28th of July 2012.

The blocks will then be installed on a new walking route from Barrowford to Lancaster to commemorate the anniversay of the Pendle Witch trials in 1612

I would like to thank all that were involved with the workshops from Slaidburn, Barrowford and Lancaster the results are so much better than I could of imagined.
I really am pleased and proud of all of you. 

Can't wait to see them fired and installed.

more info for the project can be found here...www.witches400.org

after the show is over.......

Well what a day at the first Art Markets of the year. The show was full of amazing fellow artists I could of spent a fortune! 

The day was busy with lots of lovely comments about the work. With one lady purposely striding up to say she must have one of my new Daisy chain vases and promptly bought it. 

My 'Best of British' bunting went down a storm and was commented on by lots of fellow exhibitors. My flowers reflecting the red, white and blue theme through too. And someone even stole one of my strawberries from my fruit bowl, positive thinking for a lovely British summer if it ever gets started. My Daisy Chains and Daisy Daisy lines were displayed on pieces of green grass coloured carpet to add to the summertime feel. 

I hope everyone who visited had a lovely day I came home with a James Green print of 'Gamboling Lambs' bought  for me as a present by the OH. Bless him I did drop very big hints about a David Cooke hare but to no avail maybe next time ;-) photo to follow of that one. 

I couldn't of done any of it without the wonderful help from Stephen who got a little stern when I picked up the heavy stuff but I soon put it down again.

He did make me speak to everyone who came over to the stand and to be honest it was a positive move as I am sure by saying they could touch the work I had a few more sales than normal. One lady commented that you are often not allowed to touch the exhibits and she then took great pleasure in picking up and feeling the ones she liked before picking her favourite piece and purchasing it.  So thank you Stephen for that too. I may be trying that one again soon. 

Art Markets this weekend at Holmfirth

So just finishing off pricing and final tweeking but I think I might just be ready for Sundays Art Market in Holmfirth. 

10am - 4pm

http://www.artmarkets.co.uk/

Come and say hello

Helen Oxleys' Skin at the ACE Centre

So this week sees the start of Helen Oxleys Skin exhibition at the ACE Centre in Nelson. Helen is one of the artists at Higherford Mill displaying her brand new work for the first time in Lancashire.

"My work is primarily concerned with the creative process...the making of the piece becomes just as important as the final product. By pouring and pushing the paint through a tilted surface and letting gravity spread the liquid I aim to challenge the viewer to consider what painting is."

www.helenoxley.com

There was a good turn out and a meal afterwards so a good opening night had by all.

So a week after the open studios I am still recovering. It's been a busy week and there's more to come this week so I was glad of a day off on Monday with Stephen who worked the teas and coffees at the weekend bless him. So ice cream and candy floss was called for....

Even if it was a tad bit cold. 

This weekend is open studios again but I won't be there so I tidied up and made a display with my lovely new shelves found at GB Antiques or 'The Shed Of Joy'

As Dylans' mum calls it. We met and foraged for displays for me and Gwens' jewellery as the next Nostalgia meets Design is not far away,

the 26th of May to be exact! 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nostalgia-Meets-Design/103276353054252?ref=pb

Open Studios with Guests

The weekend at the mill went well with homemade cakes lots of art and visitors too. The guest artists Katy O'Neil and Dan Bridge made a lovely show amongst the resident artist at the mill and it was lovely to see their relatives and friends all supporting the weekends event.

Katy O'Neil

 

Daniel Bridge

Daniel Bridge

Julie Miles

Roger Hesketh

Open studios

So National Craft and Design Month is upon us and this weekend 

is my open studios. 

The mill is normally open the second Sunday in the month 

to coincide with the farmers market at the 

Heritage Centre in Barrowford but I don't always open. 

This weekend I will be and there will be a few of us 

plus guests Katy O'Neil and Daniel Bridge. 

julie miles

opening times 11am - 4 pm

Higherford Mill, Gisburn Road, Barowford, BB9 6JH

Daniel Bridge

 Tea and homemade cakes available in our little tea room.

Katy O'Neil

Julie Miles

new brick piece being installed as I type.....

So the piece for Our Lady of the Rosary and St Luke's to give it its correct title has been delivered and being installed as we speak. I have been sent some pictures as the ones I took are not as good as the gentleman, Peter Bowyer who was sent to the roof to take these. I am so pleased they like the work it is always a little nerve racking as the last time they saw it it was brown and green.

