Coffee & Art

Each year I create a new coffee themed screen print usually inspired by vintage coffee pots & crockery. This time I wanted to try something different so I drew a design inspired by coffee growing. In my design coffee plants with red coffee beans & white flowers surround a hand holding some 'Magic Beans'. The hand motif is loosely based on religious folk charms that are used as votive offerings. So in my design the hand holding coffee beans is an offering for the gods to thank them for a good harvest.

I screen printed my design in four colours. First I printed the light green background followed by the red coffee beans & hand. When it came to printing the green leaves I had to remember to add a missing detail using a tiny piece of newsprint. You might be able to spot what is missing from the one of the leaves printed on the clear registration sheet.

After printing the green leaves I added dark brown coffee beans & finished a limited edition of just 15 'Magic Beans' screen prints. Number 1/15 was framed & exhibited at the London Coffee Festival in March. I am selling the other 14 screen prints & proceeds will go to Project Waterfall to help bring clean, safe drinking water, sanitation and education to coffee growing communities. http://www.projectwaterfall.org/

Design at 44 in Derby

January means it's time for me to restock some of the shops and galleries I supply. So yesterday was the first day trip of 2019 to Design at 44 in Derby. It's a large independent shop on Sadler Gate with two floors full of work by designer makers from Derbyshire, the Midlands and further afield. I've been lucky enough to stock Design at 44 for the last few years and make regular visits to Derby to deliver more work. My prints, cards and tote bags are displayed upstairs on salvaged furniture and old fashioned school chairs. I added some colourful flower decorations and limited edition screen prints to brighten up the cold wet winter days. I also delivered more one colour prints and mini prints including plenty of cats! I even managed to squeeze in some extra animal tote bags... not many though as I haven't started reprinting them this year. Design at 44 can be found at 26/27 Sadler Gate, Derby, DE1 3NL and on Facebook https://en-gb.facebook.com/designat44/

Happy Holidays!

This year's flock of red & gold folk bird decorations have flown the nest. Each year I create a new bird design just in time for Christmas. The birds are then screen printed by hand in two colours onto kraft recycled card. Once the ink is dry each bird is glued together, cut out & threaded by hand so it's ready to hang.

Birmingham Open Studios 2018

September is going to be BUSY! This month I'll be taking part in Birmingham Open Studios https://artsbrum.com/open-studios/ for the first time. Now in it's second year Open Studios takes place in Moseley, Kings Heath and Stirchley. The event means artists can display their artwork in their own homes or studios where members of the public can visit them. Gosia Weber www.bagshandmade.co.uk has very kindly invited me to exhibit at her home in Kingsheath. I'll be displaying my colourful greetings cards and screen prints alongside her beautiful leather bags, purses and accessories. You can find us at 10 Milford Place just off Kings Heath High Street on Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th of September. 

Screen Printing Workshop at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

This workshop is a chance to learn to screen print tote bags at the wonderful Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Design and print your own colourful tote bag inspired by Dippy the dinosaur or the museum’s collection of birds, nests and eggs! 

In the workshop you will create a bold design or pattern inspired by dinosaurs, Jurassic plants, birds or something of your choice. You will then use a scalpel to hand cut stencils based on your design from either paper or thin plastic. Using your stencils you will screen print your design onto tote bags with a silk screen, squeegee and bright coloured fabric inks. All materials and equipment will be provided including two plain tote bags each, plain fabric to test ideas on and bright coloured and fluorescent water based fabric inks. 

For more information or to book a place please use this link.
http://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/bmag/whats-on/adult-workshop-dinosaur-and-bird-tote-bag-printing-c494a7ef-eb5b-40a0-8f18-d41d0c76bc78

Dippy The Dinosaur on Tour

 

To celebrate Dippy the Dinosaur coming to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery I've created a dinosaur themed workshop to deliver during the school holidays. I drew four new black & white designs; a stegosaurus, diplodocus, tyrannosaurus & triceratops. I then printed each one out onto transparent film & exposed all four designs onto silk screens.  

Next I screen printed almost two hundred dinosaurs onto fabric using bright coloured textile inks including fluorescent colours. It was hard work especially as all the dinosaurs also had to be ironed to fix the inks! They are now ready to be decorated by children in workshops at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. I'll be there on Friday the 3rd & Friday the 10th of August. More details about Dippy on Tour & activities at BM&AG are on their website.   

http://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/bmag/whats-on/family-art-workshops-all-things-dinosaur

Cream Teas & Screen Prints at Debbie Bryan in Nottingham

Nottingham is one of my favourite cities to visit especially as it is only about an hour away from Birmingham. I've had the chance to spend more time in the city since regularly traveling there to run workshops. It has some excellent art galleries, lovely independent shops and plenty of great places to eat. I was particularly happy to discover Debbie Bryan's shop and tea room on a quiet street the Lace Market. It's like a haven away from the busier parts of the city. I always try and stop by for a cup of Earl Grey and one of their delicious cream teas! After a few years of visiting it was lovely to finally meet Debbie and arrange for some of my work to be displayed. There is now a whole wall of my framed limited edition screen prints in the shop alongside a beautifully curated selection of art and craft. https://debbiebryan.co.uk/