East Riddlesden Hall

I shall be at East Riddlesden Hall near Keighley this Sunday (1st December) at the Christmas Craft Fair.  The fair will be held in the Great Barn from 11am to 4pm with 25 stalls of Christmas crafts.  East Riddlesden Hall is a 17th century manor house, now owned by the National Trtust, set in lovely grounds with a duck pond and two barns. I shall be in the Great Barn and I hope you will come and say hello.  I have lots of new glass goodies including tree decorations, lightcatchers and the popular Scandi Birds. 

Shorn the Sheep

We are having a lot of fun at work because we have finally launched our Shorn Keighley project for 2010. This project has taken a year of planning, several applications for funding and a lot of work. So what's it all about?

We have commissioned an artist to make a life sized sheep model which has been manufactured into 10 fibre glass sheep. Each sheep will be decorated by the community in the style of a famous artist and will be sponsored by a local business. We have big plans for the finished sheep! We want them to ride on a float at next year's Keighley Gala, be part of the Keighley Festival, graze on Church Green, penned up in the Airedale Centre, race the train on the Worth Valley Railway and make guest appearances at local events. Shorn's final appearance for 2010 will be the Keighley Show.

Shorn already has his own blog and we have a flock of soft sheep ready to travel the world and send postcards from abroad. We will have an outdoor sheep trail around the town and farm visits too.

Why do we need a flock of sheep in Keighley? Keighley was once a wealthy town built on the wool industry and sheep are a large part of the local heritage. Keighley has had mixed fortunes over the years and, although it can match everything Skipton has to offer, is not a tourist destination. We hope our sheep will give local people a boost and bring visitors to the town too.

How much work does Shorn entail for us? Blimey! We have lived, slept and breathed Shorn since September 2007 and, now that we have funding from the Area Coordinator's Office, the real work has only just begun. We still have to plan the logistics of Shorn's storage, transportation, booking events, sponsors, painting workshops and security. Then there's the Shorn spin-offs such as the blog, travelling Shorns, Sheep Market and anything else we can think of.

But it will be worth it by the finish of the project. So many people have been excited by the project so far that we believe that Shorn Keighley is a worthwhile project.

Keighley - Airedale Town

During March 2009 comedian Mark Steel visited Skipton for his radio 4 show - Mark Steel's in Town. It was hilarious - so funny that my partner had to stop whilst driving in case he crashed!
One of the butts of Mark Steel's jokes was Keighley, where I work, which made it even funnier. But then I got thinking - I spend a good deal of my working life out and about in Keighley. What makes it a better town than Skipton?

Skipton has a castle but we have Cliffe Castle, the Victorian home of Henry Butterfield. It has extensive grounds and is packed full of treasures, history and art. Parking is ample and, even better, it is FREE!

Like Skipton, we have a steam railway but you don't have to drive out of town to travel on it. The Worth Valley Railway journeys from Keighley train station to Oxenhope, stopping at Ingrow, Damems, Oakworth, Haworth and Oxenhope. The Railway Children was filmed on the railway.

Keighley has many fine examples of Victorian architecture as it was once a wealthy town built on the wool trade. Cavendish Street, with its shops and glass canopy, links the train station with the commercial centre... and that glass canopy certainly keeps us dry on wet days!

Keighley Library is another architectural gem. Recently restored and modernised, it still retains it's original features. It's worth visiting the lending library upstairs to look at the murals.

Both our town centre shops and our market are undercover. Very sensible when you think how unpredictable the Yorkshire weather can be. You can wait for a bus under cover and park undercover too. There's plenty of parking on Hanover Street and Scott street and it's cheaper than Skipton.

On sunny days it's so pleasant to eat outside in the Town Square, surrounded by trees. Or visit Church Green, at the end of North Street, another peaceful spot.

Keighley is a place of cultural diversity and there are plenty of places to worship - the most stunning is the Emily Street Mosque. Just got the minaret to finish...

... and if it's culture you are looking for then visit the Arts Factory, Keighley's only contemporary gallery. Admission is free.

More culture? A few yards from the Arts Factory is The Picture House on North Street. Parking is in Scott Street, across the road.

Keighley is vibrant with colour thanks to the Keighley In Bloom committee and its local sponsors. The roundabout at the end of Showfield looks fantastic at the moment (particularly if you like orange).

A short bus/train ride away from the town centre are: wonderful East Riddlesden Hall, a National Trust property with a very large duck pond and historical Haworth, home of the Brontes. For more about Keighley and why it is worth a visit go to LoveKeighley.com

Markets are the Future

I haven't traded at a market for a few years now and, as I now organise arts fairs at work, I thought I'd better get some practice in, selling my own stuff.
Markets and fairs are a great marketing opportunity, a way to meet your customers, test trade your goods and gauge public interest. They can either be really well attended with lots of buyers or spectacularly dismal, like the Great British Weather.



