One of Britain's most influential textile designers - Lucienne Day died at the end of January - after a career spanning more than 50 years. Lucienne Day attended the Royal College of Art where she met Robin Day at an RCA dance in 1940, Robin and Lucienne were married in 1942.
Lucienne Day's drew inspiration from modern art - organic shapes and colourful patterns inspired perhaps by Kandinsky and Miro. Her work was designed to be affordable and mass-produced, bringing the best of design to the public.
Lucienne Day worked for Heals before getting a commission to work with Robin Day on fabrics for the festival of Britain for whom she produced the fabric 'Calyx'. The Festival of Britain introduced the public to a new design philosophy after the utilitarian and staid designs of the war and post war era. The Day's were foremost in the new design aesthetic.
Lucienne continued to produce fabric designs and applied decoration for companies such as Heals, and Crown Wallpapers as well as Edinburgh Weavers, Royal Wilton and in this country and Rauche and Rosenthal Ceramics abroad.
Lucienne Day Switched from designing printing pattern in the 1970's to a more craft based 'silk mosaic work' often large scale wall pieces for clients such as John Lewis and the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre.
Lucienne and Robin had a shared retrospective of their work in 2001 at the Barbican and much of their work is still in production.
Lucienne and Robin retired to a house at Chichester where an exhibition of Lucienne Day's textiles and Robin Day's furniture, "Robin and Lucienne Day: Design and the Modern Interior", will be held in Spring 2011 at Pallant House Gallery.
Guardian Obituary here
Thursday, 4 March 2010
Lucienne Day
Thursday, 11 February 2010
Hidden eloise
Update
The disputed designs have now disappeared from amazon and paperchase have issued a statement saying they are looking into it.
Result?
-- Post From My Phone
Can Twitter defeat Plagerism?
The advent of the World Wide Web and digital dissemination has seen a change in attitudes to copying in the arts and design.
Today has seen a twitter campaign being launched to defend a small designer - Hidden Eloise - (who sells work through online stores such as folksy) who 's work has (allegedly) been taken, modified and used by giant Paperchase. Paperchase refuses to discuss the matter with Hidden Eloise and has continued the sell the disputed designs
Paperchase product
Hidden Eloise's website and animation about the two 'Alices"
Anyway the good people on twitter have taken matters into their own hands and Paperchase's feedback on Amazon is soaring like the proverbial Lead Zeppelin. Feel free to air your own opinion! Stand up for the small designers against the big money
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Jonny Hannah at the Tom Paine Press
We went to the Tom Paine Press in Lewes last Saturday to see an exhibition of Jonny Hannah's prints. 
The Tom Paine Press is the brainchild of Peter Chasseaud to build and set up a working 18th Century style wooden Common Press. The press was build for Peter by Alan May (who also made the Gutenberg press for Stephen Fry on his TV program). This press is now housed in a gallery at 151 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 1XU and recreates the environment of an 18th century printing house, with type cases, cabinets, frames and the compositor’s ‘stone’.
Posters, broadsheets, pamphlets and books are printed on the press, which is also "used to show the complexities of letterpress technology and the crucial importance of the printed word in disseminating ideas."
Lewes of course was the home of Tom Paine and he wrote the 'Rights of Man' in the town whilst resident at theBull House - where Paine lived and worked as a customs and excise officer - as well as seller of tobacco! - the White Hart where he was part of the debating society is a little further down the road......
Tom Paine's independent and democratic tradition is well represented in the town today which last year declared it's own currency and organised a successful boycott against a big brewery messing with Lewes' favourite beer!
As well as Jonny Hannah's screenprints and paintings the press sells a great range of affordable artists books and printed artists cards.
The Tom Paine Press is open 10 - 5 pm Tuesday - Saturday
Parvenu Press
Sunday, 7 February 2010
Origin - what's going on??
I've been trying to find out the dates of this year's Origin - the Crafts Council organised London Craft Fair at Somerset House. I don't seem to be able to find anything about it. Can someone let me know?
Usually the application form is published by now and the deadline is March. Does anyone have any news?
I probably can't search a website properly but it does seems a little strange....
Saturday, 6 February 2010
New exhibition: Robert Tavener-The Horse Guards Series
Monday, 1 February 2010
CALL FOR ENTRIES
Applications have opened for the Brighton Art Fair, MADE10 - Brighton's Design and Craft Fair and the new Palace Art Fair.
We are still in the middle of a major redesign to our website and so the on-line application form isn't ready just yet but the paper applications can be downloaded here.
Brighton Art Fair - 16th - 19th September
Palace Art Fair - 7th-10th October
Made10 - Brighton's Design and Craft Fair - 18th - 21st November.
All deadlines are 31st March and selection will take place by the middle of April
