September Pop-up North Wales Contemporary Craft Fair

Abigail Fairhurst is a Printmaker based in Manchester, UK. She has been creating and producing designs under her Abi Prints label over the past six years. Her work embraces a wide range of styles and influences from minimalistic vector art seen in her risograph pieces to excessive, neon-drenched, screen-printed designs.

Andy is an illustrator turned ceramic artist whose work blends the detailed line work of illustration with the tactile beauty of stoneware. Based in Shropshire, Andy creates one-of-a-kind ceramic pots that are adorned with intricate designs using slips, oxides, and glazes to bring each piece to life

Cath creates hand build cute, fun small batch ceramics from her workshop on the island of Anglesey, North Wales. Cath studied printmaking in Sheffield and ceramic design at university in Copenhagen, graduating in 2000. She began Miss Marple Makes around 10 years or so later. Her ceramic world is a happy place with cute characters and smiley faces, with both Welsh and Scandinavian themed pieces and lots of vibrant colour. Cath’s intention is to create something that brightens your day and makes you smile.

Elly is an illustrator, animator and teacher from North Wales. The inspiration for her work might come from a story, an idea, an object, a song, a colour, a memory, a character, a creature, a mood or a feeling. Sometimes the process of making itself is the starting point, and a story in the work will appear and write itself along the way. Printmaking, in particular etching and aquatint, allows Elly to express her love of drawing and storytelling with meaning.

The Whale Creative crafts one-of-a-kind scarves using deadstock and end-of-line cashmere and lambswool yarns, giving new life to exceptional materials. Each scarf is individually designed, lightweight, irresistibly soft, and beautifully warm. Created with intention and respect for both craft and sustainability, these pieces are made to be worn and treasured for years to come.

Heulwen has a background in Applied Arts having studied a Master of Design at Wrexham University. Through her studies her love of colour, texture and print was evident, and making the switch from glass art to textiles was an obvious progression. Light and Loom Studio is a luxury interior brand, where every piece is considered, confident and collectible. Heulwen takes great care to source pre-used lampstands and end of line and vintage fabrics, saving them from landfill and enabling her to create truly unique one of one and small ranges.

Julian Brasington is a Welsh artist and writer based in Llanfairfechan, North Wales, working primarily in printmaking and drawing.

His practice is rooted in sustained attention to landscape as a force that emerges and recedes rather than settles into fixed form. Working from particular sites, he resists familiar depiction and favours partial views and substitutions — allowing a place to be felt rather than fully disclosed.

Lelalo is a small batch Polymer Clay and resin art brand based in Manchester founded by Leah, a creative maker from Wales. Lelalo art includes earrings, necklace pendants, rings and motivational wall hangings. Every piece is created from scratch with Polymer Clay, resin or a combination of both, designed with fun and vibrancy in mind.

Leah is dedicated to making items that spark joy with fusions of colour, texture, shape and sparkle! Items are inspired by nature, fantasy, nostalgia and realism elements to excite emotions and self-expression.

Lucy’s work reflects her love for the natural world with a strong influence from a 15-year career in animation for children’s television. Lucy loves to illustrate with print the many creatures that inhabit our planet with an emphasis on fun, humour and using bold and graphic illustration. She uses an analogue approach to creating her positives for screen print which gives her a never-ending supply of joy. Her etchings are created using zinc metal and Tetra Pak packaging. Recently she has started creating in clay. her 3D work reflects the hand printed images while retaining a passion for simple, characterful creatures. She loves working with heavily textured clay and using handmade stamps to add detail and character.

Nikki is a Welsh illustrator with a passion for wildlife and conservation, with a particular fascination in entomology, wildflowers and highlighting native and overlooked species. Nikki’s mixed media illustrations combine paint and collage to celebrate the rich patterns and forms found in nature. They currently sell colourful, high-quality, sustainable greeting cards, giclée prints, hand painted utensils, tote bags and original artwork.

Inspired by the natural world and in particular the colours and forms of the landscapes around her in North Wales, Rachel uses earthenware and stoneware clay to create functional pieces with simple forms and organic shapes.

She both throws and hand builds then applies a base layer of slip to leather hard pots adding dynamic freeflowing decoration using brushes and slip trailers before firing and then glazing.

Working in Tony Davies’ Bredon pottery early on in her clay journey and attending recent courses with Nigel Lambert and Jem Steward have enabled her to make the transition from teaching to setting up her own studio and following her passion for clay.

Working in layers screen printing is a magical process where details found, initial shapes and marks can be transformed. By redefining a line, making a stencil and layering colours it becomes a way of drawing with the screens.

Tara experiments with ‘findings’ often natural pieces picked up whilst on walks.
Working with layers of colour to create alternative interpretations of the original discovery, making it a fascinating process to experiment with.

Each of Tara’s pieces is a unique project and alongside this work she produces a collection of smaller screen-printed drawings.

This way of collaging shapes and connecting parts inspires Tara’s interest in delivering creative community workshops, where participants explore drawing and printmaking together.