Rosanna Martin

some walking, some photos, some pots

2011-06-21T04:58:00.000-07:00

A selection of these pieces are now on display at RBSA Gallery in Birmingham, as part of the 'Grafika' show - an exhibition exploring mark making and illustration in contemporary fine craft. For more info on the show see their website - http://www.rbsa.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/grafika/

Pitzhanger Blog

2011-06-14T03:28:00.001-07:00

Some of my recent glaze tests, exploring new colours and surfaces to be revealed at Pitzhanger Manor in September...

Our Pitzhanger blog is well and truly up and running! Each maker has been documenting their initial ideas and responses, and how they plan to address the theme of portraiture in their work. Updates are being posting all the time so do keep an eye on it -
www.portraitsinthemaking.wordpress.com

A bit of info on the show -

Portraits in the Making is a contemporary design exhibition of glass, ceramics, jewellery, textiles, basketry, and wood, by Crafts Council Hothouse award winners, at Pitzhanger Manor House and Gallery in Ealing. Curated by Greg Parsons, seventeen emerging designer/makers from different disciplines will come together to explore making and process.

PM Gallery & House comprises of the Grade I listed Pitzhanger Manor-House, designed by the architect John Soane in 1800 and PM Gallery, West London’s premier professional contemporary arts venue. Drawing on Sir John Soane’s perception of Pitzhanger Manor House as a ‘sort of portrait’ – a reflection of his own innovative style and a place in which to display his growing collections of art and antiquities, and their own creative self-expression Portraits In The Making will offer a fresh insight into crafts practice today.

Working with the notion of identity through objects they will explore new approaches to Portraiture. The exhibition will reflect recent discoveries within their own creative journeys.

Public Opening: Wednesday 21 September – Saturday 12 November 2011

Go check it out! http://portraitsinthemaking.wordpress.com/

Shelanu

2011-06-10T00:55:00.000-07:00

Had a lovely time up at The Contemporary Craft Fair last night. Highlight was catching up with women from Shelanu - the Birmingham based craft social enterprise that I worked with last year. Their work was has gone from strength to strength and was looking stunning, as you can see from the photos! For more information about the women and Shelanu have a look on their website - http://www.shelanucollective.co.uk/
It's an inspiration to see how far they have come!

Maker of the Month

2011-06-02T01:43:00.000-07:00

This month I am 'Maker of the Month', as chosen by The Making, the craft development agency that I am working with on the Festival Makers project. Go to http://www.themaking.org.uk/Content/makers/makers.html to see an interview about my work and processes carried out by Diana Woolf from Crafts Magazine. They keep all the archives up on the website, so you can browse other makers too!

Vitrified Studio

2011-05-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

Beautiful blog Vitrified Studio has chosen to profile my work. The blog posts images and information about ceramic artists work from all over the world. Well worth checking it out, there are some inspiring makers on there...

http://vitrifiedstudio.wordpress.com/

Pitzhanger blog, facebook and twitter!

2011-05-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

Our blog for Pitzhanger is up and running! As well as all the important dates and information, there are sections about each maker involved in the show, as well as postings of some early ideas. Over the next few months the blog will chart each makers individual creative journies, with postings at regular intervals of updates of work as it is created. It will make for an exciting read!

http://www.portraitsinthemaking.wordpress.com

You can also become our friend on facebook 'Portraits in the Making' and follow us on twitter @Hothouse2010 where we will have more updates about the makers, including any other shows and activities we are involved in. Exciting times are ahead!

back from down under

2011-04-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

Return to clay, my wheel and studio feeling inspired after over a month away for my brother's wedding in Australia. The studio is a warmer place than when I left it and I'm excited about the next few months.

Exciting projects include the start of the Festival Makers Award that I recieved at the beginning of March. This will see me working with primary school children in Basingstoke to create ceramic medals that celebrate each other's personalities, culminating in a procession at the World Party in the Park on July 2nd. More details will follow as the project progresses, and can also be found here http://www.themaking.org.uk/Content/our_programme/FestivalMakers/festival_makers.html

'Portraits in the Making' is the title of our group exhibition that I am involved in with fellow recipients of the Craft Council's Hothouse support scheme that I was part of last year. The show is being held at Pitzhanger Manor House in Ealing in London, to coincide with London Design Festival. Info about the house can be found here - http://www2.ealing.gov.uk/services/leisure/museums_and_galleries/pm_gallery_and_house/index.html

The show will see new work by all participants, some site specific, and all responding to themes surrounding portraiture and collecting and how objects can tell the tales of people's lives. Dates, progression and more details to follow...

ugandan memories

2011-02-16T12:55:00.000-08:00

Searching through some old photos to find one for an interview and was reminded of these examples of working methods in Ugandan pottery that I saw in a museum in Kampala last year. We later tried to make our own examples with the students in the workshops that we were running at the time. I was struck by the beauty, intricacy and detail that went into making these little tools for decoration. Working with string and thread or by carving into clay rods, patterns were made that could then be rolled into soft clay. Stunning!

lots of work being packed up and sent away...

