Image of the Day - Simon Yates

Simon Yates is one of a number of furniture designer/makers exhibiting at the Palace Art and Craft Fair.

His furniture is designed to flows and to have a strong and defined form. 

Simon Yates - Centipede bench with Bench with textured Oak seat scorched with a naked flame. Legs from Ash and Stainless Steel

"It must be appropriate to its environment and to function as it's intended. Inspiration comes from my interest in sculptural, organic and geometric forms"

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Maker of the Week - Sophie Marsham

Sophie Marsham produces mixed-media sculptures, made from reclaimed, found objects.She will be exhibiting her work at the Palace Art and Craft Fair in May. 

 

At what age did you know you wanted to become an artist / maker?

I knew at 21 that a career in art was for me so I went then to the Chelsea Art School for 5 year completing a BA (hons) in Public Art and Design, in 1993.

Is being a an artist / designer your only job?
Being a sculptor is my only job, I have had my own company for 20 years, this year.

If you could be anything else what would you be?
If I could be anything else, it would be a set designer for film.

One favourite living artist? Elke Harras, the german lighting sculptor, as her work is both innovative and breathtakingly beautiful.

One favourite historical artist?
Da Vinci, who was so massively ahead of his time and incredibly multi talented in different disciplines.

Who / what has had most influence on your work?
Nature has had the most influence on my work as I have an obsession with the tiniest most beautiful detail, only found in nature.
 

What is the most interesting / fun job you have had?I worked for the artist Gerry Judah, when I was 19. I was his studio assistant, but every week was a new challenge, with new materials/scale/usage. He was the key person in my life who set me on the road to an art career.

What is your most prized item of art?
A blue and black charcoal Anish Kapoor drawing which was given to me when my third child was born.

What item of art do you covet most?
Probably the unfurling bridge by Thomas Heatherwick, it would be perfect to get me from my house to the studio in my garden.
 

Last book / film that blew your mind?
Last film that blew my mind was 'Untouchable' with Omar Si, absolutely loved it.

What are you listening to? The new I Am Kloot album, 'Let it all in' which I love.

 How many hours do you waste on the internet each day? 
I waste very little time on the internet as my hours are very precious, especially now I've weened myself off 'Templerun'

If you could live anywhere, where would it be? 
NYC where really special friends live.

Where and what is your studio?
My studio is in my garden, a large purpose built, heated shed with lots of windows.

Three words that describe your feeling of doing your work? 
Challenging, fulfilling and exciting.

Chips or mash?
Mash (with leeks!)

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Image of the Day - Ali Yanya

In the run up to the Palace Art and Craft Fair this May we'll be running daily previews of the exhibiting artists and craftspeople and their work. 

We start off with Ali Yanya who exhibited at the last Palace Art Fair in 2011.

 

Istanbul born Ali Yanya took a fine arts degree at Marmara University and went on to teach at Mimar Sinan University for two years.  Conceiving an ambition to master the art of printmaking he won a Turkish government overseas study scholarship and secured a place at the RCA where he gained an MA with Distinction (his talent being singled out by Peter Blake) and returned to lecture at Mimar Sinan University.  He moved to the UK in 1996 and has since been teaching at Kensington and Chelsea College and elsewhere and exhibiting widely.

White Paper - Ali Yanya

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Preparations starting for Palace Art and Craft Fair

Preparations are now in full swing for our new (or least rejigged) event taking place this May - the Palace Art and Craft Fair

The show is our first show which is split equally between craft and art, with the 59 craft spaces in 3 rooms in Fulham Palace itself and in 2 marquees in the courtyard. The 64 Art spaces are in a large marquee on the front lawn of the botanical gardens surrounding the Palace.

Fulham Palace is well worth spending some time - its a Tudor/Georgian Bishop's palace set in its own miniature country estate - complete with walled kitchen garden and vine house, botanic gardens, all in virtually the center of London.

The Palace Art and Craft Fair takes place 16th-19th May and we're hoping for warm sunny weather to enable visitors to enjoy both the fantastic art and craft and also the lovely surroundings.

