Friends

Friends are members of other professions that support and share our ambitions, designer/makers that have links to the East Midlands and anyone who has an interest in design and crafts:

artworks-mk - www.artworks-mk.co.uk
artworks-mk is an arts education charity with 3 sites in Milton Keynes. They promote contemporary craft and art practices, through exhibitions, events and activities. They have a constantly changing programme of artist led workshops for adults and also for young people including jewellery, woodcarving, textiles, glass, ceramics and more. artworks-mk also supports over 20 studio artists through affordable rent, training, mentoring and exhibitions.

Banks Mill Studios - www.banksmill.org.uk
The University of Derby owns and manages Banks Mill, which forms one of the business incubators. Each incubator actively encourages and supports emerging business, with Banks Mill Studios specialising in creative industries, such as fine art and designer / makers. As well as providing workspace, they offer business support activity including one-to-one advice, workshops, seminars and Open Studio events. Banks Mill also offers subsidised rent for new and recently launched business. Banks Mill also offers associate membership to those who don’t need workspace, but would like support including the use of a registered postal address.

Claywork - www.claywork.co.uk
Moira's work currently includes commemorative, hand built slipware, miniature cradles, plates and money boxes - the designs inspired and adapted from traditional English slipware. Moira's website displays a range of these. In contrast to this fine and detailed work, Moira also makes robust garden planters and decorative plaques in textured stoneware clays. She enjoys combining slab and coil techniques to make individual, organic forms, some including fossil designs and others with surface decoration inspired by old mediaeval stone and wood carvings.Moira currently teaches ceramics in Community Education, residential homes for the elderly and also runs freelance workshops in and around Derbyshire.

Cockpit Arts - www.cockpitarts.com
Cockpit Arts is a social enterprise and the UK’s only creative-business incubator for designer/makers. They are a renowned hotbed of creative talent, focused on nurturing and supporting talented designers and artisans with a craft basis to their work. Providing support and promotion for talented designer/makers from all backgrounds through all stages of their career, Cockpit Arts strive to raise standards in the contemporary craft and design sectors, making an important contribution to the UK cultural landscape and economy.

Created Gallery - www.createdgallery.co.uk
Created Gallery provides a showcase for designer/makers in ceramics, textiles and jewellery. They focus on makers based in Derbyshire and the surrounding counties as well as those further afield. New and emerging designers receive support and guidance on developing their businesses from Deirdre and Dominic Gage.

Creative Hinckley - www.creativehinckley.co.uk
Creative Hinkley is a collective of arts and creative industries practitioners who live, work and practice within the Borough of Hinkley and Bosworth. They have a passion for the development of successful and sustainable arts and creative businesses, but also have a deep-seated commitment to the place in which they live and work.

Debbie Bryan Studio & Shop - www.debbiebryan.co.uk
The essential destination for Contemporary Craft in Nottingham. This lovely shop is located in the heart of Nottingham’s historic Lace Market, selling Debbie Bryan award winning studio collections; fashion accessories & haberdashery and the very best in craft, fashion, home ware & design from specialist designer makers. Debbie also hosts an exciting range design workshops; ceramics, paperwork, book binding, mosaic, textiles to name a few. All workshops include hot cuppa’s & exquisite homemade cakes made from local ingredients. Shop opening times: Monday - Saturday, 12 - 6pm.

Denise Hoad - www.denisehoad.co.uk
Denise Hoad creates hand carved stone sculpture, predominately using English limestone, but also alabaster. She combines the craft of stone carving with abstracted figurative and non figurative art.

Ferrers Gallery - www.ferrersgallery.co.uk
The award winning Ferrers Gallery promotes the best in British contemporary craftsmanship – ceramics, glass, paintings, wood, textiles, sculpture and jewellery are all showcased over three floors in a stunning grade II listed building on the beautiful English country estate of Staunton Harold. Ferrers Gallery hosts a programme of regularly changing exhibitions as well as a permanent display of work by local and regional makers. Entry to all exhibitions is free. Ferrers Gallery is open 11am - 5pm Tuesday to Sunday and Bank Holidays. Ferrers Gallery is part of the Ferrers Centre of Arts and Crafts; home to numerous craft workshops aswell as a tea room, deli and bakery.

Georgina Bell - www.georginabell.com
Georgina Bell works with embroidery and print to produce garments of clothing, drawings and textiles that have a personal narrative. Currently, Georgina is interested in examining her own identity and its relationship to the places that she lives, works and travels to. Her work explores the wider concept of journeys and mapping and is based on her personal experience of both physical and psychological travelling, cartography, weather charts and geographical and archaeological drawings are visual influences.Drawing with stitches is always a central and valuable activity within her practice. It provides a means of observation and reflection; it is used in planning and mapping and to embellish and communicate her ideas.

