Artists Bring Eastern Colour to Keighley

Zareena Bano

Visitors to Keighley's Central Hall will have a rare opportunity to explore many different facets of south Asian art.

The Sab Rang (All Colours) exhibition examines the subcontinent's rich cultural heritage, from calligraphy to contemporary wall art. The works on display will look at the traditional crafts and skills of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh - from the miniature paintings of the Muslim Mogul emperors to the complex patterns of mehndi, where decorations are applied to the skin.

Humaira Minhas

'Central Hall prides itself on being an easily accessible resource for all of the town's diverse communities,' says development manager Matt Blackmore. 'For example, we host All Keighley Communities Together, which helps people of all backgrounds to meet, discuss issues and make their voices heard. We are also home to Arakan Creative, the first theatre company in the north of England to specialise in stories from the Islamic world.

'That's why it's so important to us that our series of free exhibitions reflects the heritage of all our diverse communities. Yet, despite the large population of British Asian residents, there is currently nowhere else to view art from this cultural background.'

Sab Rang showcases the work of Akari Maharani, Zareena Bano and Humaira Minhas, who all share a love of rich colour. They each produce works singing with rich metals, bright opaque pigments and delicate shades but with recognisable and contrasting styles. The exhibition has been hosted by Artists in Business, which also provides support through hand-made fairs, workshops and seminars, in association with Bradford-based south Asian arts organisation Kala Sangam.

Akari Maharani

Sab Rang will be showing at Cafe Central, Central Hall, Alice Street, Keighley from Monday 11 June to Friday 13 July. Admission is free and the exhibition is open from Monday to Friday 8.30am - 4pm and Saturday 9am - 2pm.

Latest Exhibition in Keighley

Central Hall Cafe

Photography @ Central Hall is now open to the public until Friday 14 October 2011.
Photographers Steve Rayner and Kath Williamson showcase their images in the exhibition area in Cafe Central.  Central Hall is now open on Saturdays from 9am to 2pm as well as Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. 

Look out for our next exhibition - Printmaking @ Central Hall from Monday 21 November 2011 to Friday 6 January 2012

Photography @ Central Hall

Grass Verge by Kath Williamson

Since our first exhibition of Yorkshire Artists at Central Hall in April this year, Artists in Business has been commissioned to curate four more exhibitions in Keighley, West Yorkshire.
Photography @ Central Hall will be an exhibition of two Yorkshire photographers, Kath Williamson and Steve Rayner, from Monday 5 September to Friday 4 October 2011.  
Open times: Mon - Fri. Central Hall is sometimes open at weekends, please check out their website for details.  
www.central-hall.org.uk 
Central Hall is on Alice Street, Keighley BD21 3JD and has a lovely cafe where you can enjoy a good lunch. 

Millennium Square, Leeds by Steve Rayner

Furoshiki Workshop

     

Artists in Business will be holding a Furoshiki dyeing workshop on Saturday 18 June 10am to 12 noon at All Saints Church House, Church Street, Ilkley

This workshop will enable you to make two beautiful silk Japanese wrapping cloths using resist and dyes. Furoshiki is an eco-friendly cloth that can be used as a bag or for wrapping gifts. We will be looking at Japanese designs such as carp, sakura and repeat patterns. This workshop is tailored for both textile designers and beginners alike.

Costs: £15 + £5 materials charge.

To book your place on this exciting workshop please email: Jo.artsbiz@gmail.com

To buy cotton Furoshiki visit My Furoshiki on Etsy and Folksy.

Art@Central Hall

Central Hall, Keighley's newest Community Resource Centre, will be hosting its first art exhibition, showcasing six local artists. 

Displayed in Cafe Central, the exhibition includes paintings, photographs, mixed media and printmaking.