 

Reduced price earlybird tickets for the Private View (live music and a glass of wine) and the normal opening hours are now for sale from our website here

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Maker of the Week - Robyn Coetzee

Robyn Coetzee makes beautiful kiln-formed glass birds as decorative hangings and brooches.

Where did you train? What did training teach you and what do you wish it had taught you?
At UWE Bristol I did a Fine Art degree that didn’t involve any glasswork - which, in retrospect, I wish it had. Subsequently I decided to supplement my training by starting a course in making glass beads, but inadvertently enrolled on a glass-fusing course instead! This mistake turned out to be serendipitous, as I found I loved learning how to fuse layers of glass in a kiln and this is now the main technique I use in my work. I am keen to broaden my knowledge of other aspects of glasswork, particularly architectural, and am currently considering studying for a part-time degree in glasswork, whilst continuing to create my designs.

Is being a designer/maker your only job?
I have no other job, having left teaching three years ago to concentrate on design.

Who is your favourite designer?
My favourite contemporary artist is the late Pablo Picasso, for his ability to use simple lines to such striking effect e.g. his ‘Dove of Peace’, created for UNESCO for the 1949 First International Peace Conference.
I also love the decorative design of the Ndebele people of Africa, particularly their use of bold colours and geometric shapes to decorate their buildings.
I like the Arts & Crafts movement’s style, particularly William Morris’s patterns depicting nature using clear, distinct lines and bright colours.
I also find the artistic symbolism of ancient cultures very powerful, e.g. linguistic symbolism in the form of Egyptian hieroglyphics and pictorial symbolism in two-dimensional stone age cave paintings or three-dimensional fertility statuary.

What is the most interesting/fun job you have had?
In order to pay off a loan taken out to fund a furniture-painting business venture, I once spent a while working on the assembly line of a well-known car manufacturer. Surprisingly (well it certainly surprised me!), the job proved both interesting, as I saw how a car was put together, and great fun - since no shift was considered complete without a practical joke or two!

What is your most prized item of design/craft?
I once sculpted a kiln-cast glass statue of a fertility doll - which I sold, to my eternal regret. It had substantial personal significance for me and I wish I’d kept it.
Now my most prized item is a gold pendant on a chain, bought by my mother 40 years ago when my parents first arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa, having emigrated from Holland. The pendant is a round gold disc containing seven smaller glass discs, each multi-faceted and covered in a reflective coating. I love it for its beauty and familial significance.

What item of design/craft do you covet most?
I would dearly love to own ‘The Venus of Willendorf’, a famous Palaeolithic artefact symbolising the goddess of fertility, because it seems so powerful, somehow.

At age 16, who most influenced your style?
Growing up in the 1980s – Madonna, of course! Like most teenagers, I was attracted by freedom of spirit and a rebellious stance and she coupled this with innovative clothing style and amazing, cheap jewellery to great effect. I also remember emulating the style of ‘eVOID’, an ‘Afro-fusion’ band who were big in South Africa, particularly their bangles made by stuffing a flexible plastic tube with ethnic print fabric! We were also very influenced by European style – to my friends’ great envy, my father ran a clothing factory and I would get to help choose, and later keep, the sample clothes from Europe.

What was the last film/book that blew your mind?
 ‘Tsotsi’ (which means ‘gangster’) has stuck in my memory as it is such a striking film. It tells the true story of six days in the grim life of a 15-year old boy in present-day Johannesburg, South Africa. I found it particularly moving to be reminded of the stark reality of life in parts of my homeland.

What music are you currently listening to?
While I’m working, I usually listen to Radio 6 Music as it tends to play new, interesting music. A current favourite CD is by ‘Freshly Ground’, an interesting South African female singer. I love her unusual voice and the wide and eclectic range of influences you can hear in her music.


How many hours do you waste on the internet each day?
I spend about three hours a day on the internet - about half of which, if I’m honest, is probably wasted!


If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?
I love England (apart from the weather of course!). I am currently enjoying living in a leafy cul-de-sac in central Bristol, which provides a peaceful sanctuary to retreat to when I’ve had enough of all the advantages of city centre living. I live within walking distance of Fig, the shop run co-operatively by myself and others to sell our designs, and the Bristol/Bath area is great for other opportunities to showcase my work, such as art trails, exhibitions, galleries, pop-up shops, Bath Christmas market etc. However, I am considering a move to a place where I could continue my glasswork studies; there are very good suitable degree courses in Swansea and Plymouth.

