Meet the Maker - Kirsty Elson

I keep being drawn back to artists based in Cornwall for some reason, but I think a lot of it has to do with their skill for using natural objects to help create their unique pieces.  Kirsty Elson is another such artist.  And I agree with Sarah Pitt's description when she says "there's a special charm about Kirsty's driftwood houses.  With their tiny windows, weather driftwood doors and roofs of wood or slate held on with rusty nails, they evoke the naive art of St Ives 19th century fisherman-painter Alfred Wallis."

She has a background in illustration and printmaking, but now prefers to combine her love of beachcombing, textiles and all things nautical to create lovely handcrafted cards and home accessories.

I'll let Kirsty continue in her own words : 'I am a multi-media artist lucky enough to live in beautiful Cornwall with my partner and two young sons.  We all love the beach and I am inspired by my coastal surroundings.  My work is heavily influenced by the worn materials I discover washed up on local beaches and I love the idea of using found objects like driftwood and turning them into something beautiful and unique. I hope my work makes you smile!'

As well as featuring in the media her work crops up in less likely places too and eagle-eyed fans will have spotted her work in the home of one of the contestants in the BBC's recent Interior Design Challenge series.  But for her, one of her greatest accolades was being featured in a Russian magazine called Art, which is produced for teachers and pupils. The idea is they learn about a new artist, then there is a suggested project taking inspiration from that person. This little town is made from matchboxes. As she says herself, "How cool is that?!"

As well as selling her work online, she can be found in galleries and will soon feature in an exhibition at Unit Twelve from the 6th March in Staffordshire. The gallery hosts a regularly changing programme and this one showcases madebyhandonline, a curate website championing high quality contemporary craft from some of the UK's finest makers, including, of course, Kirsty.

And can I meet my challenge of finding something to link with our products?  I guess the pirate T-shirt would have to be the closest.  They did have pirates and smugglers off the coast of Cornwall after all.

You can buy your own T-shirt here.

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

Meet the Maker - Artist Louise Rawlings

Another find via Facebook.  I love the innocent style that Louise Rawlings employs and it's easy to see why she has a flourishing career, not only as an artist in her own right, but also through her association with the likes of Woodmansterne, Phoenix and Calypso Cards.  She also illustrates childrens' books.

It was difficult to choose which images to show to illustrate her work as I liked them all, so you should take a look at her  website to see the full collection.  And, surprisingly for someone who lives in Sutton Coldfield, there are several coastal scenes.

Her love of dogs comes across too.

As well as prints, originals and cards, she also works with ceramics and has some lovely christmas ornaments for sale.

All images (c) Louise Rawlings Art

Meet the Maker - Laura Stenhouse, illustrator

It may have been Laura's Parliament of Owls that first drew me to her work but one of the things I love about Facebook is that you discover a whole wealth of other things that they perhaps don't publish formally on their website.

I'm hoping that Laura is working on some book illustrations, not only for her own story about an intrepid tin soldier, but also because I love her interpretations of Aesop's fables and the Owl and the Pussycat.

But her hometown of Conwy clearly inspires her too and I love her work using acrylics that capture the essence of the countryside around her.

All images (c) Laura Stenhouse

Meet the Maker - Kate Lycett, Artist

I love discovering new artists - well new to me that is.  And it's not difficult to see what attracted me to Kate Lycett's work.  The vibrancy of her work is stunning.

Her textile design background is clear from the way she paints.   She see patterns in everything: the hills adorned with houses and washing lines, rows of flower pots and stripes of brightly painted drain pipes. 

Kate works with acrylics, inks and gouache and uses lines of gold thread to trace lines through the landscape and gold leaf to change the surface of my pictures with the changing light of day.

As well as selling her work online, prints and paintings are available at Heart in Hebden Bridge and she sells cards and lanterns at Radiance.

Kate lives in Hebden Bridge with her husband and three small children and she takes inspiration from the warmth, colour and community in which she lives.

All images (c) Kate Lycett

Meet the Maker - Cornish Bird in the Sticks

 

I love most things Cornish and Cornish Bird in the Sticks sums the place up perfectly.

As well as cards, prints, mugs, coasters and placements, you can buy compact mirrors and phone covers. 

The woman responsible for these vibrant and quirky designs is Kaitlyn Pearson who lives near Redruth with her boyfriend and 11 dogs ( which she insists isn’t a typo, saying "they are all small so if you stuck them together it would be like having one big dog….sort of!").

Kaitlyn studied Graphic Design at Falmouth School of Art and Design but despite having always been creative she didn’t feel confident to pursue it as a career and instead chose to go and work in an accounts office for 15 years.

However fate intervened and following a commission to design a logo incorporating the docks, a new career emerged.  She began to design other Cornwall inspired themes, fishing, harbours, mackerel, tin mines and beaches and soon realised the list was endless.  She has since gone on to produce animals and other themed ranges.

Having started out by selling at craft fairs and online, Kaitlyn has taken the plunge and opened a shop which I think is in the Carnon Downs Garden Centre, Falmouth where she sells her own and others’ artwork and gifts.

Trivial Pursuits - Building Blocks, Cornwall

If only every town had a place like this. If you fancy trying out a new craft, then surely this is the place for you.

Based in St Austell, Building Blocks caters for all ages and tastes. With such a diverse variety of workshops on offer there's bound to be something to suit everyone.

Applique, basic cross-stitch, T-shirt printing, felting, button bouquets, Waldorf story dolls and 'Getting to know your sewing machine' have all been on offer.

The venue is the brainchild of Jeni Carson and Gill Birchall whose aim is to bring beautiful handcrafted Work at Home products to the high street and provide somewhere for mums to share and build their creative skills.

The Kids' and Afternoon Craft Clubs are proving popular and it's easy to see why.  I hope the idea spreads throughout Britain.

Do you have somewhere like this near you? Let us know about it.

Boutique and Unique - shops and the arts - Quay Arts, Isle of Wight

We've been lucky enough to supply the Quay Arts Craft Shop with some of our hats and having just sent off another order, I thought I'd check out the centre as it is so much more than just the shop.

This converted 19th-century brewery warehouse complex overlooks the river Medina.  A light, generous space with three galleries, theatre, shop and cafe/bar, as well as artists' workshops and studios, it's a great place to get the measure of the island's and other regional craft makers, whose work is available to buy in the shop.  Items include ceramics, glass, textiles, metalwork, wood, jewellery and of course knitted hats!

Their theatre is named after Anthony Minghella, the Island-born Oscar-winning director and offers theatre, comedy, music, dance, kids and literature with a cinema that shows the best in world and classic film.

I must book a weekend away and pop over to check it out for myself.

Boutique and Unique - the Linden Tree, Huntly, Scotland

It's so exciting to see a new shop brightening up the High Street.  The Linden Tree on the Square in Huntly, Aberdeenshire, must surely be worth a visit.

It opened its doors last Saturday and we wish owners Ingrid and Neil Binning every success.

Many of the crafters and artists have day jobs and spend their evenings producing much of the shop's stock which includes woodwork, cards, jewellery, toys, textiles and ceramics, including these lovely buttons.

And their first featured Artist of the Month is Anne Fenton.