Laura Ashley Dresses

I hope everyone had a great weekend and are enjoying the week so far!

I'm looking forward to my first day off since April at the weekend-I tell you what-I'm sleeping in and having the laziest day! :)

See it's a busy job this artist lark, and people think we just swan about in our Laura Ashley dresses being all dreamy and creative ;) But you have to work hard, really hard sometimes.

I have been glazing this week and have got the kiln on as I write. Mostly new glaze testers and some first attempts at some brand new pieces.

Any guesses what these might turn out to be?

I'm also preparing for Parham House Garden Weekend which is a big local event at the beginning of July set in a gorgeous Elizabethan Estate. The whole weekend is dedicated to everything gardening and outdoorsy so my mind is wandering to all thing handy for the garden.

The plant markers and garden stakes I already make are a given and I was thinking of making some little bird baths/feeders that'll be really cute. Oh and these garden stakes will be coming. They always make me laugh!

I love the idea of a really angry gnome guarding his patch! Maybe nipping people's heels when they walk by! :)
I was thinking maybe doing personalised stakes for people if they prove popular.
What saying or phrase would you like to see on a stake for your garden?

Cat's Ceramics on Facebook!

I finally got my butt in gear and have officially launched Cat's Ceramics on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/CatsCeramics

Please come on over, comment, share and like if you like ;)

Hope you're all enjoying the weather! Last weekend of the Open Houses for me and a garden party on Saturday afternoon. Very la dee daa don't you know.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Channel View

What d'you think of the new look?

Channel View 

179 Surrenden Road

Brighton
BN1 6NN

Is Tina Gunstone's gorgeous house on the edge of Brighton town (it's all hilly and green there-amazing!) where us group of Thirteen Artists handmade art work is being displayed for this month as part of the Brighton Festival Artist's Open Houses.

The pieces there are stunning and diverse and beautiful! The standard is so high, I am honoured if a little scared to have my work sitting along side such art work by such well known and respected artists.
Tina's house is beautiful with a huge garden that is at present full of Victoria Lovell's stoneware creatures including red squirrels (the cutest!) and hares and chickens.

Wee Hen by Victoria Lovell

The Thirteen of us are:

• Moi Cat Brown Ceramics 
• Carol Carrolchick Glass
• Tina Gunstone Jewellery: Recycled
• Victoria Lovell Ceramics
• Georgia Matthews Jewellery
• Nina Mills Glass painting
• Karin Moorhouse Painting: Oil , mixed media
• Karen Norfolk Sculpture: Bronze
• Lesley Smith Jewellery
• Karren Urban Painting: Oil
• Tracy Wittle Mixed media
• Emily Wright Painting: Oil

There is so many great artists I could be here all day going on about their work showing you pictures after pictures but I will restrain my self and just pick a couple.

Victoria is my teacher and my mentor (or the person you can blame for getting me into this crazy business!? ;). And she has been working with ceramics in the US and here for more than 15 years now.

You can see her website www.harestoyou.co.uk

Her ceramic animal sculptures are so characterful and watching here work, the fluidity in which she creates these pieces-it is like the pieces,already formed and waiting somewhere just pour out of her. 

Giraffes by Victoria

How sweet!

Gorilla and Baby

I was also pleased to find the work of Karin Moorhouse. I am usually more of a 3D art person but her paintings of still life in oils have rather inspired me with a new range of dinner wear I am in the process of developing.

I like the grouping of the objects and her use of light. It has given me some good ideas for photographing my new pieces when they are ready.

She also does portraiture which I find amazing. I have always been so envious of those that can paint a person really well and capture that beauty.

Finding out about these people and discovering their work has to be one of the best things about doing this Festival and it sure is lovely to be inspired by others work.

What do you think of the pieces I have shown here?

Do you have a favourite, have any inspired you?

The Reason Why....

I am feeling so tried............

http://www.aoh.org.uk/may-2012-houses?item=320&offset=0

I don't know why I don't have the leaflet for this one?

