Mark Hearld - Birds & Beast

Image © Laura Towers at YSP

Image © YSP

Image © YSP

I recently saw an exhibition by Mark Hearld at the YSP. The work on show was a mixture of collage, prints, pen and ink and 3D pieces. I really like his illustrative style and depictions of animals in their habitat, the hare's a lovely.

The First Cut

Image © Rob Ryan

Manchester Art Gallery is hosting an exhibition called "The First Cut" from 5th Oct - 27th Jan 2013. The exhibition features paper craft / paper engineering from over 30 international designer / makers / artists.

Print for Love of Wood

Something Blue Wedding Letterpress Print Image from Etsy page £15

Vintage Bake More Cake Letterpress Print Sky Blue. Image from Etsy page £15

I spotted Print for Love of Wood at the Saltaire Arts Trail a couple of weeks. The owner's, Jacqui Sharples, stand really caught my eye as I wandered through the crowded venue. She had brought along a press and displayed her pieces in old suitcase, there was a very vintage / make do feeling about it all. I really like letterpress and the quality it can give to an image or piece of type. I love the textures it leaves on different boards and the colours look amazing. I've post a couple of pieces that I loved on the day and you can purchase them via her etsy shop, they are really reasonable for prints, great ideas for gifts, especially for wedding season approaching.

Clerkenwell Design Week

I'm quite excited about visiting Clerkenwell Design Week next week. I've not been before and when I've seen it advertised in previous years I've always wanted to visit. The 3 day event sees the creative spaces & businesses in the Clerkenwell area open their doors to their fellow creative's. I think it'll be great to have a wonder through the various studios & practises, meet some interesting people and listen to some of hot topics in the talks. I'll share some of my favourites next week.

Finest Imaginary

Badger Necklace £11

Lists Shield Printed Moleskin £4

Pattern Printed Moleskins pack £10

I spotted Finest Imaginary at the ReetSweet craft fair in Leeds a couple of weeks ago. I thought their products looked really cute, with nice graphics & colours and with very realistic pricing. I'd be more than happy to pay £10 for their quirky necklace or £4 for a notebook. Check out their website to see their full range, they also do cards and homewares & have some jubilee themed products.

Fluttering Wings

"Solstice" by Paul Villinski

"My Back Pages" by Paul Villinski

"Eclipse" by Paul Villinski

Gossip Girl bedroom installation, image from ShesSmart.com

I don't know about you but I'm a little fan of Gossip Girl and I've always liked the Butterflies in Serena's bedroom, so I thought I'd find out who made this beautiful creation. The Design Paul Villinski is responsible and he's got a whole host of creations on his website, including some of my favourites above. He discarded materials such as old beer cans and vinyl records then recycles them into tranquil pieces of installation. Looks pretty impressive to me.

Sunny Days

Photo of YSP sign by Laura T

Lady Bird at YSP by Laura T

Blue Skies at YSP by Laura T

Me (Laura) & Mr P went to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park recently, it was a gorgeous day, full of blue skies & sunshine - probably one of the best places to be on a hot day. If you've never been I'd recommend a visit, you can wander round the grounds on planned routes or go off to explore the various sculptures dotted round the grounds. There are also changing collections in the various galleries, a quirky gift shop & a lovely cafe which sells amazing hot chocolate ( for chillier days). I've posted a few of our pics above.

Museum of Letters

Deutschlandhaus - Helvetica Acrylic Sign

Berliner TT Bahnen - Univers Building Sign

Various Letters - Antique Olive Bold

Schuhe - Script Shop Sign

The Museum of Letters is any font geeks dream day out, the Berlin based venue has a treasure trove of letters in the form of signs, posters, physical letters & photographs. Here are a few snippets from their website.

Made North

I'm heading over to Liverpool on Tuesday for the Made North Conference (on behalf of work), I'm not sure what to expect yet but I'm looking forward to a day out of the office & will hopefully have some spare time to pop into some of my favourite spots in the city, including Utility & The Blue Coat. I'll fill you in on my finds later in the week.

Edinburgh: Galleries

Logo from Google Images

Anna Barriball, 36 Breaths, 2002, Ink on found photographs,
image from  TFG Facebook page

Logo from Google Images

Allan Sekula: Ship of Fools

During my stay in Edinburgh I planned to visit a whole host of galleries, but due to the lazy pace and cold weather I only got round a couple. The first destination was the Fruitmarket Gallery near Waverly train station. The venue is a cosy cultural hub with a lovely cafe, compact book shop and room for exhibitions. I saw a collection by artist Anna Barriball, her skills create sculptural drawings, combining elements such as paper & pencil to create the texture & appearance of a brick wall, an interesting exhibition which makes you look beyond a quick glance.  Then followed by a quick visit to Stills Gallery, a Photography Gallery just off the Royal Mile. The space is small but there is plenty of room to view the pieces. 'Ships of Fools' was a collection of images trying to convey the message of the corrupted shipping industry, a powerful message with beautiful photography. 

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Fox Print by Donna Wilson

Beardy Man Plate by Donna Wilson

Jauma Plensa, photo by LT

Jauma Plensa, photo by LT

I visited the Yorkshire Sculpture Park on Friday for a work event. We had a couple of hours to explore the grounds, galleries & shops. It was a cold crisp day and we had the place to ourselves. I started off viewing the Donna Wilson Exhibition - Donna is an award winning designer who's range consists of quirky knitted characters and silly illustrations. I've added a couple of my favorites at the top. The second exhibition, in the Underground Gallery & outside in the grounds was by artist Jauma Plensa, his work includes large sculptures in the landscapes & a curtain of poetry ( photo above taken by myself). His work is very tactile and encourages interaction. The hot chocolate in the cafe was also worth the visit.