Glass @ The Barn - www.glass-at-the-barn.co.uk
Angela Thompson from Glass @ The Barn is inspired by the colours of nature. The irridescent colour of a dragonfly in flight or the magnificent plumage of a peacock in full display - colours are meant to catch the eye. Glass is an ideal medium to work with to express nature, starting off in one form and through the influence of outside forces, changing shape to become something totally different. Angela is continually looking at different glassware techniques including fusing, slumping and casting, decorating with coloured glass, enamels, metal foils and photographic images.

Grantham College, Visual, Performing Arts & Media - www.grantham.ac.uk
Grantham College provides a variety of Art & Design courses; Photography, Drawing and Painting, Design Crafts, Digital Imaging, 2D and 3D Mixed Media work in Design Crafts, Graphic Design, Fine Art and Photography.

High Peak Artists' and Craft Workers' Association - www.galleryinthegardens.co.uk
Gallery in the Gardens is operated by members of the High Peak Artists’ & Craft Workers’ Association in partnership with High Peak Borough Council. The purpose built gallery space is situated at the heart of the award winning Pavilion Gardens complex in Buxton, Derbyshire and is visited by thousands of people annually. Work on display includes paintings, photography, printmaking, textiles, wood, jewellery, ceramics & glass. Entrance is free. The Association is a co-operative of 39 artists & craftspeople and are always interested in hearing from creative people from the High Peak and surrounding area.

Itch Gallery - www.itchgallery.co.uk
Itch is a dynamic and zesty Boutique Gallery in Oakham, Rutland. They’ve teamed up with the most talented independent makers from all over the UK to curate an ever-changing, spine-tingling range of affordable contemporary art, innovative craft and fresh design. In the gallery, you can expect a refreshing change from the mass production of the high street, and a personal service with a smile to match. Itch Gallery is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm.

Johanne Danielle Surface Art - johannemurfin@googlemail.com
Johanne is an artist and designer who enjoys working in different disciplines; textiles, photography and fine art. The impact doodle drawings have in design and artwork, plus how photographs can be stripped from their original status to take on a new lease of life through the perspective of pattern, creates innovative and exciting results. Photo manipulation techniques are used to create unique abstract surface art, which is suitable for either fashion or interior fabric.

Julie Genner - juliegenner@googlemail.com
Julie Genner’s inspiration comes mainly from nature, spirals, construction, machinery, texture and play of light on surfaces. Linear, geometric and interlaced patterns also feature. Materials used come from many sources both natural and man-made and are often re-cycled from other projects. Porcelain illuminated sculptures on handmade wooden bases and multi-layered wall art based on building construction are two major areas of interest. The work is predominantly mono-chrome but with accents of colour for effect. Designs manipulated into patterns are a fascination and patchwork plays its part but anything is a possibility.

Kate Smith Designs - www.katesmithdesigns.com
Turning your ideas from caterpillars into butterflies! Good design brings words to life: Kate Smith can add sparkle and depth to any text. Kate works with a variety of methods, ranging from pencil sketch to computer-generated illustration, including experimental illustration, inks and watercolour crayon to produce fresh and original illustration and design.

Leicester Print Workshop - www.leicesterprintworkshop.com
Leicester Print Workshop has a passion to print – promoting the practise and enjoyment of fine art printmaking to a wide and varied audience in the East Midlands and across the UK.

Magnolia Studios
Magnolia Studios is a unique pottery & craft centre offering a range of arts and crafts activities, courses and workshops for all ages and abilities. Maureen Darling, the owner, specialises in ceramic decoration and art clay silver jewellery and runs regular workshops teaching basic and advanced techniques. Their regular daytime and evening artist led classes include pottery, sculpture, beaded and silver jewellery making, crochet, ceramic decoration, mixed media, mosaics and printmaking. Many of the workshops are suitable for community groups within Northamptonshire.

Mean Magenta - meanmagenta-photos.blogspot.com
Paola De Giovanni of Mean Magenta has exhibited at prestigious art galleries in the UK, Europe, USA and Japan. In 2008, a large body of work was shown in a collective exhibition titled ‘We are Photographers Now!’ at the Elysee Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. Paola’s images are timeless, atmospheric and spellbinding; expressing creativity through photography to capture and convey emotions, the present, its beauty and ‘hold it’ in time. All photographs are available as limited edition high quality giclée prints; original artwork to treasure and give as unique gifts.

New Designers - www.newdesigners.com
New Designers is the premiere showcase for the most exciting design graduates as they emerge from the UK’s design courses to start their professional careers in numerous creative industries embracing fashion, interior design, multi-media, furniture, products, architecture, graphics and more. The popular summer event gives a snapshot of the hottest ideas, the latest trends and creative minds as some 3500 dynamic new designers come together and present their impressive work at the Business Design Centre. New Designers launched the likes of Matthew Williamson, Ella Doran, Thomas Heatherwick, Bethan Gray and thousands more who have made their mark in the creative industries.The explosion of creative energy is palpable making New Designers a must-see experience for everyone in touch with contemporary design; a chance to discover the stars of the future.