The last month (or maybe longer) has been soo busy for me making and preparing work for the Brighton Festival Artist Open Houses

For those that don't know Brighton is an amazingly wild and creative sea side town/city on the South coast on England and the Artist's Open Houses is part of the Brighton Festival which is this huge massive arts celebration throughout May where everyone and everything gets incredibly arty with music, song, dance, decorative arts, and any other arty type thing you can think of!

The Artist Open House is where artists living in Brighton (there is a lot of them) literally fill their house with fellow artists and there own work and open it up for the public to come and have a mosey about and hopefully buy some brilliant art.

Great for the English love of peeking around other peoples houses! And for keeping alive their thriving art scene.

I have never taken part in it before so for my first go I thought it was a good idea to participate in three of the Houses! Yes THREE! Utter madness and insanity.... 

My work load has never been so heavy and the amount of pieces I have had to create to give them all a good spread-I think I have made more for these three houses than I made all last year put together!

Maybe I went over board and should of been more conservative but it's such an opportunity and the amount of people that come through and visit is huge! It is very exciting and I am really pleased with the work I have produced. I even managed to get a new range of dinner wear made for one of the house and this will be these pieces first public outing- I can't wait to see peoples reactions and what they think of them.... I can't wait to share them with you guys as well.

After all that work I am now though rather exhausted and have enjoyed this last week taking it a little bit easier and catching up on all the things I have neglected of late ( including fiancé Chris :( ).

That isn't Chris by the way-this is Scat Cat ;)

If you or any one you know is in the area do encourage them to visit one or all the houses I'm in. Or any other houses or festivities of the festival. You can see more about it here and here . 

I am stewarding at the weekends at each of the houses (will be at Sue's on Saturday am and Tina's on Sunday am) so people can meet the artists themselves which makes it abit more personal and rather lovely I feel.

I will undoubtedly post more about the houses and the artists involved soon and also about some of the other houses I have visited too-like 'The Ceramic House' I went to last weekend. And yep just like it name implies, a house full of ceramics! Heavenly.......

Will be back soon and wishing you all a great weekend-the sun looks to be shining here for a change! Hope it is where you are too :))   

 x

Happiness Revolution

I am joining Astra and others in a Happiness Revolution where we forget about the negatives, turn off the news and be thankful and appreciate all the lovely, good things in our lives.

My ten things making me happy these days are:

1. Proper good coffee and none of this tasteless decaf stuff either. Real strong roasted coffee...first thing in the morning...
2. Having everything made and done (and still being proud of my work) for the Brighton Festival Artist's Open Houses. If you asked me last year if I could of done this I would of laughed my a**e off!
3. Our new little bunny Yona. Everything she does is just so sweet.
4. Sowing plants and watching them grow in the garden.
5. My adorable fiancé helping me out and being so proud of me. He is the most amazing!
6. Being surrounded by lots of like minded people creating fabulous things that inspire and excite me.
7. Looking after a friends hens and their crazy rooster-chickens are the funniest things!
8. A controversial one but all the rain we have had recently! I love rain!
9. Making the yummiest cherry cupcakes I have ever tasted! Even if I do say so myself ;)
10. Looking forward to going to Download Festival next month, fishing out the cagoule and getting my best head bang on! 

A Heads Up

I am sure alot of our readers already know Royal Mail have increased their prices as of the end of April, material prices have also gone up for me this year and Folksy have increased their commission rates.

Grumble grumble grumble........... 

I am trying to remember it's not all doom and gloom but my prices are going to have to increase.
I will make sure there is little a noticeable increase as possible but some changes will be inevitable.
Good news is I hear that with the weight bands for postage costs getting wider means multiple purchases will cost less to send so people will have to buy more at a time and get a saving ;)

I have not as yet got round to changing my prices (I will explain what has been keeping me so busy in a post soon) so please take advantage of my not yet increased delivery costs and prices on Etsy and Folksy.

All price changes I hope to be implemented by the week of the 14th so get in there if you've had your eye on something and grab something lovely at a reduced price.