Pop-Up North Wales Contemporary Craft Fair – September

My ceramic world is a happy place with cute characters and smiley faces. You will see Welsh and Scandinavian themed pieces and lots of vibrant colour.My intention is to create something that brightens your day and makes you smile.

Catherine initially trained as an engineer in the eighties before changing to a career in arts administration. However, her enthusiasm for science combined with the arts led her back to the craft of jewellery making.
Catherine studied jewellery and silversmithing to an advanced level at the Yorkshire Craft Centre for five years both during and following a Certificate for mature students course at Bradford College (2001 – 2003).
Her work has focussed on fin-de-siecle Vienna, drawing inspiration from the work of the Wiener Werkstätte and the paintings of Gustav Klimt. Natural forms also inspire her designs and produce jewellery pieces impressed with leaf textures, bezel set with dewdrops of rainbow moonstones and aquamarines.

Hi there, I am Emma I worked in the fine jewellery sector in London for over 15 years mainly making bespoke engagement and wedding rings for clients – after studying jewllery design and manufacture (bench work in Hatton Garden) along gemology (the study of gemstones). I relocated back to North Wales 2 years ago and recently set up Grace & Days jewellery – each item is designed with the wearer in mind and made in 925 sterling silver and some items are plated in yellow or rose gold. We have designs at different price points and I take inspiration from the nature. I am passionate about working with stainable martials – ethically sourced gemstones and recycled metals.

Gail from The Whale Creative knits beautifully soft cashmere garments and accessories. Each piece is crafted with joy using playful colour combinations, that are designed to be worn, enjoyed and treasured. Gail embraces an ethical approach to her designs, using deadstock natural yarns wherever possible. Using colourful yarns to create exciting final items that focuses on quality, is always her main objective. This results in each scarf being a one off, an original. Colour plays an important part in her work and printed designs have been developed to create a range of velvet cushions that would become a statement in any interior.

Saltwater & Starlight Ceramics are handmade on the Llŷn Peninsula by Pwllheli based artist Jessica Leese. Jessica takes inspiration from the Stunning Scenery of North Wales and the rich and diverse folklore of the United Kingdom. While also referencing her past as a jeweller and silversmith by including gold and platinum
lustres in her work.

I love textiles, colour and putting fabrics together to make practical yet beautiful bags and homewares.

I walk, draw, make, grow, advocate and campaign on behalf of Nature. I live in mid Wales and relish the freedom such wild, open space allows me. It offers a great deal of inspiration for my practice, which includes ceramics, drawing, herbalism and environmentalism.

My ceramic pieces are mainly wheel thrown and for use with food, drink and daily and other significant rituals. In growing medicinal herbs, the ceramic pieces I make are increasingly focused on the connections between growth and consumption. Exploring the reciprocity required for living in healthier relationship to the land, from which both the plants and clay come.

I also draw, observing the wild plants and the medicinal herbs, which I grow and forage. This enables me to pay close attention to them, tend them, learn from them and extend my role as custodian, within the small garden that surrounds my home, to the wider landscape beyond.

I am a local artist from Llandudno specialising in vintage style illustrated posters focusing on 20th century popular culture, films and music. My style is inspired by art nouveau and psychedelia.

I’m a ceramicist. I make slab pottery using biscuity textured crank clay which is partially glazed. My designs are simple in shape and decoration. Inspiration comes often from art deco or folk art motifs.

Nerissa’s work explores juxtapositions of structure and colour: the contrast of nature and stone; particularly coastal textures depicting the lichens and limpets that envelop eroded rocks and manmade structures. She blends recycled fabrics using an embellishing machine to build up subtle variations in tone and texture; augmented with embroidery to produce her signature textiles. With these, she creates textile wall art, soft furnishings and mixed media sculptures cast in plastic packaging to form future fossils and to mini art and brooches from her offcuts to reduce waste. Nerissa aims to encourage people to consider the world around them; its beauty and their responsibility to protect it. Nerissa is based in Manchester but spent her childhood on the coast of Scotland. She studied MA Textile Practice at Manchester School of Art.

Ruth makes bright and colourful screenprints, which are inspired by mid-century design.
As a keen gardener, her prints feature horticultural themes, and are populated with birds and animals. Bold colours are layered with strong graphic lines to create simple and engaging compositions.
The prints are made in limited editions, on high quality Fabriano paper, and presented in conservation standard mounts.

Ruth Packham is based in Borth, Ceredigion.
Ruth uses wool fibre from the Cambrian mountains to create quirky, colourful, nature inspired sculpture and pictures using felt making techniques.
Ruth has been a practicing artist for over 30 years working mostly with textiles. Her work is informed by the world around her, the colours and patterns of nature, birds feature heavily in Ruth’s work.
Ruth has exhibited nationally and internationally and regularly teaches workshops, both felt making and screen printing onto textiles.

Light shapes, land lines and mostly natural finds inspire my images, wherever I might find myself looking often patterns will pop up.
Drawing has the greatest influence on my practice, found ‘ bits and bobs’ seeing a shadow, groove or scratch and how it might be developed into a scene.
Screen printing is a very inspiring process which allows for details found, initial sketches and marks to transform. Where a surface changes and redefining line work, making stencils and layering colours almost drawing with the screens.
This way of working creates many connected parts that stimulate my interest in delivering creative community workshops where we explore drawing and printmaking together.