Littondale - Sunshine and Shadow by Martin Williamson

Exhibition starts on Monday 18 April to Friday 6 May
ENTRANCE FREE
Central Hall Opening times: 9am to 4pm 

Monday - Friday
 Alice Street, Keighley BD21 3JD

Contact Central Hall: 01535 612500

View from Pen-y-ghent by Martin Priestley

Exhibiting Artists are Martin Priestley (photographer) Farooq Rehmat (fine artist) June Russell (printmaker) Nicola Smith (illustrator) Kath Tarpy (fine artist) and Martin Williamson (painter)

Black Prince by Kath Tarpy

Farooq Rehmat

What else does Central Hall offer? Meeting rooms and conference room for hire, free wifi and Cafe Central. To find out more contact us 01535 612500 or visit  Central-hall.com

Free Bird by Nicola Smith

Hedgerows at Cowgill by June Russell

British Craft Trade Fair

The biggest event in the handmade designer-maker’s Spring calendar has to be the British Craft Trade Fair.

Leigh Shepherd Designs

When:  Sunday 3^rd, Monday  4^th and Tuesday  5^th April 2011 Sunday 10am to 6pm, Monday and Tuesday 10am to 5pm

Where:  Hall 1, The Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG2 8PW

What is it? The BTCF is a trade fair and a brilliant opportunity for designer-makers to showcase their new designs and meet  potential buyers from galleries and  boutiques, jewellery shops and garden centres.  Every designer is British and there is a happy mix of newcomers and returning exhibitors for those important buyers to select from. 

Why should you go? If you are an emerging designer then attending the BTCF will help you to decide whether your product is ready for the retail market. You will be able to see how others display their work and enjoy the buzz of a trade fair. You will also get a good understanding of how a trade fair works before you commit yourself to next year’s event.

What you shouldn’t do. The designers cannot sell their work direct to the public at the BTCF so please don’t ask them.  The designers are a friendly bunch and are generally happy to give you advice about showing your work but please don’t take up their time if there are buyers present.  Oh, and don’t  help yourself to their precious marketing leaflets and brochures, these are for potential buyers.

Although the public cannot buy directly from the designer at the BTCF it is a wonderful chance for British designers to make those all-important contacts with galleries and shops, sell their work by consignment and pick up repeat orders.  It’s also a fabulous way for buyers to find out what the latest trends in handmade are and a way to keep their customers buying British.

http://www.bctf.co.uk/news.php

Wicked Gen Crafts

Pop Up Galleries - a future for empty shops

The "Love Keighley" Gallery was an empty shop project devised by the Arts Factory working in partnership with The Keighley Town Centre Association.

14.7% of the retail units in the UK are lying empty and Keighley is no exception.  Stepping out of the bus station, visitors are immediately faced with a row of empty shops and feel they could be in any town. The pop up gallery tapped into the Love Keighley initiative with the window vinyls, posters and publicity mirroring the branding.  The Airedale Shopping Centre's offer of an empty shop made the ideal gallery for the annual Open Art exhibition. 

The Yorkshire Open is a showcase of visual art held annually at The Arts Factory. By moving the exhibition to an empty shop visitor numbers increased by a staggering 751 with just under 1000 people entering the gallery.  200 free promotional bags were given away and £130.60 raised on behalf of Manorlands, a local hospice. But it wasn't all plain sailing....

Setting up a pop up gallery entails a lot of hard work, planning and can sometimes be frustrating. It was freezing, particularly when it snowed (!) and there was no water so no toilet or cups of tea. 

But it was extremely effective for marketing the Arts Factory and raising awareness of what the gallery does.  Visitors ranged from pensioners to unemployed teenagers, artists to shoppers and everyone had a favourite picture.   The gallery was alive with colour and displaying the sheep from the Shorn Keighley Project drew the public to the windows. 

Displaying the art brought its own problems - I panicked that we would have too much work and not enough wall space. Luckily, this was not the case because we hung the show to look more like the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition with less white wall space than we are used to. 

A total of 40 Yorkshire artists displayed 93 pieces of work between them, ranging from traditional to contemporary, textiles to photographs.  Visitors came from Hull, Sheffield, York and Leeds but mostly Keighley and Bradford.  The gallery was open six days a week for three weeks and 16 volunteers covered 32 of the total 76 hours that we were open.   Would I do it again? I can't wait!

If you would like to find out how to set up a pop up gallery please contact Artists in Business and we will send you a free PDF instruction leaflet. 

