Image of the Day - Velvet Zoe Ramos

Velvet Zoe Ramos will be exhibiting at the Palace Art Fair, Booth 4, with Renée Pfister Art & Gallery Consultancy

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Palace Art and Craft Fair - 241 Offer

The Palace Art and Craft Fair at the very wonderful Fulham Palace opens to the public on Friday.

We'd like as many lovers (and buyers) of art and craft to come as possible as we know it's going to be a fantastic show in a fantastic venue. We have a 241 offer available which means everyone can bring a friend for free! Just fill out this form before Monday and we'll send you a 241 voucher.

If you'd like to come to the Private View on Thursday Evening 6.00 - 8.30 (Glass of wine, live band and first pick of the best of the art and craft) we have some tickets available here

Hope to see you next weekend.

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Art, Craft, History, Gardening and Gin! - Fulham Palace 17 May

If you're coming to the Palace Art and Craft Fair for our late night on Friday 17, you can also "Take part in the the international cultural festival, Museums at Night, at Fulham Palace!

Join us after hours to enjoy a Walled Garden inspired cocktail by the Gin Garden, try on period costumes, take a mini tour of the museum and garden, and listen to live music while relaxing on the terrace overlooking the lawn.  You can learn a little about Fulham Palace history too!
Free, no booking needed."

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Maker of the Week - Alex Allpress

Alex Allpress is a ceramicist producing earthenware and stoneware sculptural and innovative 'kitchenalia'.  He will be showing his work at the Palace Art and Craft Fair.

At what age did you know you wanted to become an artist / maker?
18 - I did ceramics at school, but I applied to Chelsea Art School, as I wanted to always go there: but Camberwell was where I belonged with ceramics as my first subject. But as soon as I went to Camberwell for my Foundation I loved it and knew what I wanted to do and that is where I met my wife too. Ee now have 3 kids together and that was in 1995.
Is being a an artist / designer your only job?
YES it is now, I have just had twins and my time is shared between teaching pottery, making work, showing and looking after twins. It's an insane life!

If you could be anything else what would you be?
Architect

One favourite living artist / designer?
Hélène Lathoumetie - her work is just amazing, delicate, perfect.One favourite historical artist / designer?
Henry Moore - I love looking at his sculptures, the size and public art. I think good art should be everywhere for everybody.

Who / what has had most influence on your work?
Lucie Rie / Hans Coper

What is the most interesting / fun job you have had?
Working at Manta Ray a set building company - we did the MTV music awards
and designer Paul Smith's windows in Covent Garden. It taught me a lot about presentation.

What is your most prized item of art / design / craft? 
Our Hélène Lathoumetie tea bowl. We wanted to buy a teapot and more but maybe next time. We saw her work at Art in Clay and she won the exhibitors award that year as her entire stand was stunning!

Also Goulds Pottery if you don't know their stuff you should really look it up: the stunning Catherine Gould died tragically this month - she was amazing. After travelling when I came home and had loads of ideas and hadn't thrown for ages, she re-taught me loads of cool stuff on her wheel: she and her husband Bruce Gould are an inspiration and we miss her.

Also a print done by my wife while she was working in Barcelona - I love it and she's not allowed to sell it - it's in our bedroom. It's great being married to another artist.
What item of design / craft do you covet most?
The potter wheel

Last book / film that blew your mind?
Searching for Sugar Man. Great music who knew? Now we all do.

What are you listening to?
Rodriguez

How many hours do you waste on the internet each day?
Too many. An hour or 2  - sad isn't it!

If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?Thailand - South, maybe Koh Chang - love the sun, beach, food, life style. Make work, have the kids be free and swim everyday. Feed the fish, go scuba diving have a sailing boat!

Where and what is your studio?
Newbridge on Wye in the heart of Mid Wales, an area known as The Marches. Full of Hills and valleys. Our house is right on the Wye, our kids play on the stony beach all year round -
it's spectacular!

Three words that describe your feeling of doing your work?
AWAY from the kids, peaceful, happy

Chips or mash?
Chips with ketchup!

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Artist of the Week - Talia Lehavi

Talia Lehavi produces Contemporary water-pigments, Japanese ink paintings and monotype prints. She will be showing her work at the Palace Art and Craft Fair.

At what age did you know you wanted to become an artist?Ever since being a little girl, collecting falling needles and watching my grandma, who was a seamstress, from under her sewing machine making beautiful dresses and wedding gowns..

Is being a an artist your only job?
I also teach Japanese Ink Painting and Calligraphy which is another passion of mine.

If you could be anything else what would you be? A pianist or a dancer

One favourite living artist / designer? Fabianne Vardierre - the beauty of her line work, the scale of the paintings, and the sheer dedication and passion and determination that is in it.

One favourite historical artist / designer? Soga Shohaku - Fantastic, original, genius.

Who / what has had most influence on your work?
The two above

What is the most interesting / fun job you have had?
Working in an Asian antique shop, handling arts from 4000bc to today, and meeting the people who collect them.

What is your most prized item of art / design / craft? An 18th C. Japanese scroll depicting the after life, all in gold leaf and refined colours.

