Saffron Walden Arts Festival 2012

So many outdoor events have fallen victims to the weather over the past few weeks . . . the Cambridgeshire County Show was called off and the Suffolk Show closed after just one day. But the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant went ahead and the French Market stallholders on Saffron Walden Common were determined to stay, come what may; so full of British grit and determination the Saffron Walden Arts Festival carried on regardless of rain and gale force winds . . .

The four "Living Crafts" tents became two after one tent blew away and another had to be dismantled for safety reasons; here's the view of the Common as I arrived on Saturday morning – the good thing was that it was not raining.

Within an hour I'd transformed my corner of the larger tent with a display stand of prints and cards and working area . . .

I was busy serving customers and demonstrating carving a lino block for most of the day; we could hear a great selection of live music from the main marquee next door – the audience is well wrapped up!

Sunday. Time to do it all over again . . . but look – blue sky and sunshine :-) the third tent had been erected and the tent-sides were opened so we didn't get too hot!

We put up a board advertising the workshops . . . thinking on my feet, I decided to allow people to drop-in at any time for £5 in line with the other activities in the same tent.

Outside I could see lots of things going on: tai-chi, the local art society exhibition and an amazing display by Maggie Auld and Dennis the dog (wish I'd been able to photograph that but it sounded such fun!)

On the other side of the tent Katherine Childs was popular with hands-on pottery sessions, and a huge communal coil-pot was gradually growing in size (I can't believe I didn't photograph that either!)

Returning to my workshop table . . . by afternoon it was getting really popular and I had a full table of people cutting lino and making prints.

Here's some of their work . . . all absolutely brilliant!

Then a band arrived! The Drum and Bass workshop band arrived from the Castle to show off what they'd learnt . . . fabulous stuff!

Then it was all over! Goodness knows how I managed to get all my stuff packed into my car as the scouts demolished the tent around us . . . and here's the view from my car/tardis as I prepared to drive off the Common and home.

To say I was tired was a huge understatement . . . thank you to Cliff who helped me set up on Saturday and was there when I got home on Sunday with the Plymouth Gin and Fever Tree tonic lined up ready!


Unpacking the jumbled mess from my car on Monday wasn't fun but looking back it was a good experience . . . and I really enjoyed teaching the workshops (something I might do more of – I'm making plans). I hope everyone who came along enjoyed all the activities – lots of people had put in a massive amount of work to make it all happen.

And it didn't rain!

Celia
x

All the fun of the fair

Two Christmas Fair's ticked off the list – so, how did they go?

The Linton Christmas Gift Market was a new event, so it was uncharted territory – I was surprised to be directed to behind the back of the main building to a portacabin classroom, the atmosphere was a little tense and not at all jolly and very cold (I now understand that unfortunately a number of stallholders hadn't turned up which had caused all sorts of problems for the organiser). On a happy note I was next door to a lovely lady selling brightly covered felt covered soap – her sales banter was a joy! – and next to her was Nicola, aka Lily Button, with her beautifully made upcycled bags and accessories. There was a steady trickle of customers and to my surprise one introduced herself as Chrissie of niminyfingers, wasn't that lovely! At the end of the day I had lost all feeling in my frozen toes; but, helped by one exceptional sale, my takings were quite respectable.

Last weekend was the big one, The Mayor's Appeal Arts Fair in Saffron Walden Town Hall. I've had a stall at the two previous Arts Fairs and sales have been excellent – particularly at the Fund Raising Private View on the Friday evening. So it was with high hopes that I set up my stall . . .


The central area of the Town Hall is reserved for artists to show their framed pictures, two or three of the people who had expressed interest decided not to attend, so I was allowed to spread out onto two extra display panels for no extra fee.


Rachel had sent a package of more finished pieces in out LANDSCAPE EAST jewellery collection, I'd quickly made a display panel covered with some Sudbury silk I just happened to have in the studio – I liked how the wide black and brown stripes looked like a minimalist landscape.


What happened? Quiet is an understatement, I won't even try to analyse why and this isn't the place to do it. My takings for the whole weekend were just a little less than the Linton Market, and that was mostly thanks to a charming woman who visited twice on Saturday and then came back on Sunday to buy two prints (I can't tell you how much she cheered me up!).