Where have we been???

Artists in Business is back in business. 
We have been so busy with our day jobs we haven't had a chance to keep up with the blog! Well, we made a New Year resolution to try harder and publish helpful and informative business posts for artists in business. 


Look out for the following coming soon:
Working as a Community Artist - one artist shares her experiences
Setting up a creative business from your kitchen table - or anywhere else in the house (but possibly not the bathroom)?
pop up galleries and empty shop studios

We will also be giving away a free gift each month to one of our newsletter subscribers. If you would like to subscribe to our newsletter please use the contact box on the top right hand side of the page. 


Finally, do you have something to say? why not write for Artists in Business? We will post your stories, experiences and advice about your art business in Artists in Business.  Just send us an email  HERE

COMMENT

My apologies to everyone who has been following the posts about writing a business plan - it's been year-end for us. That means tidying up accounts, writing reports (bleugh) and looking at possible funding streams. I'll be back on with business plans this week (promise).
So, as we head toward May 6 (here in the UK) we wonder what the future holds for artists and art businesses. The recession's over, right? The economy's picking up, right? Everyone's just waiting until after the general election before they release their funding opportunities, spend their cash, commission new art? Wrong.
Those dependable funding streams that provide new opportunities for emerging artists and new arts businesses just aren't going to be there. Whichever political party is elected, they all have one thing in common - there's going to be no new spending. Just think how much potential arts funding has already been swallowed up by the cash-hungry Olympics monster (and it's still devouring money) And as for the banks - they will be too busy buying the government's gilts to want to invest in art. And don't even ASK the Arts Council...
So what shall we do? Shall we all go down the pub for a pint and a moan? Abandon our creativity until things pick up? Keep calm and carry on regardless? 
No, we shall diversify. We will look outside our "comfort zone" for new and innovative projects that will generate income (eventually) whilst satisfying our creative needs. We will support our fellow artists, buy hand made whenever possible, take part in guerilla art events and support pop-up shops. Are you all behind me? (Where have you all gone)?


So, if you ever needed a business plan you need one now! 

My Creative Space - Little Red

April Mawhinney of Little Red tells us about her creative space and her residency at The Arches.

"I design and make leather accessories and bags under the name of Little Red. When I first started, I was working out of an open plan one bedroom flat which I shared with my boyfriend. The flat was just too small to cope with my growing stash of fabrics, leather, zips, buttons and thread. Also the endless noise of the sewing machine in such a small flat turned home space into industrial space; so it really wasn’t a situation that could last forever.

"A friend told me about the Arches studios in Southampton which gives creative graduates residencies to start and launch their own creative endeavours. It is an amazing space, located under a bridge in the city centre with spaces for approximately 20 artists/craftspeople. I applied and gained the residency in 2006 and I am now just entering my fourth year.

"I have my own individual space within the Arches and 24/7 access. It is a wonderfully vibrant environment to work in; allowing me to develop my own practise while interacting with the other artists in the studio which is both inspirational and supportive. My studio is painted white and I try to keep it clean and practical. My cutting table takes up most of the space along with my ironing board and sewing machines.

"My creative practise has definitely grown as a result of having this studio space away from my home. It has allowed me to experiment with my materials, the size and scale of my work but most importantly it has given me a chance to work free of the distractions which I would suffer in my own house, such as house work.

"I have just been accepted for a two year extension on my residency at the Arches. I am really looking forward to pushing forward my design and making practise with a view to eventually spreading my Little Red wings and entering the big wide world with my own studio and boutique."

April Mawhinney.

Catch up with April on her blog Little Red Designs and follow her on Facebook too.

Business Plans for Art Businesses Part 2

Further to my previous post "Business Planning for Art Businesses" I gave an overview of the business plan and WHY it is important to write one. In this post I will show you the kind of information your plan should include.

