Last weekend in May!!

This weekend sees the last chance to view my exhibition Resonance.  This exhibition features my tapestry needlepoint using secondhand wools and is based on how many years ago I was told that "colour is a killer".  Now we all know which colours we like and we all have colours we love to wear and so maybe there is some truth in it. I have trouble with blue, I know it's the colour of the sky and the sea but it sometimes fills me with dread when I look in my secondhand wool box and find so much blue to use up!  

Talking of Blue if you are in Brighton this weekend after visiting me (!) why not head to Fabrica and see Karina Kaikonnens exhibition "The Blue Route" where she has filled the old church with shirts, shirts and more shirts.  Also alongside this exhibition artist in residence Stig Evans will continue to compile names for the colour blue.  So maybe blue really is the colour in Brighton this weekend!

So May is rumbling on at quite a pace!  Along with having my own exhibtion here in Brighton I have found a little time to visit some Artists Open Houses here in the City - there is such a wide array this year and I have particularly enjoyed Tichborne Gallery and From Brighton with Love as they have both satisfied my love of texture, colour and process.

This week I am at Made in Clerkenwell selling tapestry kits, patterns, printed homewares and available to talk to about commissioned stitching.  

I am really looking forward to going up to Clekenwell there's always something new to see there.  I am especially looking forward to meeting the other studio owners and sellers.  Craft Central really is a great group to be involved with as they run courses to help with business planning and marketing as well as providing opportunities for members to sell and display their work - check out the Cloud Leopard which is on display there this May.

So maybe I will see you at Clerkenwell or if you are in Brighton please take a look at my exhibition in JAG Gallery whilst visiting the Open Houses.

So May is here and the sun has shone (a bit!!)

Here in Brighton the May Festival is in full swing.  The children's parade was the usual colourful mass of excitement - it really is the parade the weather can not spoil!

The first weekend of Artists Open House saw many visitors to JAG Gallery on Madeira Drive in Brighton and my Resonance Exhibition met with good reactions.  My exhibition continues throughout May.  I am at the gallery most days so if you come in and I am not downstairs just ask for me and I will pop down to see you.  The only exceptions are 11th May and 16th-19th May when I will be away from the Gallery.  

16th-19th May I will be at Craft Central for Made in Clerkenwell, this is a big step for me because I will be displaying my tapestry kits and printed homewares alongside my bespoke stitching (I'm covering all the bases!!).  I am just working out where to put everything and as usual worrying that I will have too much or too little to display.  I will be selling my kits and my Use Your Stash range, I'm really looking forward to it!

JAG Gallery Artists are being promoted throughout May, here is my entry into their hall of fame!!  Louisa White is a fantastic Artist and so it is great to be on the same page as her!

JAG Gallery Artists Louisa White and Tina Francis - copyright 2013

Just one last thing if you do come down to see me at Clerkenwell be sure to visit The Big Forest they have a new bear and he is an astronaut!!!! Hope to see you there!

Marching on to May!!!!

Well, well, well!!!  The sun has got his hat today - it's crazy how differently the sun makes the world look.  It's firing me up to continue with my current projects and look forward to May.

The month of May sees the month long Brighton Festival hit the streets, parks and galleries of Brighton.  One of the most interesting parts of the festival is Artists Open House, over the four weekends in May Artists open their houses and studios to exhibit their work.  Last year my small exhibition in my very small front room attracted over 700 people!! 
This year I will be exhibiting my work in JAG Gallery, Madeira Drive which is part of the Kemp Town Trail.  It is a small exhibition called Resonance and is also part of Craft and Design Month. 

I will be at JAG Gallery for every weekend in May with the exception of the 18th and 19th of May as from 15th to 19th May I will be in Clerkenwell at Craft central for Made in Clerkenwell. I will be launching two new printed kits at Clerkenwell here is a sneak peak!!

They are based on my drawings and photographs of jellyfish that got washed up on a Scottish beach a few years ago.  I still have to stitch them to ensure the colours and details work so they may change a little before Made in Clerkenwell.

Happy Stitching!!!!

A week to reflect!!

Well this has been a bit of a week for me all in all.  The Knitting and Stitching show went really well, it was great to meet many like minded people and talk about stitch.  I had a great if tiring time, I was so lucky because my stand was opposite two people whose work I have admired for many years the lovely Gilda Baron and the equally beautiful Eliza McClelland.  Both of these women were so helpful to me and gave me loads of advice and happy smiles when I felt a bit overwhelmed by the amount of people that came to the show.

            An example of Elizas work

            An example of Gildas work

                 My pop-up stand!!!!!

After being at Olympia for the Friday and Saturday, Sunday morning saw me taking down my large stitched piece from the 13 Women show in Brighton, it's great to have this piece back safe and sound.

This piece (A Woman's Weave) will form the basis for my solo show Resonance which will be on display at JAG Gallery, Brighton during May for National Craft and Design Month.

I am very excited to be exhibiting at Craft Central from 15th May as part of Made in Clerkenwell, I will have some new kit designs and will also have extended my "Use your Stash" range.

Finally (!) I have been accepted to exhibit at Fusion a weekend event at West Dean College in Chichester in June, this place is the home of Tapestry and so it will be great for me to display my work there and also sell some kits!

Quite a couple of weeks!  Off to update my website now!!!

Spring Knitting and Stitching Show - here I come!

So here I am getting ready for The Spring Knitting and Stitching Show at Olympia.  It's really exciting for me as I did not think I would be doing a show like this for another year or so but the opportunity to have a pop up stand for two days was too good to miss.
I will be there on 15th and 16th March on Stand E14, alongside my  tapestry kits I will be launching a new range of pattern charts that use only 10 metres of each wool colour.  They are simple designs and include the design that I use to create my bespoke stitching.  The range is called Use Your Stash and I hope it really encourages people to use up the odd wool they have hanging around. I hope to add printed designs to the range later in the year, I'm working on them after Olympia.
So if you are coming to Olympia please pop by and say hello, it will be great to meet you and talk about tapestry needlepoint until the cows come home!

Craftaganza - Brighton

I will be at this event on Saturday 2nd March.  It's held in an old church and to be honest is worth a visit just to see the stained glass window!!!!  But I know that you will want to do more than that!  Some stall holders will be there for two days but many will be around for just one of the days - this is a great idea because it encourages more people to join in and it also means that people get to see more craft in a weekend by visiting on both days!

There are some fantastic stalls this time round check out the Craftaganza site here. I'll see you on Saturday and will be visiting on Sunday!!!