Last weekend I showed my stuff at The Royal Arcade, Keighley as part of a small but select group of crafts people. I was surprised at how well I did, particularly as the footfall wasn't brilliant. We were very lucky with the weather and, although we were competing with a big event at Cliffe Castle, Louise of Blue Ginger worked hard to bring the public into the arcade.



So there I am, writing to artists who take part in our Arts Markets about how to set out an eye catching display but not actually taking my own advice! This display looks a bit jungly although I'm quite pleased with my hand written labels.



There's definitely room for improvement when it comes to display and I'll have another shot at it tomorrow at the Craft Fair in Cavendish Court, Keighley to celebrate Yorkshire Day. I'm booked to do the Saltaire Arts Trail Maker's Fair in September so, by the time that comes around, I should be more experienced at display.



Inside Royal Arcade, Keighley. For more images visit Flickr.

Bling Bling!

I've got the jewellery making bug at the moment and am driving my family mad by spreading all my stuff over the table and constantly dropping beads on the floor.




I visited a car boot sale last weekend and picked up this "swag" for a bargain. There are assorted earrings, necklaces and thin chains, mostly broken pieces and I couldn't resist two silver plated tiny spoons (don't know what to do with them yet). I have been "deconstructing" these all week and, with the addition of Swarovski crystals, silver findings, crimp beads and tiget tail I have made a collection of vintage jewellery. (I am particularly) proud of an earrings, bracelet and necklace set that I made out of a fake diamante necklace.
I'll get the camera out and take some photos of the results. I'm hoping to sell these at the Crafts Market in Royal Arcade, Keighley on Saturday July 18.

Ancient Truths

Today we held a harp meditation workshop in the gallery where I work http://kafgallery.blogspot.com/ and I got to play the harp! It was so beautiful that I really want one now (if I had £2000 to spare). The workshop went very well and was enjoyed by all the participants. Our next workshops are Wednesdays10th and 17th October - and they are free.

East Riddlesden Hall

I took my parents to East Riddlesden Hall today. It's a National Trust property near Keighley and is a 17th century manor house, originally owned by the Murgatroyd family. We had a great afternoon as we were entertained by the original Mistress Susan Murgatroyd and her housekeeper (OK, so they were women in fancy dress costumes) who told stories about life in the 1600's. They asked if we were royalists (no, off with their heads!) and we learned quite a bit about the English civil war. Here are some pictures I took of the hall and barn and then, surprise, surprise, it rained. Hooray for the Great British Summer.

At the Keighley Arts Factory

I work part time at the Keighley Arts Factory, a beautiful art space in the town centre. The Arts Factory was started a few years ago by the curator, Megan Cowen and is part of Keighley College. We host approximately six exhibitions a year, including the Keighley Open and the Creative Arts Students' End of Year Show. We also show case art exhibitions by contemporary artists with many different disciplines, including sculpture, installation, photography, painting, ceramics and print making. Previous exhibitions have included artists' collectives, such as Flux (ceramics) and Artfusion North www.artfusionnorth.co.uk and solo shows. We have some exciting new artists coming soon, including a dynamic and disturbing art show for January 2008 and a photography collective.

Working at the Arts Factory is a great job. Where else can you talk all day to artists, talk about art to the public, view artists' work and plan exhibitions? My job is to deal with all the administration and we also have a technician who helps and advises the artists reagarding the hanging and display of their work. Then there are the "Friends of KAF", a small team of volunteers who sit in the gallery when the exhibitions are on. KAF also hosts corporate events and meetings and can be hired out as a venue. We have a "point of sale" cabinet showing glass and ceramics for sale and a coffee area for visitors to relax.

If you are visiting West Yorkshire pop into the KAF to see what's on. www.keighley.ac.uk/kaf

Creating a Glass Dish Part 4

After one day fusing and one day slumping the dish is finished. I take the cold dish from the kiln and check the back to see if any kiln wash is stuck to it. I then wash it in warm water with washing up liquid and dry it. Now for some kiln maintenance - I check the kiln shelf to see if it needs repainting with kiln wash and vacuum out the kiln ready for the next fusing.
These dishes are available from the following outlets:
www.glassprimitif.etsy.com
www.shawgalleries.co.uk
www.keighley.ac.uk/kaf

Fishes on Dishes

These dishes are made from Bullseye glass and are on sale at the Arts Factory, Cavendish Street, Keighley, West Yorkshire BD21 3DF. They measure 5" square and come in bright, funky colours. They can be used for sushi, canapes, candy or just as something cheerful for the coffee table. They cost £15 sterling or $28 with postage of £3 for UK buyers, $6.50 for overseas. Contact the Arts Factory on 01535 618554 or email: joanna.whitehead@keighley.ac.uk.

When I started fusing glass I experimented with a variety of glass until I decided that Bullseye was the glass for me. The colours are brilliant - my favourites are vanilla opal, red irridescent and turquoise. Unfortunately, it's an expensive glass but you get the quality that you pay for. I buy my Bullseye colours from Decorative Glass Supplies in Bradford. This is a huge warehouse stacked full of glass and glass making supplies. Makes include Bullseye, Spectrum and all the glass you need for stained glass.