Christmas h.Art

It's always my favourite event of the year- thank you so much to all of our friends both old and new who came to join us over the weekend. Here is just a very small snapshot of a wonderful weekend.

You make it possible for us to be able to take part in fantastic events like h.Art.

We wish you a very Happy Christmas! 

Lots of love 

Kate and Lit xxx

Crafts for Christmas at the NEC Birmingham

Hopelessly late, but I had to write about how we got on at the NEC last month.

The show is actually four shows in one- Crafts for Christmas, Cake International, Hobbycrafts and Art Materials Live so there were hundreds and hundreds of different stands to see and tens of thousands of people visiting.

It was incredibly hard work and Sam was amazing for taking the time off work to come and support me (you really can't do a show like that by yourself). There weren't as many independent designer makers as in previous years but we were lucky to be positioned in with a cluster of other makers. We had a fantastic time and the best part of the event was that we made some lovely new friends.

Andy and Hazel of 'Handmade by Hazel' were our neighbours. They were great fun to be around during the long days and make stunning wooden and slate items for your home such as cheeseboards and wine racks.

Lovely Val of 'Foxy Brushworks' makes gorgeous hand painted mirrors. We did an artist swapsie and I came away with one of her super cute cat mirrors! These would make perfect wedding  or special occasion presents as they can be totally customisable to you.

Super smiley Irek of 'Forever Amber' makes beautiful amber jewellery that I can't tell you too much about as I don't want to spoil any Christmas presents!

We also met 'Henleys Traditional Sweet Shops' who talked me into trying their sour challenge which I failed at dismally!

My very lovely and talented friend, Philippa Day also came to see us!

Wonderful to see Alice and Susan, as always!

Best visitor outfits from these lovely ladies!

They returned as reindeer the following day!

Bringing festive cheer in our Christmas jumpers!

In the Forest of the Night Exhibition

I'm absolutely delighted to be in the Art in Action Gallery winter exhibition entitled 'In the Forest of the Night'.

I really admire the work of Catherine Hyde and Flora McLachlan (the other two artists taking part) and am honoured to be in their company for the exhibition. I've seen Catherine Hyde's stunning work at Blue Ginger and bought some of her cards at the final Art in Action show. Her paintings are like scenes from stories of myths and magic of old. See more at her website here. I first saw Flora McLachlan's work through the Art in Action Gallery. It's hauntingly beautiful and makes you feel like you've stepped into a fairy tale. Find out about her here.

'In the Forest of the Night' is running from the 5th November to 24th December. The Art in Action Gallery (open daily) is a charming converted barn amongst the grounds of Waterperry Gardens, Oxfordshire. There's also a gift shop and tea room, so it's well worth a visit for an autumnal or wintry day out.

The exhibition will feature original artwork from my 'Winter' collection as well as a good selection of prints and cards.

'Dashing Through the Snow'

This painting is inspired by the deer seen on a wildlife tour in Ardnamurchan off the west coast of Scotland.
 I visited during the summer, but couldn’t resist the idea of turning these magnificent creatures into a wintry scene.

'Winter Moon'

There are stories linking the hare and the moon from all over the world.

The hare was believed to be the sacred beast of an Ancient Saxon goddess, Eostre. 
These mysterious creatures come out at night when the moon is full and became
 associated with life and re-birth.

'Midwinter Messenger'

There are stories linking the hare and the moon from all over the world.

The hare was believed to be the sacred beast of an Ancient Saxon goddess, Eostre. These mysterious creatures
 come out at night when the moon is full and became associated with life and re-birth.

He was thought to travel between worlds under the cover of darkness when the moon was full.
 In some stories he is seen in a positive light, and in others as a trickster.

'Mr Fox'

There are folk tales across Britain of a cunning foxy gentleman who tricks a young lady 
into agreeing to marry him with his elegance and fine manners. Little does the lady know that 
Mr Fox is planning to murder her. Foxes often represent male predators hunting female prey in 
these stories. Thankfully in most of the tales the lady is usually more cunning than sly Mr Fox.