Your business plan should be concise and easy to read. Not everyone who picks up your business plan will want to read the entire document through, particularly if they have 20+ other business plans to consider (usually funders or banks). The business plan should always start with an "Executive Summary" - a short list of key points taken from the entire business plan. The Executive Summary will show the key features of your business, giving the reader an overview of what you do. The reader should know, from the Exec Summary, exactly what you do and what you want, without all the dressing.
When do you write the executive summary? Although this is the first part of the Business Plan it needs to be the part you write last so that you can pick out those key points from the rest of the document.
Start with an opening sentence that tells the reader what the exec summary will show, for example:
"This business plan will show that (name of business) is a viable business and that it can develop successfully".

Now you need to list those key points of
1. What you are doing successfully now and
2. what you will be doing to take your business forward.
You will take these from the remainder of your business plan, which is why you write the executive summary last.

You can also include a separate list of key points showing the reasons that you can run a successful business. For example:
"(Name of Business) will be a successful arts enterprise because..." then list the opportunities that will arise in the future.
At the end of your Exec Summary the reader should know exactly what you do without being bored with the detail. In fact, the reader should be interested enough to want to read the rest of your report.

Also, as part of your Exec Summary, the bank, funder or backer will want to see an overview of your figures over the next three years. You will need to show the following overall figures in the Exec Summary: Income, Expenditure, Outcome. List these in a grid and calculate them over the next three years. Forecasting your finances for the next three years isn't going to be an exact science so increase your first year's calculations by a reasonable percentage but be realistic. This is called a "Summatitive Table of Costs".

Income: how much money is coming into your business (sales, funding, loans, teaching workshops, services)

Expenditure:how much money has come out of your business (purchases, overheads, costs, travel, materials)

Net Income: how much is left after you have taken all your costs out of your gross income(profit)

On the same page as your Summatitive Table you will need to indicate to the reader that there is a comprehensive breakdown of costs at the end of the report. This will be in the form of an appendix.

Setting out the Summatitive Table.

You can set your costs out in two sections: CURRENT and PREDICTED. They should be listed in columns so that they can be read across from left to right.

The first column shows your business activity (such as sales, workshops, craft fairs, design services, commissions, paid employment, exhibitions etc)broken down into headings.

The next column should show a breakdown of the income for each activity.

The third column should show your expenditure.

The fourth column should show your net income.

If you are applying for a bank loan or funding don't be concerned that your Net income is 0. If you can prove that you understand your finances and that all money has been ploughed back into the business you should look, on paper, like a viable investment. However, if you are spending more than you are making or using your own cash "invisible money" to fund your business you will look like an amateur and not worth investing in.

In my next post we will look at your business products and services and your future vision for your business.

Sign up for the Newsletter and...

Sign up to our March Newsletter before 5 March 2010 and you will be entered into a free draw to win these beautiful dangly earrings made by jeweller Ruby Spirit Designs.

About our newsletter: there are articles about arts business, features on different artists, updates and useful links too. The next newsletter will be "MUD" the Ceramics edition with information for ceramic artists and potters.

And the winner is.....

The winner of the illustrated magnets by artist

Lauren Alexander was Barbara of Earthy Elegance.

Business Plans for Art Businesses Part 1

"Fail to Plan
Plan to Fail"

In a previous post I said that I would be blogging about Business Plans and how to write one. Well, true to my word, here is the first of 3 posts on the subject. I have broken it up into sections to make a tedious task more palatable - after all, who writes business plans for fun?

Why write a Business Plan?
A business plan is a vital tool for any business, whether you are a new arts business or an exisiting business. There are two reasons why you should do this:

• to show potential funders, financial institutions, backers or partners that you have a viable business that is worth investing in


• as an exercise in analysing your business potential, finances, measure your current performance against future performance and, most importantly, high light any flaws or gaps in your business.

Your plan should show the Who, What, Where, How and Why of your business. WHO is involved (you, other businesses, customers/clients) WHAT you are doing and going to do in the future, WHERE you do it, HOW it operates and WHY you do it(and why people need it).
Your Business Plan will consist of information in each of the following headings:

• The Executive Summary (we'll deal with this in the last post)
• A description of your business (the easy part)
• Your Marketing Strategy (the fun part)
• Your team (only relevant if you are not a sole trader)
• Your Operations (where you do it and how you do it)
• Your Financial Forecast (the difficult part).