On a positive note, there was a 'let's make the most of it' spirit among the stallholders and we spent a lot of time swapping ideas and getting to know each other which was very inspiring. Gary from Edwards & Todd in Museum Street, London (opposite the British Museum) called in to collect a bundle of unframed prints from me to restock his browsers – and he gave me one of his gallery's Christmas invitation cards which features my Deer sprang form the wood linocut.

I came away not at all down-hearted, in fact just the opposite – I had a list of things to get on with . . .

The LANDSACPE EAST jewellery is gradually being listed in the jewellery department of Magic Cochin's Emporium – the Anglesey Abbey Falling Oak Leaf earrings are there already :-) I think they are my favourite piece – I'd snap up a pair!

Prompted by Caroline on the neighbouring stall, I've started a visual journal, i sketch my day, drawn while I'm out walking, using various drawing apps and posted from my iPhone.

And, thanks to the amazingly skilled maker of decorative papers, Victoria Hall; I've some exciting new printmaking ideas to pursue.


One more Christmas event to go . . . The Withersfield Christmas Bazaar on Saturday 4th December 2 - 4.30pm. It's my local village event, there will be lots of friends there so it's for fun – do come along if you live nearby, worth it for the tea and cake ;-)

Celia
x

New on my stall this weekend . . .

It's been a busy day . . . one of those days where everything seems to happen at once. Probably the most exciting thing that happened was the arrival of a 'special delivery' padded envelope from Rachel in Norfolk – it contained more finished designs in our LANDSCAPE EAST jewellery collection.

Luckily it has been a bright day, perfect for taking photos, so I've spent some time photographing all the pieces so I can put them in the silver jewellery department of Magic Cochins Emporium on etsy. I haven't selected and sized all the images yet and I need to make a little display panel for them at this weekend's Arts Fair in Saffron Walden Town Hall; but here's a taster . . .

Leaf Doodle pendant
etched sterling silver on a compact snake chain

Small Leaf Doodle long-wire earrings
etched sterling silver

Anglesey Abbey Falling Oak Leaves long-wire earrings
etched sterling silver

Anglesey Abbey Oak Leaf pendant
etched sterling silver on a compact snake chain

Flying Hare necklet
etched and oxidised sterling silver on an oxidised silver cable necklet

Rachel has described the etching technique she uses on her blog, you can see pictures of the leaf pendant and the hares being prepared for etching and actually in the acid bath.

Celia
x

Light and reflections in the gallery today

In just over an hour's time I'll be drawing back the shutters and putting the signs out on the path in Hill Street Saffron Walden – it's my turn again to be on the front line of retail in The Riverslade Gallery.

Are you basking in the heat wave? The gallery is a little oasis of tranquil calm, Carole Grey's glass panels casts coloured patterns on the floor . . .


Patricia Palmer is a new member of the gallery, her paintings are geometric compositions inspired by Moroccan buildings. The colours are echoed perfectly by Marilyn Andreetti's ceramics.


So, if you're walking into town from the Waitrose car park, look for the pink geraniums in the window box and pop in for a chat . . . and find some beautiful treats for you and your friends.

Sunny intervals

Thank you to everyone who navigated the Essex lanes and came to see our Open Studio. On Saturday between increasingly heavy showers we had a sprinkling of visitors. In fact we had been very lucky, on my way home I could see that there had been much more serious rain close by. At home Cliff told me there had been storms and power cuts, and just then the power went off again, it stayed off for a long time so we cooked supper on a gas camping stove! As it was almost mid-summer it was still light outside so there was no need to get out the candles and lamps; the overhead power cables were repaired and the power supply was back by 9.30pm.


Sunday brightened up in more ways than just sunshine (but that in itself was lovely) and we were busy for most of the day. Visitors enjoyed being in the little garden behind 'May's Cottage' – old thatched cottages seem grow out of the ground like toadstools, I like how the thatcher has created organic curving shapes instead of imposing regularity onto her.


As well as our display of larger work in Annette's studio, we put smaller things and cards in the little conservatory. It was good that people asked us lots of questions about how I cut my lino blocks and choose colours; and how Annette makes her rag rugs and patchwork. And it was lovely to actually meet some happy customers and see some of my prints going off to their new homes.


