Sandringham Arts, Crafts and Sculpture Fair

This years August bank holiday we four brave souls from Sunderland, traversed downland to the fields of the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk for the Annual Living Heritage, Arts, Crafts and Sculpture Fair. Setting up shop in our very own 30ft Marquee we put on demonstrations of cold working, traditional glass painting and glass blowing techniques. Whilst trying to sell our magnificent products. The three day event was great fun, with profits made by all.

The best experience to come from it was being able to talk with members of the general public about what we were doing, I particularly enjoyed peoples reactions when they realised I was painting in the traditional manor (firing the finished pieces). A huge thanks to everyone involved and everyone who popped into our marquee. Hopefully we'll be back soon.

Charlie, Nicola, Robyn and Simon

For more information on up coming Living Heritage Events visit

http://www.craft-shows.co.uk/craftshows/August_Sandringham_Craft__Sculpture___Art_Fair/

New Photos

Finally some professional photos of my work, courtesy of photographer David Williams. These freestanding panels have been developed from the previous work, dealing with my thoughts on cancer. The triple layering of the bowels works extremely well and shows the direction I want to take this technique in the future. All hand painted and twice fired float glass. These items are for New Designers in Islington, more info to follow.

My Degree Show Work

The Face of Cancer

During this year I have been exploring a topic which is very close and personal to me, Over the last five years I've lost a number of people to cancer and it is still something which is affecting my family. I've needed to express myself, my thoughts on this subject for a while now but it wasn't until Easter that I was finally ready to tackle the subject head on. The hand painted portraits on glass depict the various members of my family who have had cancer. they stand as a reminder of the savagery of the disease, as a reflection on my past, on the fragility of human life. There is no more striking image than: The Face of Cancer. I have also been exploring my state of mind through the process, the questions, the despair and uncertainty, incorporating imagery of twisted bowels through layered sheets of glass, exploring the possibilities of glass painting.

Degree Show

Philippa Sue Whiteside Claire Turner

Molly Pattison

Not posted for a while as been a busy bee with finishing uni etc, but at last it's over! very sad times!!! As now I have to go out into the real world. but anyhoo, Friday night was our private view for the Degree Show, Liberty Way, everything went well and we all had a great night, some amazing work from my dear friends. I'll let you judge for yourself from the above pictures. (My own work to follow in the next post)

A Valentine For Swansea Glass

Last month I submitted a panel for an exhibition at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea, the theme a Valentine for Swansea Glass, naturally led to the inclusions of those things typically associated with valentines, love, red, hearts etc. i combined this with the roman numerals for 75, LXXV, as the exhibition is part of the celebrations of the Welsh School of Architectural Glass' 75th anniversary. Processes used are silver stain, frits, fusing, copper inclusions and screen printing.

more on the exhibition can be seen here

http://glassartswansea.wordpress.com/

Every Name i Have Ever Been Called 2008/9

Carrying on from the previous thread, this piece was inspired by Emins Tent, Everybody I Have Every Slept With 1963 - 1995. The seconed part of the project was to create your own work inspired by the artist you looked at. I took on bored the idea of using personal experiance to shock and confront social issues. As a larger person i have always had to deal with being called names, though it's still painful to hear, i have long since come to terms with the fact. In this work i've partially been inspired by that which makes, or what most people believe make us fat. Sweets. I looked at typography and colours of confectionery, both of which are used to grab attention and draw people in. The intension here is to shock.

Materials and techniques used are enamels, stencils, fuseing and sandblasting.

Tracey Emin Inspired Work

This piece was for a Ref Def Dif Project at university, the idea was we had to choose an artist and recreate their work in our medium. I chose Tracey Emin, focusing on her embroidered blankets and monoprinting. It was the traditional qualities of the embroidered blankets that inspired me to recreate them in another traditional art form, stained glass. Paints and enamels were used on various pieces of coloured glass to create the patterns typical of Emins blankets, some fusing was also used. The 'pieces' were then leaded in the traditional manner, as in the way Emin stitches them together.

The idea behind the piece was that it could have been used as the window to the Tracey Emin Museum, a shop in Waterloo Road Emin used from 1995 - 98. Due to the nature of the work it could be expanded exponentially to any size by adding new pieces.

Gaining Independance, 2007

Ceramics project from first year of uni, Poles Apart . Having spent time in Ghana, West Africa and visiting the slave castles of Elmina and Cape Coast. The square box represents the prison which over time have crumbled away and are now ruins, the Black star, is symbolic representing the African people and their freedom. Which becomes more prominent as the castles crumble away. 2007 was the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade and the 50th anniversary of Ghana gaining her independance.

I was lucky enough to be in the country on their independance day. The atmosphere was amazing! A day i will never forget, above is an image from Independace Square, over a million people had travelled from across the country to be there that day.