Spring Series: The Natural World.

A closer look at the work of Barbara Wakefield, Katy B Prints and Emma Farquharson

To celebrate the arrival of spring, longer days and the coming-together of the beautiful work of our Spring Edition exhibitors at Chelsea Old Town Hall, we've been exploring spring, nature and the natural world’s influence in of some of this year’s finest work.

Join us this week as we get a closer insight to some of this year’s designer-makers discovering some of their creative influences and processes. Beginning with the stimuli of…

How do the materials you work in communicate and connect to spring and an awareness of the seasons?

Does the natural world influence your work and creative processes and if so how?

…in this post we’ll be taking a closer look at the vivid textiles work of Katy B Prints, Barbara Wakefield’s delicate ceramics and the geologically inspired jewellery of Emma Farquharson. 

Textiles designer Katy Broomfield draws on the fragility of the natural world in her bright and individually unique creations.

‘Winter to spring, spring to summer, summer to autumn, autumn to winter, my designs are influenced by the cyclical nature of the plants, trees and insects that inhabit my garden in Kent.’

‘Closely linked to the changes of the seasons, the cool greens, cobalt blues and dove greys of Winter, the lemon yellows, whites and pale pinks of Spring, the crisp bands of crimson, magenta, violet, golden yellows and fuchsia pink of Summer and the deep burnt oranges and umbers of Autumn are the constant source of inspiration for all my textiles and prints.’

‘The stark dead heads of Hydrangeas and Honesty in winter, to the graphic seed heads of autumn, are chosen by me to reflect their fragile beauty and structure. Arranging these organic forms onto hand dyed papers and overlaying them with vintage lace and patterned knitwear reminiscent of the 1920's and 30's, the image becomes permanently recorded through heat transfer, onto either soft warm fleece or floaty chiffon's, fixing a particular moment in time for eternity.’

To find out more about Katy B Prints: www.katybprints.co.uk

From her studio in South East London Barbara Wakefield crafts her work in bone china, porcelain and stoneware, drawing on the natural world for inspiration.

‘My work is greatly influenced by the natural world, and at the moment I am fascinated by birds, in particular Blackbirds.  Every year there is one nesting in the yard outside my ceramic studio, and it often scuttles around foraging for food in the tiny urban garden I have created by my doorway.’

‘It is wonderful how the coming of spring is heralded by the sound of ‘Birdsong’.  This is the inspiration behind my slipcast porcelain bowls, reflecting the season of spring with ‘Birdsong’ imagery shown through my drawings of birds and musical notation.’

‘Using a ceramic printing process I imprint this imagery onto the inner surface of the bowls and then use sweeping brush strokes of glaze to create a feeling of rhythm and flow. I also have a great interest in music and musical scores, and am researching into composers who use birdsong in their compositions, such as Olivier Messiaen and Beethoven.’

To find out more about Barbara Wakefield: www.barbarawakefield.co.uk

Emma Farquharson’s work in jewellery take inspiration from her time overseas and in the varied environments and landscapes she has lived in.

 "My formative years were spent in the Bahamas and subsequent time living in Egypt and New York has exposed me to a variety of cultural and aesthetic environments which have profoundly impacted on me.  In my work I enjoy the technical challenge of making, allowing the materials to direct and inform my designs, developing new ideas and ways of manipulating metal, inspired by the rhythmic patterns found in nature and echoed in the built environment.’

‘My signature ‘Spun’ collection focuses on the technique of coiling with wire, pressing and stretching to form work that is pared back yet complex and elegant.  Currently my work explores geometric shapes inspired by the geological rock matrix in which some gems are formed.'

 ‘By carving polyhedral shapes in wax and then casting in silver or gold, I then highlight some of the facets with accents of colour, from stones set against or into the textured and polished surfaces.’

To find out more about Emma Farquharson: www.emmaq.com or find her on facebook.

All the featured designer-makers in our Spring Series: The Natural World blog posts will be exhibiting at Handmade in Britain's up coming event at the Chelsea Old Town Hall. To find out more about the event, and book tickets head to: www.handmadeinbritain.co.uk

Tickets now on sale

Handmade in Britain 14:
Spring Edition

The Contemporary Crafts & Design Fair

9th - 11th May 2014
Chelsea Old Town Hall, London

Spring Edition is open:
Friday 9th: 11:00 - 19:00
Saturday 10th: 11:00 - 18:00
Sunday 11th: 11:00 - 18:00

Tickets are available online now at £5
Tickets on the door are £7/£5 conc.

Designer-Makers at Handmade in Britain 13

Polly Purl

Carole Waller

Fashion at Handmade in Britain 13

Discover stunning and unique fashion and accessories from big names and newcomers alike, featuring the ultimate opulence in textiles from Anne Selby, wearable drama in the artwork of Carole Waller and traditional techniques re-worked in contemporary ways from Leto & Ariadne, Sarah Beadsmoore and Polly Purl. Stunning sculptural shapes and clean lines are found in Jane Hopkinson's luxury leather handbags.

Mark Nuell

Caroline Lukehurst

Jewellery at Handmade in Britain 13

A fantastic variety of jewellery will be exhibited at Handmade in Britain 13, featuring fabulous and playful work from Caroline Lukehurst and Petra Bishai, lustrous rare gemstones from Mark Nuell, the beauty of colour from Lilly Hastedt and timeless elegance in the work of Catherine Mannheim. 

We celebrate innovation in Jasmin Rowlandson’s new collection of porcelain and precious metal clay pieces and Ornella Iannuzzi’s breathtakingly dramatic creations featuring pearls, diamonds and Ethiopian opals.

