Amanda Ross at Country Living Fair, Spring 2013

Amanda Ross' botanical prints and designs, which are available on a range of ceramics as well as stationnery and prints, have a very British character. The plants and flowers that inspire her designs are picked from the hedgerows and fields: cow parsley, dandelion clocks and wild geranium leaves. The colours are a subtle range of pinks, lilacs, teals and mustardy greens which evoke soft spring and summer days. Silhouettes of leaves and flowers are set on a white background, the designs are subtle and the ceramics pictured below would mix well with vintage florals or more simple contemporary pieces.
Amanda Ross is based in London and her products are made in the UK.

Renegade Craft Fair - textiles and prints - Caitlin Hinshelwood and Karoline Rerrie

The Renegade Craft Fair is at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. It's open tomorrow, Sunday 16th September from 11am to 6pm

Caitlin Hinshelwood - based in London - illustrator and printed textiles: silk cushions, handkerchiefs...

Karoline Rerrie - based in Birmingham - prints inspired by European folkart

The McGill Duncan Gallery, Castle Douglas

I have just discovered the McGill Duncan Gallery at 231 King Street, Castle Douglas which has a collection of very covetable ceramics, paintings, prints and sculpture.  I could happily give wall space, or shelf space, to many of the pieces from this lovely gallery which specialises in Scottish paintings from the C19th, and contemporary works by national and international artists and makers. The gallery is run by Jill and Zoe Blamire, a mother and daughter team, and it is open Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm all year round. Check out their blog for more info on events and what's new in the gallery.

A few of my favourites below, but where shall I start? - there are so many.

I love this earthenware slipware by Paul Young - as child I often visited the Wetheriggs pottery in the northern Lakes which used to make simple earthenware pieces for the kitchen decorated with wiggly lines and dots.  These pieces by Paul Young have more complicated patterns, but he uses those familiar feathered lines, dots and dashes.

I'd like both these pieces by Winifred Hodge who was born in Galloway, and now lives in Wensleydale Yorkshire. This Wee Mouse is particularly sweet, and I love the big open skies of this painting which I could dive into, if I had wings, a refreshing view when I feel crowded by city life - titled Frogs Are Croaking (mixed media on canvas).

Ravilious (Kiran) + Ravilious (Eric)

I found these lovely cushions designed by Kiran Ravilious on Etsy - designs are carved out on lino, and then handprinted onto unbleached linen.

Buy from the Inkling Prints Etsy shop, and read more about Kiran's work on her blog.

Kiran's husband Ben is the grandson of Eric Ravilious, an artist, designer and illustrator.  

This fabulous lemonade jug by Eric Ravilious can be bought from my new favourite shop - Rennies 'Seaside Modern' in Folkestone. ( cost of this jug? POA, yikes)

Made in Norfolk

Following on from Made in Yorkshire, my virtual tour around the country has taken me to Norfolk (there is no logic to this; I'm just going to chose counties at random and find nice things that are made there - although I'd love to visit Norfolk again, I haven't been since I was a child).

Ah seed pod loveliness. Angie Lewin is a printmaker and her designs are inspired by the clifftops and saltmarshes of North Norfolk and the Scottish Highlands - seedheads, grasses, and flowers feature in fine detail, with simple landscapes forming the backdrop. There's a 1950s feel to her designs: spiky spindleyness and the use of muted colours. Her designs can be found on prints and book illustrations.  Her fabric designs are sold through St Jude's - along with other contemporary fabric designers.  

 

Angie contributes to the St Jude's blog All Things Considered.

Peter Dibble is a basketweaver who learnt his trade from his father-in-law. He works with willow, much of which is sourced from his own plantation, to make baskets and fences. His baskets are the perfect thing for picnics, or easter egg hunts, or collecting apples in the orchard, or filled with logs and placed artfully by your (electric) Aga in your inner-city kitchen. 

There's something rather sculptural about the shapes of these baskets with their elegant curves.

Peter also makes coffins, for more eco-friendly burials - click here to see a pic (and of other work), it is a thing of great beauty and fitting final resting place.

Contact details:

Angie Lewin  info@angielewin.co.uk

Peter Dibble, 17 Le Strange Close, Norwich, NR2 3PN   01603 662725  info@peterdibble.co.uk

Rob Ryan print for Haiti

It's not much more than a year since Haiti was hit by an earthquake, and the country is still in need of huge amounts of help.  The artist Rob Ryan, who specialises in paper cutting and screen prints, has made this two-colour hand pulled print to raise funds for Haiti.  Every print is signed and numbered in an edition of 200. All profits (ie £200 minus Paypal and Etsy fees) will go to Haiti.

It is available from his Ryan Town shop (more info on his blog) in Columbia Road, and also from his Etsy store.

The print reads: ‘We are all part of each other and this is my promise, I won’t pass you by and I won’t ignore you and look the other way but I’ll help you build your nest again. This is my promise’.

Sanna Annukka's illustrations and prints

I have a bit of a thing about biscuit tins: v useful storage for different categories of bits and bobs. This Christmas and last, one of my fav illustrators and print makers, Sanna Annukka, designed biscuit tins for M&S.

good biccies, GREAT tins

I know her work from collaborations with Marimekko - the wonderous Finnish designers who are famous for bright colours and bold patterns. Sanna is based in Brighton, and is half-British and half-Finnish - her designs draw inspiration from the fauna, flora and folklore of Lapland where she spent summer holidays and I love the fir trees and kaleidoscope suns on these biscuit tins.

Imagine my delight when I discovered that Sanna has also created a range of screenprints -I have my eye on this purple and gold Magic Berry Bush print (check out that wooden storage unit - is that new or vintage, Ms Annukka?)