Origin. Artisan. Localised

I went to Origin at the new Spittalfields location today, wonderful makers and their fantastic work, it was an inspiration to see! Makes all the imported naff stuff around brick lane and the other markets seem really dated and out of place, I think we are slowly moving towards a society of appreciation for the artisan and localization again! Hello future! I love you! You can still go and have a look for yourself until the middle of next week, and talk to the people who are passionate about making their products! Ceramics, jewelers, wood work and weaving. I was spoilt for choice!

http://www.originuk.org/

Big up the Batyka!!

http://www.osianbw.com/

Sketchbooking

Sitting at the kitchen table, wine in one hand, pen in the other. Views, bits of plastic, mussel farms in Shetland waters, and anything else that took my fancy recently...

Woven grid inspiration

I saw this grid on in the pavement in Farnham this week and was instantly inspired to design a new cloth! C I C I C I C I what does it mean I wonder?

Red Shetland sketchbook.

Things that are Red

My colour journey continues into the red. Most of the man made 'amenities' to be found along the never ending narrow roads and paths stood out like beacons of humanity, life-lines to the outside world beyond. These things provided red shocks in the landscape linking people and place. This utilitarian red on the Shetland backdrop will also weave its way into my work, adding a strong and modern statement to the other more subtle colours I picked up along the way.

Turquoise.

During the start of my Shetland experience I mainly spent my time wondering around the islands absorbing inspirations and influences from the scenery and people. In a land that is potentially quite bleak, my eye really searched for colour, and was successful on a number of occasions. I made lots of drawings and photographs to record these illuminating moments and here's the first...my lovely turquoise gate! These colours, drawings and recordings made their way indiscreetly into my woven work from the island, incidentally made using local Shetland wool.

Ten skies of Shetland

On my recent trip to the Shetland islands, I decided to photo-document to changes of the sky each day I was there, as Shetland is renowned for the dramatic and swift transformations from disney blue skies to trecharous gales and storms. I was actually quite lucky and had many electric blue days acompnaying me on my inspirational walks and musings around the islands..more of which to follow.

My demented sock

A lot of people have been asking me recently where I get my colour inspiration from for my woven cloths. It's a silly story really, about a rather demented sock bought at a car boot sale in Kingston when I was a student there.

This is no ordinary sock, and it isn't part of a pair (to my knowledge...do you have the other one?) This sock is extraordinarily long of foot and square of heel rendering it unwearable by human standards and only useful to those strange beings of our imagination. It's not only the shape that inspires the imagination though...the colours in this sock are perfect in my opinion! It is this seemingly absent minded application of random (or not) hues that have inspired some of my woven cloths and I'm sure will continue to add an element of the unexpected, exaggerated and larger than life loveliness that comes from my favourite sock!

If you have any inspirational colourful and odd objects, I'd love to see them too, you can email them to me and I'll put them on my blog!