A very late Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year!!!

I hope everyone has had a lovely Christmas and New Year. I was so busy up to Christmas with my Christmas craft fairs. I exhibited at South Hill Park, Bracknell which was a lovely first craft to show my work at as everybody was so very friendly, also I had a stall at Craft in the city in Nottingham and Merge Contemporary Craft Fair, Oundle. Everybody was so pleasant at all the craft fairs and really enjoyed them. It was really nice to get feedback from customers and most people couldn’t believe I was actually milk girl.

Over Christmas, I also was busy with commissions and did a lovely one as a wedding gift for the happy couple. It was a real honour to do as it was going to be a present off the mother of the bride, and I loved designing it. The bride was so surprised how alike the dress was to hers. I hope I get a few more of those because I really enjoyed it.

I have also been busy stocking art galleries which are totally amazing to have my work in, and I will be doing a photo-shoot over this weekend so you will finally be able to buy my work online.

My work is now stocked at

Bakewell Arts and Design Gallery in Bakewell, http://www.bakewellartsanddesign.com/

The Seed Gallery, Crich                                       http://www.seedgallery.co.uk/index.html

Debbie Bryan Shop & Studio, Nottingham        http://www.debbiebryan.co.uk/                             here am mentioned in her blog post http://debbiebryan.blogspot.com/2011/10/new-goodies.html

My work is currently at Smithy Studios, Glossop. http://www.thesmithystudios.co.uk/

For Christmas I had some new screen printing equipment which is enabling me to develop my new range ‘On the High Street’ which will highlight the decline of the local high street and those independent businesses which are disappearing.

BREAKING NEWS:

I am pleased to announced that I have been selected to be a Design Factory Flow Member which is very exciting. http://www.designfactory.org.uk/profile.php?source=sitesearch&section=&s=harding&id=3897&pagename=Lucy%20Anne%20Harding

I am now also sponsored by Gutermann Threads which I am very thankful for.

UP AND COMING EXHIBITIONS:

I will be exhibiting at Sock, Arts and Crafts Purchase and Commission Fair, Loughborough (24-25^th March) http://www.loughboroughtownhall.co.uk/events/2011/03/26/sock  Am really looking forward to this event; it will be my first craft fair of 2012.

Other exhibitions I will be in later in the year-

A group showcase of the Royal Exchange Craft Shop Graduate winners (name to be confirmed) 5^th March to 28^th April http://www.royalexchange.co.uk/page.aspx?page=683

‘May all your dreams come true’ at Heart Gallery, Hebden Bridge (14^th May- 8^th July) www.heartgallery.co.uk

‘Found’ Exhibition at Unit 12, Stafford (2^nd August- 27^th October) http://www.unittwelve.co.uk/

I will also be doing a workshop at Unit 12 ‘Upcycling Ceramics’ on the 5^th October.

Thank you for reading!!

Lucy

New Product- Mug Cosies!!

Hello again,

I have a new product which I have been developing over the past few weeks, its a mug cosy which will keep you tea warm in these cold winter months! I have a two designs of mug cosies, one my screen printed doors, and the other is my milkmen. I have also up-cycled the mugs with my Illustrations , so everything relates.

I need to put little wooden buttons on them but I think they are looking good!

What do you think?

Thanks for reading. 

BREAKING NEWS!!!!!

Hello,

I have the fantastic news that I am now sponsored by Husqvarna Viking Sewing Machines and with my sponsorship I get this lovely machine!

Thank you very much!

http://www.husqvarnaviking.com/uk/

Thanks for reading.

Drum Roll Please for my Website!!

Hello,

I was like to introduce to you my very first website, www.lucyanneharding.co.uk I have been slowly learning how to use it and what not. Soon enough there will be online store where you will be able to purchase some of my work, which is very exciting!

Feels like ages since I have written a blog as so much has happened in those few weeks. I have some very exciting news; I have now started my 3 month artist residency at Smithy Studios in Glossop which is very nice to have somewhere creative to go and be creative, and the journey in also gives me time to update my blog (or fall asleep).  The studio is a fantastic space with a lovely kiln that keeps us warm, I have only been in there a 3 weeks and already put a bisque and transfer kiln firing on (with some help from the wonderful Catherine Carr) In addition we have converted the garage in to what my dad likes to call ‘the office’ where I can do my drawings, screen-printing and applique work, I seem to live in there when am not at the studio.  And YES you heard right I know can screen-print from home!! I love screen printing, it’s so relaxing and I have been very eager to get my screens so I could get printing!

My lovely studio

My Office in the Garage

I am starting to develop new work based on butchers and the decline of butchers on the local high street, so I have spent a few days filming in a butcher in Mansfield, Nottingham so I can start illustrating. I want my new work to include slab built vessels, so hopefully in a few months they will be developed and ready to show you.