In my next post I shall be talking about how to write a description of your business - what it should include and how the layout of the business plan should look.

I did it myself!

Following on from Branding Your Arts Business we continue to explore the world of marketing and branding your business with a book review. And the book is.....
D.I.Y. Design It Yourself.



Described as a manual for anyone wanting to design their own branding and publicity materials, Design It Yourself covers a wide range of different visual media and packaging ideas. The book is a collaborative project by post graduate students from the Maryland Institute College of Fine Arts and edited by graphic designer and author Ellen Lupton. This is a soft back book bursting with graphic design ideas from Books to Zines, Blogs to Websites and everything else in between.
Who is this book for? This book is aimed at anyone who is not a graphics or design graduate but has basic idea of design and layout. Primarily, it is a book about IDEAS and is written in a style that makes the reader think "yeah - I can do that".
What about the content? The first three chapters: Why D.I.Y? D.I.Y Theory and Basic Design are a Must-Read as they delve into the Why Who and How of design - why we need design to get our "message" out, who we are targetting with our message and how we are going to create a strategy to get that message to those people. The subsequent chapters are alphabetical from Blogs through to Zines. Design It Yourself covers media design and old fashioned illustration with great promotional ideas such as making books, printing on textiles, designing logos and my favourite, making and decorating envelopes.
The layout of the book is clean and clear (which you would expect from a book created by design students) with great images and photographs. It is not a book to copy designs from - you can buy books and CDs for this from Dover Bookshop - but a book about cultivating your own design ideas and creating your own branding and marketing campaign.
So, is this a great book? Not exactly. Some of the chapters are too basic - these are the ones about on-line tools such as blogging, web design and, most disappointingly, Presentations. The ideas and advice were fairly sketchy and, if you are a total novice, you would be better advised just to follow the templates direct from the blog site or use a website package such as Websites for Artists. Plus the examples of websites, blogs and presentations weren't particularly inspiring. However, the chapters on Press Kits, Postcards, Logos and Books had plenty of information and great ideas to start the reader thinking about how they can stamp their own design style onto these promotional tools.
Oh, and check out the chapter on Brands. Mike Weikert takes the reader through the processes of branding and brand identity, using his company, Small Roar, as the example. A whole book of different companies talking about branding and marketing of their products would make a great read.
Am I glad I bought it? Yes, as a book on design and style it sits alongside The Laura Ashley Book of Home Decorating and my Habitat catalogues from the seventies and eighties, although Design It Yourself is not a design classic (and didn't set out to be one). This book was first published in 2006 and, with all books covering technology and design, will date fairly quickly. Design is about selling a life style and addressing how people aspire to live and current design trends lean more toward the hand made and vintage rather than slick design and CAD.
Jo Whitehead

The opinions and views in this book review are solely that of the author and not the general opinion of Artists in Business. Neither the author or AIB has received any payment or sponsorship in exchange for the review nor has the content of this review been influencedby any third party.

10 Tips for a Successful Arts Business

All self help books have magic number tips such as 10 good tips, 7 bad tips (how not to do something) and 3 rules to live by! So, in the spirit of the self help book here are my top 10 tips to starting a successful arts business.

Pinback Button by Button Empire

1. Carpe diem! In the words of Los Campesinos, If it seems like a good idea then it IS a good idea. Start researching how you can turn your art into a business. Get some good business advice from your local Business Link or visit a business consultant.

2. Be honest with yourself. Do you have a product that people will want to buy or are you making art for yourself? a lot of people say they love your work but would they be willing to part with their money to prove this?

3. Be willing to put in the hours. Being self employed is great, you can work when you want and there's no-one else to tell you what to do. Actually, being self employed can be very lonely and more demanding than working 9 to 5. Are you willing to stay late, burning the midnight oil when everyone else is at the pub?

4. Know your sums. Calculate the cost of everything you make, including your hourly rate and then work out your profit. Don't forget to work out your overheads and running costs. Keep accurate records and, if you are not hot with figures, go on a book keeping course. Try and live by the expression "look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves"

5. Know Your Competition. Find out what everyone else is doing - look at their strengths and weaknesses, find out how they market their art, compare their pricing and look at how you can improve your business on THEIR performance.

