Staithes Festival of Arts and Heritage

Staithes in North Yorkshire was the beautiful harbour location for my latest pop up exhibition. I was invited to take part in the first ever Staithes Festival of Arts and Heritage. Property owner Alice (below) invited me into her enchanting fisherman's cottage to exhibit my work for the weekend. 

Greeted with a strong cup of Yorkshire tea, cake and with the warm glow of the log burning stove, I knew this would be a good weekend. The lovingly refurbished cottage still retained all of its charm and the village setting would be equally as interesting to the visitors as the exhibitions themselves. My little display was one of over 50 venues as part of the event which included arts, music, heritage and food. 

During the week it was a pleasure to meet resident Staithes artist Rob Shaw who's work I much admire. If you are ever in the Staithes Gallery his work is worth a look as it really captures the essence of Staithes.

If you missed this years event, I am sure after the first years success it will be on again next year. For those interested in any of my North Yorkshire paintings you can find them in the Artsbank gallery in Saltburn and you can find my prints and greetings cards on my website:-) 

Thomas & Rocky on Scarborough Beach. 

Limited edition print  £100 from my webshop.

  

Alnmouth Arts Festival

Alnmouth Painting

One of the highlights this summer was exhibiting at the Alnmouth Arts Festival. The festival was in its 8th year and this years festival was the biggest and best yet.  I had a great space to show a good selection of work and was impressed by the 10am rush of customers! 

I love going back to Alnmouth, my mum grew up there and I spent many summers visiting my grandparents and playing on the beach.   

                                    

 Before the rush!

This years festival was a family affair and it was nice to enjoy the Saturday with my boys, mum, dad, my brother and his family. A good day out was had by all! On touring the festival it was nice to see some old photos of my Grandad and Uncle Maurice on the Golf Club wall. 

I don't often bring my boys out to art events but I think they enjoyed it. Finley here modeling my business sign, he got more attention than my work with his cheeky grin! 

Seaside Holiday!

Refreshed and inspired after a lovely week long holiday in Scotland. Ross, myself, the boys and my parents escaped to a wonderful Fisherman's cottage at Cellardyke in the beautiful East Neuk of Fife. Heron House  with its charming decor and sea views was the perfect setting for our family seaside holiday.

The sun came out so we headed to the beach at Elie. Grandma treated the boys to a bucket and spade each so they were happy! I couldn't help myself and started to collect driftwood and other interesting beach finds. I collected a bin bag full by the end of the week. I am thinking of making some new pieces for the 20cm x 20cm exhibition at the Mushroom Works Open Studios in November.

The next day we visited Crail one of my favourite places on the Fife coast line. Ross and I camped  here about 6 years ago and I loved painting the harbour. The buildings have so much character with their small windows, tall chimneys and winding streets.  

                            

Lobster fishing dominates the harbour with hundreds of lobster pots stacked high. I love this sign below as it shows the harsh weathering that bombards the coastline.  

Sadly the sunshine didn't last all week so we headed for Pittenweem to visit one of our stockists, the Fisher Gallery. The gallery has been stocking our cards for a couple of years now and it was great to pop in and see them on the shelves. Pittenweem holds an annual Arts Festival in August which is a great trip out if you are an art lover. I would like to take part one day!

The Late Shows, escape the taxidermy to the haven of my studio!

On the 18^th and 19^th May the Ouseburn will transform into a night time wonder with the Late Shows. A programme of events and exhibitions centring on the cultural venues within the area have been organised, and I promise you, you’re in for a treat!

Step into the Mushroom Works’ cabinet of curiosities. All of the Mushroom Works residents will be opening their studios to the public and will be showcasing the best they have to offer. I hear on the grapevine that intriguing artwork is to be expected, animals from all corners of the world and specimens that may make you look twice. I think ‘taxidermy’ is the word for this year’s curious exhibition!

But if you decided to escape the weird and wonderful oddities, or if you just want to pop your head round the door and say hello, then please escape to my haven in Studio 7. From 7 to 11pm on both Friday and Saturday I will be working in my studio, and I would be happy to share my new ideas with you and other events that I will be participating in. So drop by, treat yourself to a glass of wine and enjoy all the unique artwork on offer. Hope to see you there, it should be two very exciting evenings!

Creative Recycling

Creative time is in short supply at the moment as my boys are keeping me busy, but when I do escape to the studio I have so many ideas I don't know where to start! I counted that I had 15 pieces of work started but not finished today :-S

Here are a few small pieces I have been working on for the Alnmouth Arts Festival. I have been cutting and sticking, recycling old artwork and textile designs that I did years ago and have been collaging them into new pictures.

I have to say I have been having lots of fun with these pieces revisiting old techniques. I have been reading lots of Eric Carl books to the boys lately and I think his work has been making a lasting impression. I am looking forward to expanding this collection and incorporating some mixed media back into my larger paintings. 

Let me know what you think, its always good to have a bit of feed back on new work:-)

Take a peek around the studio

I thought it was about time that you were all introduced to Joanne’s studio. If you’ve come to an Open Studios event or if you’ve ever popped in just to say hello, you’ll know that Joanne’s studio is well and truly one of a painter!

I often get distracted while working, as I can spend ages just looking at all the curious bits and pieces that take pride of place around the studio. Joanne shares a studio with Bethan Laker, an illustrator with a very bright, colourful and playful style. The walls are covered with Bethan’s illustrations, Joanne’s original paintings, postcards of anything and everything, and sketches of work in progress. And when you’re not looking at the walls there’s the trolleys with endless pots of paint, sewing machines, baskets of material, paint splattered aprons and my favourite new edition of three traditional deckchairs! I honestly sometimes wonder how Joanne gets any work done herself!

I’ve tried my best to describe the wonders of Joanne’s studio, but if that’s not enough for you, here’s a sneaky video.

To break up the day all the artist’s in Mushroom Works look forward to the call for tea breaks. Just outside the kitchen, an old school bell sits. If anyone goes to make themselves a brew and fancies some company, the bell is rung and artists come flying! It’s a great way for everyone in the building to have catch up and keep up to date with the progress of each others businesses. Plus, the kitchen has a working heater, so that’s another incentive!

The Mushroom Works is a great place to come and find out how different artists work and the methods they use. I’ve learnt so much by working here. So if you’re interested in Joanne’s work then do not hesitate to get in touch with her through the website to make an appointment at her studio. Alternatively, the next open studios event will be The Late Shows. From 18-19th May 2012 almost 50 venues throughout Newcastle and Gateshead will be opening their doors to the public offering a chance to see inside artists' studios and a chance to get involved with the artwork yourself. This weekend has had great success in the past and this year looks to be even better!


 We look forward to seeing you!

New Year, New Designs

So here we are, the New Year is upon us and we’ve already lined up lots of exciting events. The major one on the horizon is the Spring Fair International 2012, 5th - 9th February, Stand 4FF85. In anticipation for this we will be launching our brand new wildlife collection of cards. Galleries and gift shops will be able to place trade orders at the show or can contact us for our 2012 trade catalogue.

Like what you see? They also now all available to buy on my retail  web shop. 

I'd like to thank our faithful followers out there, and wish you all the best for the New Year. We really wouldn’t have got to where we are now without your support. Hopefully we will see you all in the year ahead!