'Robin Redbreast'

During the Victorian times, postmen wore red tunics as part of their uniform and
 were nicknamed Robin Redbreasts. Postmen delivered cards and presents 
over the Christmas period and the robin was used on cards to represent these 
bringers of festive cheer.

'Mab’s Mischief Maker'

Squirrels have long been associated with faeries, particularly Queen Mab. Mab was queen of the faeries
 according to British folklore and was believed to be accompanied by a bird and a squirrel on each shoulder. 
She was thought to be fond of mischief, including swapping human babies for changelings (faerie children).

Christmas is Coming!

We've had a fantastic h.Art, and that can only mean one thing…

Christmas is coming!

I'm in full preparation mode for some very exciting events to close the year with. Firstly though, we'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came to support us during h.Art. We really appreciate it and couldn't have done it without you. It's very special for Mum and I to be able to take part in these events together and we're already looking forward to our Christmas Open Studio.

Here are just a few photos of our lovely visitors this year.

I'm currently feeling a little like Home Alone's Kevin as I prepare for my first ever show at the NEC, Birmingham- Crafts for Christmas.

This will be far and away the biggest retail event I've taken part in and is the biggest stand I've ever been able to fill. I'm at the scary stage of ordering vast quantities of stock, display materials and stand decorations and hoping it is all worth it!

Crafts for Christmas is a fantastic show. Alice and I have visited the last two years for 'research' purposes and have been thoroughly swept up in the festive atmosphere so I decided it was about time I had a go myself. 

The show is on from the 3rd to the 6th November 

9.30am-5.30pm (5pm Sun)

Click here for tickets which are £12 for adults when booked in advance.

Your ticket actually allows you entry into 4 shows on the day: Crafts for Christmas, The Stitching, Sewing & Hobbycraft Show, Art Materials Live and Cake International.

You can find me at Stand C04 where I will be demonstrating!

I will also be taking part in another very exciting event which I will be able to tell you more about at the end of the month.

The other main places you can find me before the end of the year are:

Saturday 29th October, Hereford Art Market, High Town 

Thursday 3rd-Sunday 6th November, Crafts for Christmas, NEC Birmingham

Saturday 12th November, Malvern Arts and Food, Abbey Road

Sunday 13th November Teme Valley Market, The Talbot at Knightwick

Saturday 26th November, Malvern Art Market and Christmas Lights Event

Saturday 3rd- Sunday 4th December, h.Art Christmas Open Weekend at Goose Farm

Saturday 10th December, Hereford Art Market, High Town

Sunday 11th December, Teme Valley Market, The Talbot at Knightwick

Be like a Swan!

Do you ever have one of those periods of time where it just feels like everything is going wrong?

This Summer has certainly been one of those. Firstly, I lost my beautiful cat Mia to foxes which left me heartbroken and feeling completely uninspired, particularly by the fox I'd only recently painted.

After months of living in a very wrong-feeling house, we decided to adopt three rescue cats, including an only five week old kitten. They are wonderful but two had cat/kitten flu and needed treating for that including some very gunky eyes dripping all over the house. Then somehow they also managed to get fleas despite not going outside yet! 

They have fully infested our bedroom so I can no longer lie on the floor with my yoga mat because they have been crawling out of the floorboards. We've been using every treatment we can find and although we seem to be making a little progress, the little delights just keep coming. 

The poor cats have had to be quarantined in the (thankfully large) bathroom. We chatted to the vets on the phone and found out we're doing everything right by combing them as often as possible and keeping them away from the main infestation in the house. We can't use any other treatment on them yet as they had already been treated. I've become an expert at extracting fleas and drowning them in boiling soapy water. I've never been so well acquainted  with my hoover and I've discovered a strong obsession with steam cleaners.

It's a horrible feeling when you can't relax in your own space or even work productively because you're constantly worried about where the little critters are coming from next although thankfully we haven't had any jumping on our bed recently.