And then, of course, at the end of the day we had to pack everything up – luckily Cliff had been walking near Saffron Walden and dropped by on his way home to help me, it was so much easier fitting everything into two cars!

Ready and waiting

After a busy afternoon yesterday, our work is now on display in Annette's studio in Duddenhoe End. And just to make sure you don't get lost around the lanes of north-west Essex (even with a a sat-nav to help) we went out in the drizzle, armed with gaffer tape and a mallet, to put up signs with arrows to guide you along the route.

When I got home last night I was looking forward to cooking supper, drinking a glass of red wine and then watching a footie match on TV (I thought I'd watch just one at least just to see what I was missing!). Then I'd have a wallowy bath before bed.

I was just about to turn on the heat under the new potatoes (freshly harvested from big pots in the greenhouse) when the phone rang . . . our friends were sitting in the pub and where were we? There had been crossed wires and emails and instead of Saturday night the table had been booked for Friday! So we hastily revised our plans, turned off the oven, jumped into the car (looking a bit disheveled), and raced down to the pub. Our table was in the restaurant area, so we could only guess what was happening in 'the match', but we got the gist from the groans of the people watching the TV in the bar . . . and they weren't elated.

You can see details of all the studios that are open this weekend, here. Good luck everyone! I'm now heading off to Duddenhoe End . . .

Smashing fete!

Behind every big event there's hours of planning and hard work . . . and committee meetings – for those of you unfamiliar with English village life, I can inform you that 'The Vicar of Dibley' is not entirely fictional. Our Village Fete is no exception – we have discussed, persuaded, painted, un-twiddled bunting and carried boxes of stuff up the hill; so it is with relief that Saturday afternoon passed without rain, hissy-fits, bad language or any falling out among friends and neighbours. In fact it was all jolly good fun with sizzling barbecued sausages and lashings of home made cakes and cups of tea.

(At this point I intended to show you a little movie of the smashing time we had, but after the fourth failed attempt to upload the file I've given in to Blogger's non-cooperation.)

At the end of the day Cliff and I undertook the marathon task of counting the money and producing a report for the committee at the after-fete supper. We've got this down to a fine art and after just under two and a half hours our sums showed a record breaking profit of almost £3,500 HURRAH! By next spring we'll have forgotten what hard work it all is and will probably agree to doing it all again.

So, with 'Village Fete' ticked off everyone's 2010 calendar, life returns to normal and I can concentrate on getting ready for next weekend's Saffron Walden Open Studios event. I will be exhibiting alongside Annette Jacob at her studio in Duddenhoe End, just west of Saffron Walden near Audley End. I hope that some of you can come along.


All flowers picked from the garden this morning.
Top: Sweetpeas, Sage, Alchemilla Mollis, Ground Elder, Geranium Psilostemon, Astrantia, Rosa glauca and a double white Rosa pimpinellifolia.
Bottom: Roses – the white one is 'Iceberg' but I don't know the names of the others, the deep pink one in the front has the most beautiful rich scent!

Behind the scenes

This blog is about what's going on in and around my studio . . . so I intended to blog about a busy day working in The Riverslade Gallery on Friday followed by a bit of Bank Holiday fun and relaxation . . .

"CUT!" Let' s start again.

Those things didn't happen, because on Thursday night I went down with a tummy bug and I didn't even begin to feel better until yesterday lunchtime – it wiped out three and a half days. But you don't want to know about that (and I'd rather forget about it!) and I'm now back in my studio drinking a cup of tea and easing myself back into a working week.

You all know that I focus on the positive on PPPs (and even on the busiest stressiest day I can usually find something fitting for a PPP-post) so here are tasters of things coming along later this month.


A happy looking box arrived at the weekend. Its contents . . .


. . . my smart new business cards :-) This is all part of my website makeover and my preparations for Saffron Walden Open Studios weekend on 19th and 20th June when I'll be exhibiting my work alongside Annette Jacob's textile creations at her studio at Duddenhoe End.


Meanwhile, preparations for our village fete are reaching a peak; one of the things I'd volunteered to do was to give the Bean-Bag game a new look (be careful when attending village meetings where wine is served!). Cliff had an inspired idea and left it to me to paint while he went to check out some footpath routes. So I spent yesterday afternoon in the garage painting and to the accompaniment of Classic FM. If you'd like to play iBean bag an app, come along to the village fete on 12th June.



