Walk This Way

I am lucky enough to have been selected to take part in the HOST Art Walk in Huddersfield next Thursday 11th September.  I will be at Neaversons on Byram Street with two artists, Audrey Erbany and Carol Curtis displaying my glass alongside their art.

I don't know many people in Huddersfield so, If you are in the area next Thursday, please pop in and say hello. You can get a great cuppa (or something stronger) at Neaversons and, bizarrely, they sell popcorn tea! 

Northern Contemporary Glass Society Exhibition

The Piece Hall, Halifax

I have just joined the Northern Contemporary Glass Society and will be taking part in their annual exhibition at Halifax Piece Hall from 5th to 14th July.  The exhibition will be in Unit 58 on the ground floor and will be open from 11.00 to 16.00 daily.

The exhibition will showcase a wide range of work by professional glass artists from the North of England so come and meet the artists, be inspired by their creativity and buy something original.  The following artists will be exhibiting:

Genevieve Thompson, Jane O'Neil, Gina B, Annette Vernon, Jane Littlefield, Karen Redmayne,  John Orson, Diane Mellor, Jo Whitehead (that's me)! and Anne-Kari Kramer.

The exhibition is part of the Halifax Festival, 10 days of amazing cultural events across Halifax.  Check out the website to see what other great events are taking place in Halifax www.halifaxfestival.co.uk/

Vessel – an exhibition of Ceramics, Glass and Plaster

Labyrinth

Vessel – an exhibition of Ceramics, Glass and Plaster at Otley Courthouse from Sunday 2nd December 2012 until Friday 11th January 2013

Creative makers Sally Storr and Jo Whitehead team up to showcase new work under the title of Vessel.  Both artists have created a collection of bowls and forms that have no definable function except to be tactile and attractive.  The purpose of the Vessel is to contain liquid or food in a hollowed form yet Sally and Jo have stretched the definition to make work that defies the practicality of a contained object.

Tipping Bowls by Sally Storr

Sally Storr is a local artist working from her studio in Sutton-in-Craven. She is fascinated with the process of making, working in a variety of media creating sculptures and installations. Her tipping bowl series may or may not have function and include press moulded and raku fired pieces, glazed slip cast porcelain, porcelain with glass inclusion and dribbled plaster. 

www.sallystorr.com

Jo Whitehead works with sheet glass to create kiln formed objects, mostly practical ware for the table and kitchen.  Her love of vibrant colour informs much of her creativity and she works from her studio in Silsden, West Yorkshire. Jo studied and worked as a textile designer before she fell in love with glass and many of her designs are based on pattern and texture.

www.glassprimitif.blogspot.com

Crafting for Christmas

Christmas Tree Decorations

I will be teaching another Glass Fusing Workshop at South Square Centre in Thornton on Sunday December 2nd 2012. 

Students will be using copper inclusions, Bullseye glass and copper wire to create their own Light Catchers and Christmas Tree Decorations. 

These fused glass decorations make fantastic gifts and not just for Christmas. Hang the Light Catchers in a window and they will reflect colour back into the room on a sunny day. The ones shown here are my own design but students are welcome to design their own. Perhaps glass penguins or santas or angels? 

Mosaic glass hangings

If you would like to find out more about the workshop you can find it on the South Square blog, Facebook Page or email HERE or call 01274 834747 to book your place. Places are limited to eight people. 

 

Light Catchers

First Day

Today has been the first day of The Ilkley Arts Trail and my first day at The Craiglands Hotel and it's been fun!
I am exhibiting with six other artists in the first floor meeting room and there has been a steady stream of visitors, both hotel guests and local people.  I am also showing new glass designs for the first time, sort of petals in pinks, greys, yellows and cranberry coloured Bullseye glass.

I don't have a name for these flowery designs yet so if you can think of a good name please add a comment in the comment box. (Incidentally, if you are the spammer from Great Loans, don't bother to comment).

I have plenty more images of these glass designs on my Facebook Page  showing dishes, platters, soap dishes and coasters. 

Count Down to Art in the Pen

Skipton Auction Mart

Only five days to go before Art in the Pen and I am in a panic. Will I have enough glass? Will my table display look OK? What will I forget to bring? (I always forget something).

So I have an empty animal pen to fill at Skipton Auction Mart and that is all it is - an animal pen. See above. It measures 2.7 X 3.3 metres and has a concrete base. I will also get a power point because the lighting there isn't so great. I am bringing a large trestle table that I have painted antique white because I am not going to bring a table cloth. I think my glass may look better on a hard surface rather than a soft one. This means all the "stuff" that I don't need will have to go back in the car because I can't hide it under a cloth. But I also need a small table to wrap glass so I am currently spray painting my daughter's dressing table antique white to match the big table. But what if I need more display? So I found this old table in a junk shop.....

Ugly old table

...and painted it antique white with a blue/grey stripe. 

Refurbished Table

Then there's my signage. I don't want/have a vinyl sign so I have framed two chalk boards and bought a white liquid chalk pen. Just summoning up the courage to write on them now. 

Framed chalk boards

And what about my labels? I hated my display when I was at Saltaire Arts Trail and was irritated by all the bits of card cluttering up my table as price tags. So I have painted some wooden hearts with chalk board paint and will place them next to the glass. 

Chalk board price labels

Now I need to sort out something to sit on, finish painting my display boxes, find the missing magnets (where did I put them)? and a million other things.....

To find out more about Art in the Pen please visit their website HERE

100 cranes!

I've just finished folding over 100 origami cranes for the next exhibition at Keighley Arts Factory. My next task is to suspend the cranes on fishing line from the gallery ceiling. The cranes are in celebration of our next exhibition "The Winter Contemporary" which previews on Thursday 8 November and officially starts on Friday 9 November to Wednesday 12 December 2007.

I also spent a happy morning unpacking beautiful ceramics and I can't wait to put them out on display. We have white plinths and white walls so the display will be bright splashes of colour.

The exhibition also features painting, glass, textiles, jewelry, books and decorations.

For details of the exhibition visit: http://kafgallery.blogspot.com

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.

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