My usual go-to is to have a bath when I feel a little overwhelmed with everything and it really helps me wash everything, mental and physical, away. But I can't do that at the moment and I must admit, it's really getting to me.

Last night, the lovely Whisper decided to completely miss the litter tray and we ended up with cat pee EVERYWHERE including up against the wooden cladding of the bath tub. It's taken a lot of cleaning up (mostly by wonderful Sam because I was teary tired by this point) and the smell is still lingering. Any flea and cat odour tips gratefully appreciated!

The cats are all absolutely gorgeous though and such a great mix of personalities. I cannot wait for the day when we are flea free and able to cuddle them all without immediately washing our clothing and getting into the shower!

I had perfectly timetabled my summer so that I would be well ahead of schedule for the rest of the year and have written so many blog posts, but thanks to this curveball that hasn't really happened. We have two days until one of our busiest weekends of the year. I had my stock all ordered and ready but had some damaged mount boards which were very promptly replaced. I'd kept these safely in the box until today when I discovered that they'd been dropped in transit by the courier and were all unusable. Steve from Cotswold Mounts is fast becoming my hero because he is sending some replacements out to me for tomorrow.

I'm writing this on my lunch break from our final two days of prepping for h.Art. It's been a bit of a rush, and I keep remembering things to add to my to-do list but I'm sure we'll have everything ready in time... I'm channelling my inner swan- serene and graceful above water, but paddling furiously underneath!

Making a Living from Art is Tough: Why I Support the Just a Card Campaign

Just a Card is a fantastic campaign which was started by Sarah Hamilton after she read this sad statement from an independent gallery owner,

“If everyone who’d complimented our beautiful gallery had bought just a card we’d still be open.”

This is something which will resonate with all of my artist friends, particularly during the quieter summer months.

Unfortunately, due to the current economic climate, it's increasingly difficult for artists to be able to make a decent living from their work. Gallery and shop owners, as well as event organisers are suffering the same effects. When I attended BCTF earlier in the year, many participants commented on how much quieter the show was than in previous years. My very favourite show- Art in Action had its final event this summer after 40 wonderful years and I've just read that Treefest at Westonbirt Arboretum will also be finishing this year after 25 years due to falling visitor numbers. The Arter in Stratford (a wonderful supporter of the Smiths) was also forced to close earlier this year.

Making for a living is such a rewarding job but it's not an easy one. Taking part in art markets and larger shows can cost anything from £50 for a single day into the multiple hundreds and even thousands. That's before taking into account buying in enough stock, travel costs, promotional materials, packaging, display materials and even accommodation for artists travelling further afield.

During h.Art, I always like to bake a cake and offer it to our visitors free of charge. I'm always a little disheartened by the number of people who arrive, help themselves, even send me off to make them a cup of tea, stay for half an hour or more wanting to know all about how we make our work, insisting on a tour of the farm animals and then leave when just a single card could help us cover the cost of their visit. We even had a man say goodbye, get into his car and then run out to grab a handful of cake to take away with him- in my best Miranda voice, "Rude!".Thankfully, these visitors are outnumbered but not by as much as you'd think.

I've seen the same happen both with myself and other makers at art markets. You'll have a lovely visitor who wants to learn everything about your work and doesn't stop telling you how beautiful it is, how clever you are and how much they are absolutely in love with it. They usually even come back for a second visit. If this is you, why not consider buying just a card, or small product, from the maker? It will have their website on so you can look up more of their work when you go home- you won't forget about them and will have helped them cover the cost of their pitch that day and, fingers crossed, tip them into earning a wage for their work. Every purchase is much appreciated.

According to Sarah Hamilton's research, the buying public often said they were embarrassed to make a small purchase, fearing that it appeared mean. I, and so many other maker friends, have had so many markets where this small purchase from all of the people who loved our work would have totally transformed our day. I'm not talking about the people who have a quick look and walk by but the ones who are genuinely interested in what they are looking at and comment on how much they either like or love it.