6. Know Your Customer. Who will your potential customers be? Who will you appeal to? Where do they buy their art? What kinds of galleries/shops do they go to? What are they willing to pay?

7. Have a sure-fire Business Plan. Business plans are boring but, if you need to borrow money or to further your business, then you will need one. And you should WANT one too - a business plan can help you plan for the future, work out the direction you want to take your business in and identify all your strengths and weaknesses. (I will be blogging about business plans soon).

8. Organize. This means sort out your studio and make it an efficient place to work. Sort out your schedule - learn to prioritise your time so that you are not wasting time gazing at art on the internet instead of making it.

9. Networking. It's all very romantic starving in a garret but sometimes you have to come out and meet people. You can network with Twitter and Facebook (easy) but you also need to talk to real people about your work. Visiting galleries and exhibitions is a great way to network - you are your art's ambassador.

10. My Year in Lists. Make lists. Set targets. Stick to them. Lists give you a raison d'etre, goals to work toward. Lists include Your Strengths/Weaknesses, Mailing Lists, List of Tasks, Shopping Lists.

In The Studio (Part 7)

Any space can become studio - all you need is some time, energy and a little imagination. Each month we feature Artist's Studios to inspire and encourage your creativity. If you would like your special space be featured in Artists in Business please contact us using the Kontactr Box at the bottom of the blog.





Collage Artist Emma Strangelord
"For the past few years I’ve been OBSESSED with collage, making use of the hoards of junk I’ve gradually accumulated from childhood to, erm, the twilight of my twenties.
The faded grandeur of a Victorian terrace in a Northern industrial town, is where we set our scene. Thanks to a very accommodating landlord my studio space tends to be all over the house, whenever I’m overcome with inspiration!
The bulk of my supplies and my mini-gallery of completed pieces have taken up residence in the back bedroom, whilst I dream of the days when I have my own place, a real studio, a walk-in wardrobe AND I’ve won the Turner Prize (that will definitely happen).
I’ve recently dared to dabble in painting again (I’ve hardly picked up brushes since I finished my degree in 2003) feeling encouraged when, over the summer, a family friend bought an old piece which I’d hung on my wall for years. My painted images have tended to focus on the same sorts of themes as my collages – juxtaposition of sinister and sweet. A recent visit to the ‘Pop Life’ exhibition at Tate Modern, particularly the Takashi Murakami room, has gotten the creative juices flowing.
I’m also falling back in love with working in sketch books. I filled page after page whilst at art college and I love the personal, private feel of a book format - like a secret diary. And far more organised than scribbling down ideas on scraps of paper. This need for order and control manifests itself in the way I agonise for hours over collaged pieces, ensuring everything is perfectly in place before sticking down. Perhaps it’s a way of maintaining some sort of stability in an often chaotic life!
My friends and family are very much part of my creative endeavours. They are my biggest patrons and collectors. They offer support and encouragement and are always on the lookout for images and objects I could utilise. It seems my biggest fan is Mr. Casper Disaster, one of my two cats a foundling, infatuated with his mummy, and far from camera shy. Often he feels he has better ideas about how a collage should be arranged, or prefers the paint when it’s on the floor and in paw prints. This rarely goes down well..."

Strangelord on Folksy
I’m also showing work in an exhibition at Gallery 12A in Doncaster until 31st January 2010