What item of design / craft do you covet most?
Anything with gold and pearls

Last book / film that blew your mind?
The Language of Flowers / Vanessa DIffenbaugh

What are you listening to?
Eidan Raychel

How many hours do you waste on the internet each day?
Not a great fan of technology.. prefer to work away at the studio..

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

Where and what is your studio?
My studio is in Belsize Park, North West London, I love it, it is the heart of where I work.. facing an old neglected garden, with two foxes who inhabit it.. a few cats and a dog.. we are all happily working away.

Three words that describe your feeling of doing your work? Silence, flow, love

Chips or mash?
Chips in summer, mash for winter..

 

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Image of the Day - Rozanne Hawksley

Internationally acclaimed fine artist Rozanne Hawskley, who's works often combine poignant found materials - a faded glove, a lily, a photograph or fragment of chiffon to make a powerful, reflective point. Rozanne Hawksley will be exhibiting at the Palace Art and Craft Fair presented by Renée Pfister Art & Gallery Consultancy.

Rozanne Hawksley
Pale Rider, 2008
Glove
Cream silk, lace, leather, lined with cream silk,
glass beads and small chicken bones
H180  mm x L530 mm x  D310  mm

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Maker of the Week - Corrinne Eira Evans

Corrinne Eira Evans makes contemporary jewellery inspired by Victorian botanical prints. She will be showing her work at the Palace Art and Craft Fair.
At what age did you know you wanted to become an artist / maker?   Ooooo I seriously don't recall deciding, I just knew from an early age there was no other interest or passion for me. I knew I wanted to be a contemporary jeweller at secondary school I had a fabulous and enthusiastic teacher. I then went on to do a ND BTEC at Plymouth College in Applied Arts skipping A levels. Here I graduated with a distinction and top student of the year; I just enjoyed myself so much. I moved to Birmingham and studied at the School of jewellery a HND just after my 18th birthday and then finalized with a BA (Hons) at Falmouth in Contemporary craft. To be honest I don't think I wanted to leave studying as it was just a play ground of ideas and experimentation.

Is being an artist / designer your only job?
I have another job to keep me from going insane working by myself. I work in a small family run jewellers in York called Palenque. I love it as it keeps me within reality and love the girls that I work with.

If you could be anything else what would you be?Fashion designer, cake tester or Olympic swimmer I think

One favourite living artist / designer?
Nora Fok! I think her work is amazing. She takes a long time to create her pieces making them beautiful spectacles that you can look at for hours and from different directions they give off different qualities.

One favourite historical artist / designer?
William Morris. I know he's a classic but again attention to detail, his methods and morals of creating art are what I feel they should be. Putting all ones passion and love into each piece without monetary values attached. Resulting in amazing art works that last and fascinate for years.

Who / what has had most influence on your work?Hmm that's a tough one. I've been passionate about jewellery since forever, influences through the years that stand out have been, Peter Chang, Kandisky, Nora Fok, Cornwall country side (where I grew up) & nature/botanical prints has a huge influence of my current works.
My family was a massive influence with my dad as a droughts man and mum as a textile artist, uncles being lino printers & painters, my auntie as a jeweller and my grandparents as blacksmiths and amazing drawings and studies. So I guess I was born to it really

What is the most interesting / fun job you have had?I was a cider & apple juice maker and labeller for about 3 years in between university studies and loved it. Working in a barn and out doors with really fun summertime staff I had a whale of a time. I also got to design their apple juice packaging which ended up winning the best illustrated packaging of the year in the South West award which was amazing!

What is your most prized item of art / design / craft?
Apart from my partner Andrew Oliver, who's art work is amazing, (we have one of his crooked lamps in our hallway which I cherish), I think it has to be my Nora Fok bangle, I love it as I admire her work so much and it's a limited edition. It was also a present from my parents which just adds to its value for me.

What item of design / craft do you covet most?
It has to be jewellery!! I'm a huge magpie I have a massive jewellery collection of lovely artist’s work which I collect when I do an exhibition. From Jessica Hewitt, Barbara Macdonald & Porte-Bonheur de Woollies, to name a few.

Last book / film that blew your mind?
Film: This has to be Avatar. It was the first 3D film I saw and the graphics & colours blew my mind.
Book; Actually The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. I'm not very good with history but love period dramas and fascinated by the social elements of history. It was so well written and extremely gripping, definitely worth the read.

What are you listening to? 
Jonny Cash!!! I love it. I think it's because my partner sings it so well, such a talented boy! I'm also into Grizzly Bear which my brother, Euan, bought me for Christmas and always a bit of Kings of Leon thrown in there.

How many hours do you waste on the internet each day?
Probably a couple of hours I expect. Flicking through Facebook, liking things and Ebay being seduced by juicy gems!

If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why? 
If teleportation was available and money was no object, I would probably live on a remote island somewhere maybe off New Zealand, lovely and warm. Teleportation would be ace; you could go for tea at your parents in England and then nip back to your remote island the next day!

Where and what is your studio?
My studio is very fortunately our spare room at home in York, North Yorkshire. It's amazing I just roll out of bed, get a coffee and get to playing with metals and gems, fantastic!

Three words that describe your feeling of doing your work?
Ecstatic, excited and fun

Chips or mash?
Ooooo chips every time! Thin & crispy!!

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