Stroud International Textile Festival

Working locally this week in the lovely Museum in the Park in Stroud, installing a piece called Fly Away Home, for Stroud International Textile festival which opens this Saturday 30th April.

LIST OF ALL EVENTS HERE

So heres the draft drawing of FLY AWAY HOME I hope to complete by Saturday.......the final piece will be 8m x 4m

And heres some images from the gallery today....... getting through it.... 

 obvoiusly the lighting has to be adjusted

More images of the completed piece later in the week......provided I get it completed on time that is.......

And remember to check out SIT, theres loads of exhibitions, talks, seminars workshops etc spread over the month of May in lovely Stroud and the surrounding area.

LIST OF ALL EVENTS HERE

By Hand / On Foot

Heres a little info about my most recent show at The White Space Gallery, Somerset College, Taunton which runs from the 30th Oct to 27th Nov;

If you are in the area, it's worth a lil'look......

For the exhibition By Hand / On Foot, I really wanted to take advantage of this interactive space by working on-site in the exhibition space for a week, interacting with passerbys, most of whom were lecturers and students whilst installing Ship to Shore, a 4m x 4m shipwreck sketch.

Also whilst in Taunton for the week, I did a wee bit of lecturing....which I rather enjoyed. Felt great being back in College.Very inspiring.

Best of luck to all the 3rd years I spoke with at the College and also a big thank you to Kirsty who helped me out one morning threading, it was great working with you and looking forward to seeing your stand at New Designers next year

heres a little snap shot tour of the gallery from setup through to completion

Day 2.....day 1 was spent preping the walls
Day 3- progressing slowly, to much chatting
Day 4- still hammering

Day 5- Completed Ship with a 3D net....

pylons connecting across the room

The Pylon Diptych again working well in 3D space. I added the wires to create a flow around the space

The final view, on Monday morning. The work on the left is by photographer Zac Mead who is the other half of By Hand / On Foot. His work includes stunning urbanscapes and moving deadpan portraiture, click here for more info Thank you Zac for all your help and it was great working with you!

Also a big thank you to Imelda, Neil and all the other staff at the college who were all so helpful and lovely during the installation.

The show runs until the 27th of November. After that Ship to Shore will be no more; it's only temporary so catch if you can !!

Crafted is UP and AWAY.........

Had both an exciting and exhausting week up in Carmarthen. Not only was I installing my new piece in the Oriel Myrddin but catching up with college friends was also on the agenda. Great to be back!!

Everything went smoothly with the installation but it might not have if it wasn't for the dedicated staff of the gallery. A big thank you to you all!! Also the on site pinning went according to plan. Had the odd one bend here and there bit thats only to be expected....my poor thumb though, now thats another story. Think he may have got knocked one too many times.....

Anywho here's some pics on the behind the scene action.......

And some final photos

Couple of detail shots; Shed

and birdies.......

Boxed Birds are available to buy in the gallery shop as well as other smaller pieces;

See below

Also a few pics of some of the other artist's work on show at Crafted

I know I'm biassed but I have to say it is such an interesting and inspirational show. A big thank you to Meg Anthony, the gallery manager, who has been helpful and who has put together such a fantastic show.

Exhibition runs until May 16th so plenty of time to drop in and have a wee look round

Cheers for reading!!

Crafted @ The Oriel Myrddin Gallery 4 April - 16 May

A new exhibition and more new work. I have been very busy thes past few weeks creating new work for the Crafted exhibition. The Private view is Saturday 4 April @ 2pm and everyone is welcome. Here's a bit about the show;

"Crafted is an exhibition celebrating the materials, processes and techniques involved in the making of extraordinary objects, often using traditional methods to acheive a subversive result. Each maker is fascinated by the physical outcomes that transform their material, however mundane or workaday, into something remarkable. Whether through technology, inventiveness, virtuosity; or the rhythms and repetitions of making, or the investment of time and diligence, these objects are captivating. They express a new mood of exchange, between contemporary craft, art and design."

I will be showing along side artists which include Carol Kingsbury Gwizdak, Thomas Forsyth and Moon Young Shin.

And here's a little sneaky peek of whats I'm going to have on show.........

No photos of the actual piece just yet.....you are going to have to come see the show for that. This piece does differ those I have done before due to the fact that some of the pinning and threading will be done on site......

Some of my smaller work will also be available form the gallery shop.

Exhibition runs from the 4 April - 16 May in the Oriel Myrddin Gallery, Church Lane, Carmarthen.