Where and what is your studio?
My studio is a large, purpose-built wooden construction, conveniently located in my back garden. It is glass-fronted, thereby allowing light to flood in and enabling a panoramic view of the garden and all the birds and other wildlife that come to visit when they think no-one’s looking!

Do you have a good work/life balance?
Yes, generally I do. Having a studio separate from my home, albeit only about 4-5 metres away from my back door, means that I go to work and come home again just like any commuter, which helps to prevent work taking over my home life. My work commitments are unevenly distributed, with the last quarter of the year being particularly busy. I often find, particularly during these months, that I have been so immersed in my work I haven’t noticed that time has flown by, but even then when I do leave the studio I definitely leave work behind. The first quarter of each year is relatively quiet work-wise, so I usually take that opportunity to have a proper break and perhaps go travelling.

What one word would best describe your feeling of doing your work?Fulfilling. Losing myself in creating beautiful objects, ranging from ‘rural rustic’ to ‘quirky fun’ to ‘urban edgy’ depending on my mood, never fails to provide me with a great feeling of satisfaction.

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Maker of the Week - Suet Yi Yip

Suet Yi Yip is a ceramicist based in Nottingham. She produces work with a simplistic charm.

Where did you train? What did training teach you and what do you wish it had taught you?
I trained at Nottingham Trent University. I learnt the use of different materials including wood, glass, clay, metal and resin in a degree course called Decorative Arts. If there is something I wish the uni had taught me, it would be the EQ I need to deal with art as a business. Is it something inherited or something we can learn? I dunno.

Is being a designer / maker your only job?

Yes, it is my only job at the moment. Before this, I worked in Hong Kong as an Art tutor (part-time) for 4 years, a shipping clerk for 1.5 years, a secretary for 5 months and an English teacher for 1.5 years. It’s a lovely blend of life experience more than work experience to me.

One favourite living designer?

Laura Baxter. Her work has warmth, which I don’t usually feel with other jewellery.

What is the most interesting / fun job you have had?
The work placement for Katrin Moye. It made what I like and who I am today. 

What item of design / craft do you covet most?

Shoes from Belle & Sofa in Japan. It’s not easy to find comfortable and beautiful shoes but Belle & Sofa has done a great job. Their shoes have characters through which people can see the greatness of craftsmanship. I’ve got a pair of casual shoes, now saving up to get another pair from them.

At age 16 who most influenced your style?

Nobody. It’s a dark age for me. I was lost in realistic-style watercolour paintings over that period of time. 

Last book / film that blew your mind?
'The Way Home', a Korean movie, is always on my mind.  

What music are you currently listening to?

Yiruma’s piano music.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?

Somewhere close to hills and flowers, with a little barn house and my studio. It would only be in my dream.

Where and what is your studio?

It’s a home-based pottery studio in Nottingham.

Do you have a good work/life balance?
I think so.

What one word would describe your feeling of doing your work?

Real

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Maker of the Week - Daphne Krinos

Daphne Krinos makes original and distinctive precious jewellery with a graphic look.

Where did you train?
I trained at Middlesex University

Is being a designer / maker your only job, or do you have other employment? Jewellery making is my only job

One favourite living designer?
A designer I admire is Jasper Morrison for the simplicity of his designs
 

What is your most prized item of design / craft? My Ane Christensen wall piece in my kitchen. Favourite craft/design object: three bowls by Ane Christensen

At age 16 who most influenced your style?
When I was 16 I did not have a style that I can remember

Last book / film that blew your mind?Favourite book (at the moment) 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. It makes me think I am living through a comic book and it takes me to another world

What music are you currently listening to?
Whatever my lovely sons burn on CD for me

How many hours do you waste on the internet each day?I spend far too long on the internet but I try not to do this every day

If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?I would live in a sunny place, not too hot, but with a lot of light. Maybe in Greece if the country was in a better way..

Where and what is your studio?My studio is in Hackney, my favourite place in London

Do you have a good work/life balance?
I try!

What one word would describe your feeling of doing your work?Bliss

 

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