Kathryn Abrahams - Glass Artist, Lazy Daisy Glass

"I have worked from home for only a couple of years, my previous career had always been in administration. However, like many others, I have always enjoyed crafting - whether it be cardmaking, glass painting or knitting. But found myself taking over the house with all sorts of crafts - it drove my hubby mad!
I first started working with stained glass as a hobby six years ago, but found less and less people were buying it. When I became pregnant I gave up the 'office job' to become a full-time mother. I received my maternity money and decided to invest it in my first kiln. I bought a book, some materials and started experimenting. I soon out grew my hobby room with all my bits and pieces. As soon as I decided fused glass was what I wanted to do I talked to hubby about the old outbuilding and what could be done with it. So hubby went about building me a new studio (it helps have a carpenter/builder in the family - he's done a stupendous job). He's an artist in his own right!
My studio used to be the old school outside toilet block and dates back about 100 years. The project has been ongoing for about 18 months. It's not aesthetically pleasing on the outside, as the inside was more important to finish. Working in the house was also a problem as I had to clear up/take out whenever I wanted to work, but with my own studio space I can go in with a clear head and leave it all behind.
I'm also a full-time mother to a 2.5 year old, so working with glass in the home can be a hazard.
My hubby fitted the space out with open kitchen units and worktops. There is now plenty of storage units and work surface. I have one long worktop purely for cutting and shaping my glass work and on the other side of the studio is my cold working area - which is for drilling, polishing and grinding. I recently bought a pillar drill and have been having great fun drilling holes. However, my new kiln is my pride and joy. It's taken a lot of work to get it, but thoroughly enjoying the endless possibilities.
My studio is at the bottom of our garden and as we live in a rural hamlet, it's very peaceful and surrounded by rolling countryside - a very inspirational place to be and work!

Lazy Daisy Glass

Lazy Daisy Blog

Lazy Daisy Facebook

Magnet Giveaway

Sign up to our February Newsletter before 5 February 2010 and you will be entered into a free draw to win these gorgeous magnets created by artist and illustrator Lauren Alexander (I really want to keep these for myself).





About our newsletter: there are articles about arts business, features on different artists, updates and useful links too. The next newsletter will be "SPARKLE" the Jewellery edition with information for jewellers and silversmiths.





And the winner is.....
Jane of Hooked Yarn has won a bubbly fused glass dish created from the studio of Glassprimitif.

Design Social

DesignSocial >> 52 Projects >>52 Weeks

"Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and the pupil are the same individual" - Arthur Koestler

I am Andrea Eaton, a twenty-something South African creative based in London. DesignSocial is my creative project for 2010.
Over the next year I plan to complete 52 separate creative projects in 52 weeks. DesignSocial was inspired by a 2009/2010 course offered at Central Saint Martins “100 Design Projects” and, from what I understand, its core concept is exercising and diversifying creativity. I have morphed this idea into a project of my own which I hope will also help to broaden my own creative horizons.
I have invited friends, family, colleagues and creative peers to submit briefs from which I will select projects for each week of the year to follow. Each effected project will be displayed on the DesignSocial blog alongside its original brief and notes on how I devised each concept.The project is intended to be social and fun, with 'pretend' briefs that may or may not include real companies/events/situations etc. As a freelancer, it’s not in my interest to do 'real work' for free through the DesignSocial challenge, but my aims here are to learn, to inspire, and to share my findings along the way. I try to encourage other creatives to submit ideas for projects that they themselves would love to work on.
Having received some interesting and challenging briefs so far, I am still hoping for more submissions during early January 2010, after which I hope to have at least secured a schedule for the first few months of the year.

Support the DesignSocial challenge by submitting your own creative brief! I also encourage anyone who is keen, to join me in tackling these briefs - I will gladly display any creative work submissions alongside my own - I think it would be great to share ideas and outcomes!

In the words of the late, great Paul Arden, "Do not covet your ideas. Give away everything you know and more will come back to you".

For more information please visit the DesignSocial website: www.designsocial.co.uk , or email Andrea on: emaildesignsocial@gmail.com
Follow DesignSocial on Twitter: @DesignSocial52 and join the DesignSocial Facebook group.

Wishing All Our Followers....

Enjoy the holidays - take a break from your work and put your feet up! Thank you all for your support of Artists in Business - more arts business posts, articles and features to come in 2010!

In the Studio (Part 6)

Any space can become studio - all you need is some time, energy and a little imagination. Each month we feature Artist's Studios to inspire and encourage your creativity. If you would like your special space be featured in Artists in Business please contact us using the Kontactr Box at the bottom of the blog.