Open Mon-Sat 10-5

On a different note, I'd also like to thank everyone who was able to make to the artist's talk for the Material Evidence exhibition last Saturday. The turn out was fantastic and it was great to meet and chat with all the other exhibiting artists. It being my first talk, I was incredibly nervous and thank you to everyone for being so supportive. I'd also like to say a big thank you to Jo Hall and Louise Hesketh for their continued help and support from start to finish. It was a pleasure to work with them.

Hopefully see you all at the Crafted Private View in The Oriel Myrddin Gallery on the 4 April at 2pm

Material Evidence @ The Brindley, Runcorn 21 Feb-11 April

"The exhibition Material Evidence brings together four artists-Clare Lane, Laura McCafferty and recent graduates Debbie Smyth and Caroline Kirton- whose work reflects the importance of making and materials in contemporary art. They represent a new wave of artists and makers with a fresh take on the boundaries between art and craft. By exploring a range of processes, each artist reveals an affinity for working with the physicality of the textile medium in a fresh and exciting way." - Jo Hall, Exhibition curator.

Commonplace industrial structures, architectural forms and bridges have always been a big source of inspiration for me and the Runcorn Widnes Bridge was no exception. Its dramatic scale, the repetitive nature of its structure and its intricacy all simultaneously intrigued me. However it wasn’t until I began to explore the bridge from all angles and view points that it’s captivating and bewildering perspective had me in awe. This matrix of steel rods seemed to funnel and disperse with the arch of the bridge giving it an air of illusiveness. By combining it’s complexity with my simple materials I feel I have captured its eye tricking nature.

One of my initial sketches for the Jubilee Bridge installation (above)

A lovely shot of me installing the Jubilee Bridge, 19/02/09 (above)

And a couple of shots of the final installation (above)

Running on from my pylon series, the bridge was an interesting addition to my pin and thread landscape. However unlike my pylons which I saw as floating linear structures, this bridge had a location; surroundings full of stories. It is the inclusion of these stories, which fundamentally is the less recognized beauty of Runcorn, which brings my piece to life.


The exhibition has had some good press coverage which include
Liverpool Daily Post, AN Magazine and The Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News


There will be a discussion at 1pm on 14th March about the work, with all four artists and the exhibition curator Jo Hall. Admission is free.

The exhibition is Supported by Arts Council England.


Some of my smaller work will also be on show, see below



And finally a general overview of the gallery, see below,

Just a little glimpse of whats on offer, all you have to do now is go and see it.

I'm in Tangible......

Tangible- High Touch Visuals is a new book out which explores the blurred borders of graphic design, illustration, art, interior design, architecture and craftsmanship. Following in the footsteps of Hidden Track (2005) and Tactile (2007), Tangible presents further developments from the work of young designers and artists who are experimenting with this multidisciplinary approach and creating outstanding original “tangible” designs.

The cover (above) and my page (right)

For more information about the book visit

The Designers Review of Books &

Gestalten

Gestalten.tv also has a video interview with Julien Vallée who created the cover and chapter plates for the book.

Or even better if you would like to purchase this lovely book visit Amazon

I may be a tad biassed but it trully is an inspirational book. It's predessor Tactile proved to be an indispensable tool during the research for my final year project. I advise anyone who loves to rebel against the digitally dominant age we live in and get there hands stuck into the make and do side of a project, that this is the book for you.

Enjoy!!

My first post, how exciting!!

As I don't have my website set up yet, I thought a good interim solution was to get myself a blog. So here I am....
Firstly, I think it's best to start with a little introduction, so you all can get a little bit more familiar with me and what it is I do……..

I am a textile artist with a workshop in Cheltenham Spa. I create contemporary artworks which employ a variety of skills and techniques to transform unusual and unorthodox materials and objects into playful yet sophisticated pieces. This diverse style developed through training at West Wales School of the Arts, where I gained a first class honours degree in Contemporary Textiles.

Following the completion of my degree, I began to establish my own practice; the past year has been very busy, which has seen my work grow and progress. I have already exhibited at New Designers 2008, Tent London 2008 and other galleries across the UK.

The overall focus of my portfolio centres on the transformation of two dimensional lines and planes into three dimensional shapes and space. The dynamic energy of the drawn line is pushed in my pin and thread work. Creating a network of lines by stretching strands of thread between accurately measured and plotted pins gives an new lease of life to the a simple illustration. Anchored to the panels whilst simultaneously is floating in space, an element of deception is created which invites the inquisitiveness of the viewer.

As a multi-disciplinary thinker, my newly created forms can then take on a life of their own, as happy decorating 21st century interiors as featuring in fashion shoots; unique gifts at one scale, gallery installations at another.

Check out some pics at flickr
Also see Cool Hunting, Matandme and fforwm for some more info, pics etc

Your comments and emails are very welcome as I'd love to hear from you
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy getting to know me cos there's more to come....