Of course, not everyone has bags and bags of cash to splash around. Why not just choose your top few makers at a market, or even just one, and make a small purchase from them so that they are able to return to subsequent events? 

I do practise what I preach here, and have a drawer full of artists' cards recently purchased from from Aquarius, Iapetus, Catherine Hyde, Jane E Hall and Nicola Taylor. I keep some for myself and put them on display, always have a stash for birthdays and thank you cards, and even stick them into my diary and use them to write checklists.

Just a few from my card collection. Work by Sally Anne Lambert, Catherine Hyde, Jemima Jameson,
Stephanie Cole, Angela Jayne Latham & Jane E Hall 

 Just a Card is supported by the magazine Mollie Makes as well as The Design Trust (a fantastic resource for any artist). You can find out more by reading the flyer below which will be proudly on display at our open studio during h.Art.

The Teme Valley Market

I was absolutely delighted to have a three month trial with the Teme Valley Market earlier in the year and even more so to be accepted as a permanent stallholder!

The market is on the second Sunday of every month at The Talbot at Knightwick (aka Best Pub in the World) and features local producers of food, drink, arts & crafts. 

Here's a video my mum made of one of her visits in May.

There are too many fantastic makers to mention so I'll start with just a few of my favourites:

Ruby's Kitchen-  hands down the best fudge I've ever laid my hands on. Cherry Bakewell is my favourite flavour and I end up getting a bag every time I see Ruby at any event.

The Handmade Scotch Egg Company-  just delicious! So many different varieties to try and a couple of gluten free ones too! 

Jonathan Clift Artist Blacksmith- if you see any beautiful metalwork inside the Talbot, it was probably made by Jonathan. He also collaborated with us for 'A Celebration of Nature' in Worcester Cathedral in 2014.

La Fleur De Chocolat- A fellow newcomer to the market. Oh my goodness these chocolates are divine!

Hintons Specialist BakeHouse- Emma bakes tasty sweet and savoury treats including gluten free sausage rolls and cakes. I always get my lunch from her when she's at a market.

The next market is going to be on Sunday 14th August. I hope to see you there!

The Last Ever Art in Action

Life has been slightly hectic over the last few days with the arrival of our three absolutely beautiful rescue cats. I'm just about resisting turning into a full on cat lady, but it's a tough job!

10 week old Monty, 3 year old Whisper and 5 week old little Ink

A couple of weeks ago we went to the last ever Art in Action. I was absolutely gutted to hear that this year was the very last show due to difficulty in finding sufficient volunteers to run the event and I really hope it can continue in some other form.

It was Sam's first visit to the show so I enjoyed showing him some of my favourite makers and, of course, food stands.

Art in Action is set in the beautiful grounds of Waterperry Gardens. There are loads of different marquees filled with all of the artwork and demonstrations you could wish to see from glassblowing to illustration. 

My favourite tent is always the Market tent. This is the largest marquee with a fantastic variety of handmade items.

As this was the very last Art in Action, I did use it as even more of an excuse to shop. I can't show all of the photographs now as we stocked up on Christmas presents but here are a few from the day, and my favourite makers.

Elizabeth Welch makes stunning contemporary glass art, gifts and homeware. We really enjoyed chatting to her about what inspires her work. She is a big Game of Thrones fan and makes gorgeous tiny glass dragons! She was kind enough to let me try on one of her necklaces above. Check out her website to see more of her work.

After the first stint of shopping it was time to head for the shade and have a delicious lunch form the Aribica Spice Company.

We watched a really interesting raku pottery demonstration and did some more exploring after lunch. 

Before the end of the day, I had to return to Lucy Jade Sylvester's stand. I fell in love with her beautiful botanical and British insect inspired jewellery on my very first visit to Art in Action. I was lucky enough to visit her studio and had one of her beautiful dragonfly necklaces and some earrings for my 21st birthday present from my parents. I decided to treat myself to one of her delicate leaf necklaces as a memento of many happy years visiting Art in Action. I love it!

Hawthorn leaf necklace
Lucy Jade Sylvester