It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Well our annual Christmas Open Studios was this weekend. Some pics here......

Redwood Designs

Helen Oxley

Phil Jones

Ermmm.....

Joejoe Hesketh

Angie Da Silva

Cerise Ward

Daniel Bridge

Redwood

More Mosaics

Simon Clarke

ALW

Beverley Humphrey

Mangle Print Workshop

Me :-)

Vintage fabric snakes

front room frogs by joejoe Hesketh

Cross Gaits Exhibition change over

practice stags

practice

hamish

gregor

birch

frost

My work at the Cross Gaits Inn, Blacko for the change over of exhibition today. We are up there after our open studios to carry on the party and free mulled wine too. It could get messy :-)

Christmas is coming

Well it's a busy time and I am currently fettling pots for my open studios, the Contemporary Craft Fair in Chester and also my week long stint at the Platform Gallery in December. As well as working on the Cop Lane Ark but that's another blog all on its own very soon.

The first show I have been to was the Winter Opening at Arteology in Colne showing work by local artists and a few from our studios. 

my boys

Cerise Ward

Joejoe Hesketh

Anna Tosney

Donald Holden

So get yourself down to http://www.arteology.co.uk/ for all your arty needs this Christmas.

Winter Wonderland

Our Open Studios are on 

Friday 6th December 6pm - 8.30pm 

and 

Saturday 7th December 10am-4pm 

Come join us to browse and buy from our lovely resident artists and this year some fellow guest artists too.

 

Friday will be mulled wine and mince pies and Saturday we will have some lovely home made cakes by Pam my mum and those who have tasted them before have already said they are coming just for her cake :-)

Confirmed guest artist include so far are

potter Dan Bridge and photographer Phil Jones. 

Come on down dress up warm and enjoy a bit of festive cheer. 

Christmas is coming

Well sorry its been a while I am trying to get my work done, commissions quoted for and workshops planned and I am getting all in a muddle! So I thought I would write it down so we all know what's happening.....

So this weekend....

Saturday 9th November I will be working in Garstang with Creative Threads on a workshop to create embellishments with a textile group. 

There are two places left if you are interested see link below 

https://www.facebook.com/CreativeThreadWorkshops

But whilst I am there my dad bless him will be here as I stupidly though it was next week. https://www.facebook.com/padihamartandcraftmarket?fref=ts

But please go and say hello he likes to chat and maybe buy a little something to make his day. He will be very upset if he doesn't sell something...

a snowflake maybe??? 

Then Sunday I am helping a friend, Priscilla Jones at The Art Market in Holmfirth and hopefully drumming up some custom for our joint workshops next year. Wait, I am being distracted lets get back to this year and the run up to that dreaded word C********! 

Now next week I am in Cop Lane Primary School creating an Ark. 

I know, I know I am just encouraging this weather but it's set to snow apparently this weekend! eek! 

Pics to follow I am actually quite excited to be honest but back to the programme. 

The exhibition at the Cross Gaits Inn, Blacko 

https://www.facebook.com/CrossGaitsInn?fref=ts 

will be changing for the last week of November and we are taking the party up for a mini private view after the Friday night Christmas Opening. 

The lovely cows will be coming down though 3 of them have found new homes and I am not sure what will replace them for my contribution to the mill collective exhibition, stags or foxes hmmmmm......

the lovely Davina

Then we will just be putting final touches in place for our 

annual Christmas opening at the Mill posters. 

We will be opening on Friday 6th December from 6.30-8.30pm for minced pies and mulled wine and general Christmas cheer 

and again on the Saturday for left overs! 10am-4pm for those not brave enough to experience the cold dark mill at night! 

We should have guest artists too and music and fancy dress and cake lets not forget the cake! 

On the Sunday 8th though I will be here in Chester for Christmas shopping erm I mean smiling sweetly and erm look I am on the flyer and everything...... :-)

 

Then from the Monday 9th December onwards I will be selling my wares all week till Sunday 15th with the lovely Anita Burrows and Priscilla Jones at the 

Platform Gallery in Clitheroe in the education room with a couple of demonstrations thrown in! 

Nowt like two really really busy weekends is there. A bit like buses so to speak! But hopefully I will get to say hi to everyone who comes along and maybe if you are interested sign up for some porcelain workshops next year?