There is talk of it being the new area logo and letter heading so I am quite sure they are very pleased. There will be a slight curve on the installation as the wall is curved it is being installed in but constructing it in wet brick with a 19mm curvature was going to cause more trouble than it was worth as the weight of the wet brick is a lot more than when fired. So the cross will be more prominent if it could be. I am awaiting a phone call as we will be discussing mortar colours soon as it will be pointed to match the staining all good stuff. More pics to follow.

Workshop at Slaidburn this weekend

Lancashire Witches 400 Project
A Full day of Creative Activities & Events
Organised by Green Close
Exploring the History of the Lancashire Witches
Slaidburn Village Hall
Saturday 28th April 2012

11am-4pm FREE Cold wax batik workshop, Artist Hilli McManus will lead a full-day workshop, exploring the effects of superstitions and long held cultural beliefs: participants will create dynamic images on fabric squares which will be sewn into a 'Community Quilt' (to be displayed at The Platform Gallery in Clitheroe) which will then be auctioned in aid of Stepping Stones Nigeria, a charity working in the Niger Delta with children accused of witchcraft today.

11am-4pm FREE Brick carving workshop, Green Close has been working with Lancashire Countryside Service and local walking groups to develop a new long-distance walking route, for Lancashire running from Pendle to Lancaster, following the historical journey the accused ‘witches’ may have made. Join artist Julie Miles, who will lead a full-day workshop, helping participants to create interesting carved brick way markers for the route, which passes through the heart of Slaidburn.

The Pendle Witches 1612-2012 A Talk by Historian Robert Poole 7.30pm 400 Years ago Pendle was at the heart of England’s biggest single witch trial; 19 people were tried as witches and 10 were hanged: Historian Robert Poole from the University of Cumbria will deliver an illustrated talk on this history and explain his enduring fascination with the subject…
LIMITED PLACES - BOOKING ESSENTIAL:
015242-21233 or 01200 446555

Suitable for participants over 11 years of age:
please wear old clothes for workshop activity

April Updates

Well isn't this year moving fast. I can't quite believe it's April already. I think I have over done it a bit on the work front and things aren't as they should be but I am getting there slowly. I have had a brief visit from a student from Manchester interested in bricks. Hmmm I love bricks have I said that before? so I obviously said yes and also it was an enforced day off then really from any heavy lifting etc. We went to see the giant brick and I had a visit to my very forst brick sculpture in Burnley to see how it is fairing looks like nature is taking it back as mosses and lichens are growing on the surface. I also had a quick trip to a lovely school in Morecambe who will soon be featuring these beauties on their fencing.

And as I should be resting I just thought these pieces from last years Potfest in the Park would look good in the garden before everything springs up out of the ground. Oh and I may of painted the shed but I was resting honest!

First posting in the a new blog

Hi I have been so busy lately I have been neglecting you I am sorry but I am trying to promote the 

Ceramic Map of Lancashire again for National Craft and Design Month.

http://ceramicmap.blogspot.co.uk/ 

 I have created a new blog which will be updated daily with news of new openings new potters etc so please feel free to follow and maybe visit one of the lovely potters featured there. 

The first potter featured is the beautiful porcelain work of Brenda Fee who works at Billington Craft Centre nr Preston

copyright Brenda Fee 2012

Thanks 

brendafee.com

brenda@brendafee.com

http://ceramicmap.blogspot.co.uk/

busy week

So this is the finished Giant Redac Brick that is the Gateway to Huncoat on Burnley Road off the M56. The brick has been a bit of a nightmare to be honest as it is such a simple form and needed to be right. But am hoping that you think it is not too bad. It is in the sight of the Redac clay quarry still mined by Ibstock who took over the factory in Altham in the 1980s. The factory unfortunately shut down but the company still use the clay as part of the mix of a few brick products and this is a Ravenhead red. The Redac brick is short for Accrington Red brick but not to be confused with the Nori Brick which is what most people do. Nori was created in competition for the Redac brick. It's a long and fabled story but anyway the piece was created to celebrate the areas brick industry.

So we are working backward as the brick pics were taken today and on Saturday I went with friends to see Global Rainbow at Preston docks. It was only there for 4 days and well worth getting cold for but the best view was looking back down the dock towards the light source.

at the Odeon end of the docks

at the lazer source

Viva La Vegas or Preston, Lancs?

And on Thursday I completed and wrapped up the St Lukes brick panel read to deliver back to the factory, it was hard slog but all good in the end but the clean up was a killer! two rounds of mopping, wet vac and final mopping! but the studio floors look a lot cleaner!

This past week has been manic, tiring but also feels like a great achievement to have survived it in one piece! here's to a quiet week!