The Dots and Spots Studio
Dubbed the igloo in winter and the sauna in summer, a conservatory attached to the side of the family home serves as the studio for Becky, the artist behind dots and spots. “Having my own space to work is really important to me” she says “but as my range has grown, I could now do with it being twice the size!” Being glass, the space is infused with light, giving an airy feel that belies its size and Becky’s organised nature means that every nook and cranny sports a unique storage solution for the paper, ribbon, buttons and other bits and bobs that she uses to build up her vibrant – and spotty! – pieces of collage art.
The studio looks out onto the back garden and then, across a cycle path, to the trees of a local park. “It was whilst staring idly out of my studio onto the washing blowing in the breeze that I got the inspiration for my ‘Washing Line of Love’ range that is proving to be particularly popular.” Becky has recently given up her teaching career to concentrate full time on her business designing and producing cards, prints and art in her own unique style: “I’m so glad I’ve taken the plunge and am finally pursuing a life-long dream to work as an independent artist. The only thing I miss is the camaraderie of the staff-room. Sometimes working all day in your studio can be a little lonely, but now I’ve discovered Twitter I’m able to have a natter with fellow artists and crafters around the country, all from the comfort of my very own studio!”

Dots and Spots Shop
Dots and Spots Blog



Textile Artist Deborah Good
"I've worked from home making bespoke soft furnishings, home accessories and gifts for about 10 years now. I started in the dining room and, when I needed more space, progressed to the conservatory. Three years ago, when we could no longer find a path through all my materials to the door, we decided it really was time to build in the garden!
"The fantastic workshop is 10 metres long and 3 wide - I have two thirds of it, my husband has the rest. My part is self contained, cosy and insulated. (I covet my husband's bit too - would love to knock through and use it to store my fabrics tidily!)
I have a huge fabric stash on shelves (now sagging quite badly under the weight) along the back wall, an 8 x 4 foot table with rolls of fabric underneath and ample storage. All my craft fair/Folksy stock is stored on shelves and in baskets; there's a bookshelf full of crafting, sewing and interior books, patterns and cuttings; a rescued war time Utility cupboard hoards my threads, tools and other equipment and my daughter's empty and redundant doll's house is useful for stashing away paperwork. I use a 15 year old Pfaff machine and a slightly older overlocker, but also have an ancient Pfaff on an industrial bed, which is useful but very temperamental!
I'm working in my workshop most days, either on a soft furnishing commission, a re-upholstery project or my stock for Folksy.
I'm one lucky lady - I love my sanctuary!

Pretty Goods on Folksy



Ceramic Artist Charlotte Hupfield
"My passion for ceramics started from an early age, and it was at university where my skills, techniques, understanding and creativity developed. After graduating in 2008 I have continued to develop my ceramics over the past 18 months. I began by working from home which wasn't ideal as it got rather messy and storage space was limited. When everything took off 6 months ago I decided it was time to have my own creative space to produce work.
My workshop in the garden has been a life-saver and I don't know what I would do without it now. It's nice to sit out there at my leisure with a cup of tea. It's also great to have so much natural light coming in through the windows. I have the occasional friends that sometimes come to say hello, such as the robin who watches me through the window, and the squirrel who jumps about on the roof! There is a big Christmas tree right outside the window, so I'm looking forward to the sight of it decorated nearer to Christmas.
I enjoy cleaning, tidying and organising my workshop every now and then but it soon gets untidy again! I made my own ceramic plaque which hangs on the outside next to the door. My plaques have been quite popular this year and I've made several for other peoples' craft cabins and studios.
It gets a bit stuffy in the summer but it's nice to have the door open with fresh air coming in. On the other hand, I'm just starting to experience the winter weather! I'm lucky to have a hallogen heater which heats up the small space and soon makes it feel warm and cosy.
My current work ranges from handmade items inspired by the natural world such as vases, bowls, sculptural vessels, coasters, plaques, clocks, letter racks, candle shaders, as well as smaller items including magnets, keyrings and brooches. I'm looking forward to lots of future design and creativity in my workshop."

http://www.charlottehupfieldceramics.com/
http://www.charlottehupfieldceramics.blogspot.com/
www.folksy.com/shops/charlottehupfieldceramics