PS: It's a new month, so voting over at the Little Blog Awards is starting for June's winner. If you'd like to vote for PPPs click on the link in the side bar.
Celia
x

Saffron Walden Open Studios

This summer, Essex will be buzzing with art festivals, exhibitions and trails – all part of Essex Summer of Art. Essex is a diverse county, it has an image of being on London's fringe inhabited by Jamie and Essex Girls, but there are seaside resorts, marshes, market towns and tranquil picturesque valleys too.

Artists in and around Saffron Walden have joined forces to put together a weekend of Open Studios on 19th and 20th June, this will follow on from the Saffron Walden Arts Festival taking place the previous weekend. Yesterday evening there was a launch party in The Riverslade Gallery, to unveil the smart new brochures.


My studio is just a little too far away from Saffron Walden and it's just over the border in Suffolk, but I had a very kind invitation from one of the Riverslade Gallery exhibitors, Annette Jacob – she suggested that I join her in the newly refurbished garden studio at her cottage in Duddenhoe End. So, on 19th and 20th June you can call in to see Annette's beautiful rag rugs, knitting and stitching alongside my linoprints and cards, in the lovely relaxed setting behind a traditional Essex thatched cottage. I'll tell you more about our plans for the weekend nearer the day, but it would be wonderful to see some of you in this beautiful north-west corner of Essex.

Our excitement about the Arts Festival was slightly dampened by the sight of the bandstand which is the centrepiece of the newly refurbished Jubilee Gardens – its lovely curved roof has been vandalised by metal thieves who have stripped off most of the lead. The little garden shelter in the opposite corner of the gardens suffered the same fate. What a sad reality of life, but I'm sure all the events planned to take place in Jubilee Gardens this summer will go ahead as planned and the bandstand and shelter will soon be repaired.

In the sunshine

On Friday it was, once again, my turn to look after The Riverslade Gallery and Shop in Saffron Walden. Over the past six months on the days when I've been in charge of the gallery, the weather has been cold and grim and I've always driven home in rain, sleet or snow! What a difference a ray of sunshine makes! I opened the huge vintage wooden shutters to reveal the newly revamped Jubilee Gardens - they aren't re-opened to the public yet but the smart new path and flower borders look spick and span, just waiting for a lovely concert at the traditional bandstand and people chilling out on the lawn.

I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite things by a few of the other artist/makers at The Riverslade:

Here is the sunlight casting coloured patterns through one of Carole Gray's glass panels onto the wooden shutters . . .


Gill Howe creates beautiful mosaics, I love her colour combinations and how she incorporates vintage crockery into the designs . . .


A row of luxurious scarves and wraps in the richest of jewel colours, made from hand-dyed velvet by Lin Patterson . . .


The display of restrained white domestic ware by Susan Cupitt, all her ceramics have an air of simple calm beauty . . .


And finally, an irresistible row of pencils covered with marbled papers by Victoria Hall . . .


The Riverslade Gallery and Shop is open Wednesday to Saturday, look for the signs by the walkway to Waitrose just off Hill Street in Saffron Walden. Oh, and my prints and cards are for sale there too.

Now showing at The Riverslade Gallery

I'd better tell you why I've been busy framing prints . . .

A selection of my prints and cards are now for sale at The Riverslade Gallery in Saffron Walden. The gallery is run by members of SWAT (Saffron Walden Arts Trust) all the art and craft for sale is made by local artists and makers. After being 'approved' by the committee I was given the thumbs up to deliver some framed and unframed prints and some cards to the gallery. I've just returned to my studio after delivering my work to Tony, who was looking after the gallery today, it's lovely to be part of such a talented group of local artists and a great excuse to go to Saffron Walden more often - I love the market and Sceptred Isle (the lovely deli) and there's a brilliant Oxfam bookshop (bought three novels today).

If you're in the area, you'll find The Riverslade Gallery in Hill Street, just at the end of the little lane leading to Waitrose - you'll see the sign on the railing . . .



when the gallery is open you'll see a board at the end of the lane - don't be shy, pop in and have a browse . . .



you'll find lots of beautiful things and it's a great place for Christmas present buying - I'm going to drop hints about the gorgeous jewellery ;-)