No Milk Today work is progressing too; I am creating more original textile wall pieces which are coming along nicely ready for THREE craft fairs I am exhibiting at!! BREAKING NEWS!!! I have the delight to have the opportunity to show and sell my work at South Hill Park Craft and Design Fair, Bracknell, Craft in the City, Nottingham, and Merge Contemporary Craft Fair, Oundle. So I have been really busy preparing for them, creating a mug and mug cosies which look really nice, my upcycling work is developing well with a range of blue and green cups and saucers, I am also doing coffee cups and pots.

I went on a trip to Origin at the end of September; it was amazing so many very talented crafters, Catherine Carr with her amazing glass, Abigail Brown who I was really looking forward to seeing and it didn’t disappoint, and Jennifer Collier with her unique paper sculptures.

I also have a few exhibitions coming up which is exciting and my work is currently until the end of the week in an exhibition Cheeky Stitches at Punch Gallery in the Corner House in Nottingham. It is a really lovely space and all the other artists are so friendly and very talented.

Thanks for reading!!

Part One to a fantastic adventure!

Hello,

I have been on a fantastic adventure to the South West of England visiting Bristol, the beautiful Bath, Wells, Glastonbury, and the wonderful Cheddar Gorge.

Bristol is an amazing city and I was so taken with the creative atmosphere. Bristol is BIG on art, design and crafts from streets covered in amazing art work (you just can’t call it graffiti) to little quaint streets with craft shops with studios.

In the heart of Bristol’s Christmas Steps Art Quarter is Blaze Studio a combined studios and craft boutique, there I met Hanne Rysgaard who was downstairs hard at work, before I disturbed her.

 Hanne creates funky ceramic pieces by slip casting quirky objects to create fun contemporary home wares decorated with a mix of vintage and modern patterns and colours. I couldn’t resist not buying anything, but it was so hard to choose, as there was a mixture of milk related objects which I loved and I think I might order one, but I decided I would get a lovely tea light jar with a beautiful flower pattern around the side. Hanne Rysgaard shares the studio with a very talented textile artist, Kay Morgan who makes beautiful leather purses, corsages, and handbags in the upstairs studio. So glad I rang the bell, as it was really insightful to talk to an artist who is living the dream!

Blaze Studio

Window Display

My lovely purchase

Another studio in the Art Quarter, I visited was ‘SNAP’ which is a printmaking co-operative run by eight resident artists with an art gallery upstairs, and studio space downstairs where they run screen printing workshops from.  The gallery space was really quaint and the all work was amazing. I think my favourite work was by Freya Cumming who is a printmaker and Illustrator. Her shopping series of patterns are beautiful and really shows the perfect balance of narrative drawings and surface pattern which Cummings has perfected over the years. A really good place to visit!



My two prints from SNAP

Freya Cumming

SNAP studio

Well… part two of my trip to the South West is coming really soon, and also some other exciting news about new work.

Thanks for reading xx

New Experience!

Our lovely stall

The only source of knowledge is experience.
Albert Einstein

Hi,

Today I was a part of a wonderful event in Bolton, Saint Andrew’s Court contemporary art and craft fair. Mine and fellow contemporary crafter Leah Fletcher’s stall ‘Contemporary Craft by Leah Fletcher and Lucy Harding’; looked really good, clean and very well thought out. Even though we didn’t actually sell anything, the experience was a fantastic. We now have a foundation stock that we can keep adding too and sell. Hopefully we are going to have another craft fair very soon, and also very exciting news that I start my residency at the beginning of October at Smithy Studios, Glossop.

Upcycled Jugs

Upcycled cups and saucers

Fellow Crafter- Leah Fletcher



More of the lovely Leah's work



Thanks for reading.

Exciting News- Saint George's Court, Contemporary Art and Craft Fair!

Hi All,

I have some exciting news; me and my fellow contemporary crafter Leah Fletcher are going to have a stall at a wonderful fair, St Andrew’s Court, Contemporary Arts and Craft Fair in Bolton on Bank Holiday Monday 29^th August! It is very exciting for us, and we are trying get to everything and make enough stuff to sell. The event will have more than 20 local crafters and artists, there will be face painting, and also unlimited tea and coffee. The event aims to encourage local artists and crafters back into the area as Saint Andrew’s court is currently being regenerated, so it’s an great event to be apart of.

A wonderful opportunity to sell our work and meet other talented makers, please look at all the different artists which are going be there http://saintandrewsfairs.tumblr.com/ or join the facebook group http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=177197615684697

Also take a look at the brilliant Leah Fletchers work, her work is so pretty and unique. http://leahfletcher.wordpress.com

Please come down and visit us on Bank Holiday Monday!

Thanks for reading!