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.

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.

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.

E J Lance - emma_lance@hotmail.co.uk
Emma Lance is a fine artist who responds to natural history, human anatomy and archaeological museum collections through the medium of drawing, questioning what it means to be ‘human’. Emma draws an object and then creates abstract sculptures inspired by that object in mixed media, which are designed to be worn by a human. The work is complete with a series of complex drawings of the relationship between object, sculpture and the human form.

Forest Edge Gallery - www.sherwoodforestartcraftcentre.co.uk
Based at Sherwood Forest Art & Craft Centre in Edwinstowe, Forest Edge is a collective of artists and craftspeople offering a variety of original paintings, prints and greetings cards, as well as contemporary ceramics and jewellery. The craft centre is also home to 10 other craft studios and is situated at the edge of the historic and picturesque Sherwood Forest.

From Anna - www.annaburnard.blogspot.com
Anna’s jewellery collection has stemmed from her love of vintage fabrics and jewellery. The jewellery is made using new silver, copper, brass and resin pendants along with vintage chains and fabrics. Fabric components can be adapted allowing the pieces to change to the clients wishes. Various attachments made in silver, pewter and resin are available, made by casting previously loved vintage components, creating personal unique pieces that can be treasured forever.

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. Recent additional programmes include the University Certificate in Professional Development Design Crafts and the Foundation Degree in Design Crafts.

Hale Events - www.hale-events.com
Hale Events are trade exhibition organisers who have put on a range of events over the last 8 years under the 'SELECT' umbrella. All events include British designer/makers and artists, attracting galleries, independent retailers and heritage sites.

hellish designs - www.hellishdesigns.co.uk
Inspired by a love for and a collection of vintage textiles, 'hellish designs' by Heather Lawson transforms these treasures into attractive and functional pieces for a modern lifestyle. Inspiration is drawn from nature and art, but primarily the fabric itself, usually cotton or linen and it's period and area of origin. Each piece is handmade and unique - bags, cushions, aprons, notebooks and seasonal Christmas fairies.

Jane C Sanders - www.cjdesigns.homestead.com
Jane Sanders works in clay to make ceramic beads for necklaces, bracelets, earrings and cufflinks. The beads are fashioned from earthenware clay and biscuit fired. They are then hand painted using a wonderful variety of glazing colours, or a complete landscape is painted on an individual bead, which is similar to delftware. Raku firing also increases the range of colours, patterns and effects that can be put on the beads.

Jessica Elizabeth - www.jessicaelizabeth.co.uk
‘Purpose and Play’ is the thoughtful title of Jessica Elizabeth’s current collection. Drawing inspiration from mark and line, Jessica creates precious wearable jewellery rich in subtle texture and detail. Using various techniques such as reticulation, oxidisation and forging, the silver is worked to form a base, which is then embellished through binding, drilling or the introduction of 9ct gold and diamond detail, creating a quiet playfulness. Jessica undertakes private commission work, as well as running a program of workshops from her studio in rural Nottinghamshire.

jgallery CIC - www.jgallery.org.uk
jgallery is a free entry art gallery situated in the rural village of Moulton, Northamptonshire. With 6 major exhibitions a year including photography, video, painting, drawing, sculpture and installation art, the gallery also runs workshops and hires out the gallery space to corporate/public and private clients.

Jim Mayne Ceramics - jamesmayne1@hotmail.co.uk
Jim Mayne produces functional wheel thrown bowls and platters. His influences lie within the process of making - the way in which the clay and the glaze react with each other determines the shape and colour chosen. He enjoys pushing the boundaries of size, so his pieces have sheer presence in a room. Jim is also influenced by the traditional Chinese glazes such as celadon and tenmoku and in particular the way in which the colours alter as they break and pool over edges. From this, Jim has developed his own pastel coloured glaze palette, which are designed to complement each other.

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.

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.

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!

Romor Exhibitions Ltd - www.romorexhibitions.co.uk
Romor Exhibitions Ltd have been organising and promoting events for over 30 years. During this time they have established themselves as leading organisers for craft events and garden shows with a reputation for professionalism. Romor's craft events are managed and supervised by the company directors, guaranteeing continual high standards.

Sarah Allen Textiles - www.sarahallenweaving.co.uk
Sarah Allen creates bespoke, hand woven textiles. She blends yarns such as merino and lambs wool with silk, linen and cotton: the combination of these yarns with techincal weave structures create cloth landscapes of ridges, pleats, lumps and bumps. Sarah uses her fabrics to create distinctive quality products including scarves, wraps, cushions and purses. Her current work is inspired by a trip to Iceland to study the glacial blues, greys and volcanic reds of the rugged environment and the ridges of the corrugated iron houses.

SG Designs - www.stansg-design.com
"The age of the triangle - it's just a postive energy which comes from space through my heart to my work" states London-based ceramicist Stanislov Geissler of SG Designs. Stan uses earthenware, college red terracotta, stoneware, standard crank, St Patrick buff and St Thomas clays.

Shed 2 Studios - Rachel Carter and Travis Kelly - 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.

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.

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.

Thoresby Gallery - www.thoresby.com
Thoresby Gallery houses a changing exhibition programme as well as original pictures, prints, textiles, ceramics, jewellery and affordable art from regional artists. The Courtyard accommodates artist studios, retail outlets, a café and on-going event programmes in the Park and Riding Hall.

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.