Pattern Happy Ltd
Taking inspiration from the 60’s era of plastics, vacuum forming and conceptual use of space Sarah has discovered a process enabling a fabric textile to be vacuum-formed into relief patterns and developed a series of laser-cut fabrics that can transform into pattern and relief, from a 2-dimensional surface. Foams, plastics, patterned fabrics and lycra are combined to create stunning sensory aesthetics. These fabric concepts can be adapted for a multitude of uses including interiors, upholstery, product design, media cases, soundproofing, stationery cases, lighting and much more.

Philippa Day - www.philippaday.co.uk
Philippa Day creates uniques collections of bags, purses and other textile goods. She's built an excellent reputation for her high-quality level of design, detailing and finishing, as well as a real eye for combining colour and texture to produce deliciously elegant work. Philippa has a deep love of sumptuous textiles and gets terribly over-excited by the silks, fine leather, vintage buttons, fancy ribbons and yummiest of rich velvets and brocades used in her work. A textural, colour-rich palette, combined with the delight of observing space and nature inspire Philippa to create textiles treats for the eye and soul!

Pippah Harris - www.pippahharris.co.uk
Pippah Harris creates structural textile pieces for many contexts, including interiors, jewellery and fashion embellishments. Such pieces consist of heat manipulated, laser cut Perspex which is then used with leather and suede binding techniques. Pippah is currently working on a collection of statement jewellery and wall panels.

Ruth Singer - www.ruthsinger.com
Ruth Singer is a professional textile designer-maker, internationally-published author and highly-experienced tutor. Ruth has exhibited widely across the UK and overseas and written two internationally-published sewing books; Sew it Up and Sew Eco. Ruth runs a wide range of creative textile and sewing workshops in Leicester and around the UK.

Shed 2 Studios - www.shed2.co.uk
Shed 2 Studios is a studio that houses designer/makers, artists and jewellery designers in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, including permanent founders and residents Rachel Carter and Travis Kelly. Designers located here include: Dawn Turner Nicola Lidstone Tom Machin Travis Kelly Rachel Carter Rachel Helen Designs

Simon Burrows Cabinet Maker - www.simonburrows.co.uk
Simon Burrows produces high quality furniture from wood, a material close to his heart. Objects that are beautiful not only to look at, but to feel, to touch, to use. To know that hours of shaping, turning, moulding and working have been lovingly spent to produce something from initial thoughts, sketches and plans into an object of reality, an object of craft from a living medium - wood. Simon also commissions bespoke, handcrafted, built in furniture - contact him directly for more details.

Studio 61 Gallery Boutique - Karina Goodman - www.karinagoodman.com
Karina Goodman is a professional artist with a studio gallery in Holloway, near Matlock in the heart of the Derbyshire Dales. Karina creates watercolours, handpainted ceramics, natural soaps, bath bombs and candles. Studio 61 is a working studio gallery showcasing the work of over 100 regional artists, designers and makers.

Sunflower Soft Furnishings - www.sunflowersoftfurnishings.co.uk
Sunflower bags - uniquely designed hand made bags in leather or fabric. Sunflower soft furnishings - from alterations to hand made cushions to bespoke hand stitched curtains/blinds. Sunflower cards - beautifully hand made cards.

Textural Design - www.texturaldesign.co.uk
Lesley Jackson produces unique textural designs for ceramics or fabrics. Digitally enhanced 'Jacktext' fabrics are produced for small projects or large batch runs, and are suitable for handbags and scarves. The ‘Presentz of mind’ collection is available for artwork / fancy goods, and includes a range of bags which are screen printed, appliquéd and enhanced by stitch.

The Art of Texture - Janice Allen - www.janiceallen.co.uk
A self taught artist inspired by nature, Janice Allen's style is driven by shape, colour and the texture of the landscape to create colourful contemporary paintings. Working mainly in acrylic paint and ink, adding texture gel for more depth and added interest.

Unique Bags - www.uniquebagsonline.com
Heather Arbon of Unique Bags is particularly interested in the idea of enclosing a 3D space using flat pieces of fabric. She uses layering and bonding techniques to produce boxes and bags and finds inspiration in natural forms such as seed pods and shells, often incorporating dried petals or leaves into the designs. Heather is also fascinated by the gossamer quality of insect wings and interprets these in delicate machine embroidered dragonfly and butterfly brooches. These are worked freehand onto soluble fabric.

Unique Cottage Farm Studios - www.uniquecottagestudios.co.uk
Unique Cottage Farm Studios are set in converted farm buildings and offer an attractive, functional space with excellent facilities to enable people to explore and develop their creativity. Individual studios are rented by artists and crafts practitioners. Courses are available covering a range of disciplines from sketching to papermaking and from mosaics to sculpture. Regular activities include a weekly pottery class, monthly textiles and knitting groups and ‘practice your printing’ sessions. Clay can be purchased and a firing service is available. Art and craft parties can be organised for small groups of children or adults.