Lots of preparation!

Art in the Pen is nearly here and I still have a list of tasks to complete before Friday 14th August! 

Today I ordered the flowers for my table display. We have an excellent florist in Saltaire, Brambles and Blooms, and I have picked a selection of green sculptural flowers to go with long white lilium grandiflorum. I'm hoping they will make a show.All my electrics have now been pat tested - one floor lamp didn't pass so I am buying a new one this week. I have bought dust sheets from B and Q to cover the bars of the pen and I have sewn acres of retro bunting too.  All my furniture is now painted and I am very proud of my bargain circular table I got for a whopping £20 from the auctioneers at Killinghall. My lovely new display boxes arrived on Monday, hand made by a local joiner, and tomorrow I will be painting those too. So, it looks like I am nearly ready - what am I missing?

GLASS! Oh yes, nearly forgot about the glass.....

New glass - Rretro Square

This year I introduced a new design (well it is an old design but I have revisited it and improved upon it) - Retro Square. I love the combination of lime green, acid yellow and bright tangerine shining out on white opal glass with touches of turquoise, aqua and emerald. Retro Square is all about colour and reasons to be cheerful and I have made fruit plates, oval fruit bowls, coasters, tealight holders and sushi-style dishes.

There will also be my usual glass tableware - Bar Code Stripe, Fleur, Honeycomb and Spun Sugar - as well as Scandi birds and Funky Fish.  To find out more about Art in the Pen at Skipton Auction Mart please visit the website, ArtiinthePen.

Finally, I am pen 69, surrounded by lovely artists - please come and say hello. 
Jo X

Art in the Pen - it's official!

Today I received my pack of invites for Art in the Pen and the information for exhibitors so I am both excited and worried.  Excited because I have made all my glass for the event so I won't run low on stock. Worried because I don't have a clue about how to display my glass, even after years of setting up fairs and markets, when it comes to staging design I suck!  

I understand the principles of display such as making sure my display is at different eye levels, grouping in styles and colours, making sure the display materials don't overwhelm the glass, but when it comes to putting this into practice it is a different matter. I have been selecting ideas for display on Pinterest  but I will have to buy some furniture to make this kind of display. 
At least I have the opportunity to go to the Auction Mart next week to measure up my "pen" and make some decisions. If I can get the display right I will feel more confident about booking larger shows and events. Watch this space! 

See you at the Fair...

Close up of Retro Metro dish

This weekend will be very busy as I will be at Saltaire Makers Fair from Saturday 5th to Monday 7th May as part of the Saltaire Arts Trail. 
This is my first big event of the year and I have been planning and making glass specifically for this. It will be a good opportunity for me to test out my new designs and my pricing structure.  It has been at least two years since I exhibited at the Makers Fair so it will be interesting to see how it compares to my previous experiences there (I've always done well in the past). 
I have also been given the good news that I've been selected for Art in the Pen  in August. This is really exciting because I have never applied before, although I am an annual visitor.  The event is over two days at the Auction Mart in Skipton and the standard for selection is really high (gulp)!  This event is slightly different from Saltaire Makers Fair because I have to design, bring and install my entire stand which is in an animal pen. Watch this space to see how I get on with that! 

So if you are coming to Saltaire Makers Fair please come along and say hello to me. I will be in the Evans Room at Victoria Hall and I'll be very pleased to see you.