And long with all that this week I am sending work to galleries too and am packing up new work for an exhibition at 

http://www.numberfourgallery.co.uk/ in Berwick-on-Tweed

and new hares and the goalpost moving badgers will be in Colne at 

http://www.arteology.co.uk/ 

for their Christmas exhibition

and work is already on display at  

https://www.facebook.com/theplatformgallery?fref=ts in Clitheroe 

and also at  

https://www.facebook.com/Willowtreegalleryholmfirth?fref=ts

phew I think that's it for now. I will update you all on the Beginners Porcelain Workshops with pics on another blog as it seems to be going swimmingly and they all seem to be enjoying themselves we even didn't eat the cake on our first week we were all to absorbed. I know unthinkable! 

and a quote from one of my lovely students on facebook.

To anyone considering this, it is a fantastic workshop/course. By the end of the first session we had all produced a lovely piece of work and after 3 sessions, we were throwing pots on the Potters wheel. Highly recommended.

Places still available for January.

Phew and so to bed!

recap

9th November Creative Threads Workshop, Garstang (2 places left)

      Padiham Arts and Crafts Market 11am - 4pm

6th December Higherford Mill Christmas Opening 6.30-8.30pm Mulled wine and mince pies agogo!

7th December Higherford Mill Christmas Opening 10am-4pm 

8th December Contemporary Art and Craft Fair, Chester  10am-5pm

9th - 15th December Platform Gallery Christmas Fairs, Clitheroe 10am-4pm daily 

New workshop dates

Collaborative workshop with

textile artist Priscilla Jones and ceramic artist Julie Miles.

At Higherford Mill, Gisburn Road, Barrowford, Lancashire

Thursday 23rd January 2014 10-4pm £85 per person

or

Saturday and Sunday 1st-2nd February 2014 10am-4pm £145 per person

Day one: textiles and machine stitch.

Day two: will be working with porcelain using hand building techniques.

Through the weekend we will look at ways of working to incorporate porcelain as an embellishment to the works produced or working towards creating pieces to be impressed into porcelain to create sculptures or vessels incorporating stitch as a decorative element.  

No experience is needed just enthusiasm for either of both media and works will be fired to be collected or posted back for a small fee.

All materials included but own sewing machine would be desirable though there will be a number provided.

Maximum of 8 participants.

Booking and a deposit to secure place is essential. 

Please contact priscilla@priscillajones.co.ukor info@juliemiles.co.uk

And there are new Beginners Porcelain workshops starting in January on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons 1-3pm and again on Thursday night 7-9pm at Higheford Mill.

£75 for 5 weeks to include basic materials. 

Contact Julie in the reply box below or email info@juliemiles.co.uk for details.

Places went fast on the last ones.

new landscape vessels

I love Autumn it's my favourite time of the year. I love the trees turning the red, yellows, golds and eventually brown. I love kicking the leaves along the pavement or woodland path. The chill in the air, warm wooly jumpers and a roaring log fire. 

So I have fettled some pots and have been playing with underglazes this week. All based on my photographs of my walks in the lakes over the last few weekends.

The birches are a recurring theme in my work from smoke firing coiled pots over a bonfire in the college grounds in Carlisle to drawings in my solo show in Brantwood, Coniston. 

These landscape drawings are from images taken along the Lancaster canal whilst foraging for elderberries. They are being turned into wine as we speak along with some damsons fermenting in gin hopefully ready for Christmas.

The birds are based on drawing for my work in the Witches 400 exhibition last year commemorating the trails of the Pendle witches 400 years ago in 1612. The feathers are drawings from my life size cloak made for Alice Nutter with hundreds of black stoneware press moulded feathers. She was said to live at Crow Trees Farm, Roughlee before she was accused, tried and hung for witchcraft. The theories today are she was covering up for her families Catholic religion outlawed by James I.

All are now in the kiln so cross fingers they fire without warping!

Autumnal thoughts

  

Food for the soul walking in the woods this time of year. I spent the weekend recharging the batteries by just being in these amazing places full of life and colour. It has always been a favourite time of the year for me but to find a Sweet chestnut tree would just top it off for me. They seem to be a rare thing this far north as my childhood memories are full of collecting the chestnuts by the box, running through the golden leaves all wrapped up in a scarf, hat and pair of bright yellow wellington boots! 

Some time was spent at Grizedale Sculpture Trail but lots of my favourites have gone back to nature.

 Back at the ranch but how could you resist those eyes!