A full list of exhibitors can be found on our website:

http://www.handmadeinbritain.co.uk/chelsea-13/exhibitors/

Jewellery @ London: A Celebration 

With the show quickly approaching we are excited to announce our talented jewellery exhibitors! Our Jewellers have found inspiration for their pieces all over the wonderful city of London. We are so excited for them to be a part of our show from May 10-13th 2012 at the gorgeous gallery@oxo overlooking the river Thames!

Anne Morgan

Anne Morgan is a Welsh jewellery designer. Anne makes her jewellery using reticulated silver and combining it with semi-precious stones. Her new work, "Coast", which is supported by the Arts Council of Wales uses a combination of her own work and both natural and manmade objects found from various UK coastlines. Anne has been particularly inspired on her trips to the Thames where she has collected pieces of driftwood that she has incorporated into her pieces making them extremely unique. She has also been selected to make the crown for this year's Eisteddfod in the Vale of Glamorgan, which will be revealed in August 2012.

Louise O'Neill

Louise's work is characterised by simplistic lines and pure forms. Louise is inspired by the architecture of London's buildings, skylines, boats, and bridges. The majority of Louise's work is in 18ct gold and often incorporates precious and semi precious gemstones, notably tourmaline, aquamarines, sapphires or diamonds. Louise selects stones that she finds particularly beautiful, an unusual colour or shape, and sometimes has them cut to meet requirements where the design demands. Louise is interested in light and how it is reflected from, and refracted through the stones and often she highlights edges of the metal elements to draw attention to a particular aspect of the piece.

EXHIBITOR BATH 2011: Silver Kitsune

Silver Kitsune designer maker Heather Fox's Sumptuous Silver range takes inspiration from drawings of nature and then translates the drawn line into silver, with just a subtle Japanese influence, she then started to add colour into the equation and the Colour Feast Collection was born.  Heather has taken a touch of inspiration from nature, added in a spot of texture and mixed with a splash of colour to creat a playful collection that is a Colour Feast for the eyes.  The coloured pieces are laser cut powdercoated steel set in white precious metal

Floral Fancies takes inspiration from the other two collections, a spot of colour and a touch of texture.  The floral design is hand pierced in either white precious metal or guilding metal with just a few pieces flocked in bright pinks and subtle greys 

Silver Kitsune also offers a Personalised Pieces collection of jewellery that is precisely that, personalised. Whether you want a necklace just like Carrie from Sex in the City or you just want to wear your name on your wrist this collection is for you.

See Silver Kitsune during the Handmade in Britain Show on STAND HIB 3 

Buy Tickets for the show HERE

EXHIBITOR BATH 2011: Dot Sim

Dot Sim designs are inspired by her rural Scottish environment – from changing landscapes, windswept beaches, and stormy seas, to the minutiae found in rock pools and the garden. Dot "draws" with metal to capture movement and quality of line.

The work is handmade using traditional gold and silversmithing techniques. Dot chooses to use precious metals - materials that stand the test of time, as she is interested in the role of jewellery as heirlooms that are handed down, providing intimate memories for future generations. 

See Dot's Jewellery during the Handmade in Britain Show on STAND HIB 21 

Buy Tickets for the show HERE

  

EXHIBITOR BATH 2011: Anne Morgan

Jeweler Anne Morgan enjoys silver’s potential for texture and her moonscape range explores the relationship of look and feel in the materials she uses. Her creations proudly show off their origins in workshop experimentation. This is what makes her reticulated silver surfaces in particular unique: each marks a precise moment in which she withdraws her flame from part-liquefied silver.

Once she has perfected these surfaces Anne off sets them with strong lines. She forges a relationship between organic texture and a simple geometry, rather like the placing of a formal structure in a natural landscape. She sets up a coupling in which each element complements the other.

Anne continues to expand her work using her well developed technique of reticulation, which she combine with semi precious stones such as garnet and aquamarine. The textures of her pieces work particularly well with stones such as Lava. Anne creates small batches and limited edition pieces that are highly desirable.

See Anne's work on Stand HIB 13 in the Assembly Rooms Bath from 17th-19th June 2011 (11am-6pm) 


Buy Tickets for the show HERE

If you are on Twitter dont forget to get involved in Handmade in Britain's tweet minute. Thursday 17th June at 11am show your support for British Craftsmanship by sending all tweets with the tag #handmadeinbritain twitter.com/handmadebritain 

Like us on Facebook facebook.com/handmadeinbritain

EXHIBITOR BATH 2011: Fire and Hammers

Fire and Hammers designer maker Aileen McAulay works in silver and unusual semiprecious stones, especially ocean jasper, often hand-cut to suit a particular design. 


Intrigued by the design elements of mechanical items, particularly early 20th century vehicles, Aileen takes inspiration from designers such as Carlo Bugatti and Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh. These influences result in one-off experimental pieces with tubular elements surrounding semiprecious cabochons (the "Tubular Belles") and in the accessible "Klimt" suite with pierced concentric-circle patterns. 


You can see Aileen's full collection at Stand HIB 50 during Handmade in Britain's Bath Show 17th-19th June 2011 




Buy Tickets for the show HERE


If you are on Twitter dont forget to get involved in Handmade in Britain's tweet minute. Thursday 17th June at 11am show your support for British Craftsmanship by sending all tweets with the tag #handmadeinbritain twitter.com/handmadebritain 
Like us on Facebook facebook.com/handmadeinbritain