2011-02-15T05:34:00.000-08:00

Today I am packing up work to send to Burton Museum and Art Gallery in Bideford, Devon. They are displaying my work as a Ceramics Showcase in the Craft Gallery. The museum also houses a very large collection of north Devon slipware, collected by RJ Lloyd - well worth a look! For information about the musuem and my showcase have a look here - http://www.burtonartgallery.co.uk/index.php/craft

Talente 2011

2011-02-14T03:20:00.000-08:00

Just packed up work to send to the Crafts Council in London to then be delivered to Munich for 'TALENTE 2011'. TALENTE is a showcase and competition for newcomers who work in design and technology. It takes place as a special show during the International Trade Fair for the Skilled Trades in Munich each year. I will exhibiting alongside around 90 other makers from about 25 different countries. The exhibition runs from 16th - 22nd March. Exciting stuff!!!

Have a look on the Craft Council website for more information about the show and the other exhibitors -http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/whats-on/view/talente-2011

explorations into mark making...

2011-02-13T08:01:00.000-08:00

Some of my newer pieces that were inspired initially from looking at early Bronze Age Food Vessels in my local museum. They got me thinking about the nature of mark making in more depth, and the innate need we as humans have to make and to decorate. Have just started to read 'A History of the World in 100 Objects', and already inspired by some of the earliest stories, and how the first tools ever made were more sophisticated than they needed to be. These pieces begin to look at how a sense of movement can be created across the forms, a theme which I plan to expand on in a lot more depth this year.

Inspired....

2011-02-12T03:31:00.000-08:00

Inspired by our evaluation meeting for the Craft Council Collective Program Hothouse last week, and other makers involved on the programs blogs - I have resolved to start to use my blog a lot more. I also bought a new camera recently and have been snap happy trying to work out how to use it, documenting inspirations on my travels around. I want to start to use my blog as a place to voice my inspirations and ideas, as well as showing fininshed pieces of work, so that followers can get a better sense of what is behind the pieces that they see and the journies it has taken to get them there. Here is a taster to start with - hopefully a lot more to follow.

The first images were taken in Kensington Gardens, we were wandering over to see the Anish Kapoor sculptures but got distracted by this lady getting attacked by hundreds of birds. Recently I have been thinking about patterns of migration, whether human or animal, in the natural environment or urban. Wondering how these ideas and patterns can be developed into some work..

Other images were taken on wanderings around the beaches near the Mumbles in Swansea. Contrasts, silhouettes, lines, and how lines make form are all recurring points of interest.

Some Images of Origin

2010-11-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

A Busy Summer!

2010-10-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hothouse Support for emerging makers from the Craft Council

Since June I have been fortunate to have been one of ten makers to recieve business and creative development on a new program offered by the Craft Council for emerging makers. In association with the UCA, Craft Study Centre, Farnham Maltings and the New Ashgate Gallery we have undergone a period of intensive development, enabling us to learn and develop the skills needed in order to run a sustainable craft practise. The program is not over yet, but we have just had a group show at the New Ashgate Gallery which was a great success and hugely inspiring to see our work displayed together. Plans for future group exhibitions in 2011 are already underway - watch this space! Other makers on the program are -

Leon Lewis, Wood
Jo Lovelock, Textiles
Heidi Parsons, Ceramics
Gillian Royal, Textiles
Helene Uffren, Glass
Claire Baker, Ceramics
Holly Berry, Textiles
Katherine Carey, Textiles
Stella Harding, Basketry

For more information about the exhibition and Craft Council Program have a look here - http://www.newashgate.org.uk/pages/event/298.html , http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/whats-on/view/hothouse-group-exhibition-of-emerging-makers/detail

Fusion 2010

2010-03-14T01:46:00.000-08:00

I have been selected by Handmade in Britain to have my work on show at Bir Nokta Gallery in Istanbul, Turkey. A vibrant contemporary gallery the exhibition will showcase British designer-makers and emerging design talent to coincide with Istanbul being The European Capital of Culture 2010. The exhibition will display around 15 designer makers, and will run from 6th - 9th May 2010. For information about Handmade in Britain and the show please visit - http://www.handmadeinbritain.co.uk/?p=375 For info about the gallery itself take a look at their website - http://www.bir-nokta.com/

Best Newcomer 2010!

2010-03-14T01:27:00.000-08:00

I have just been awarded the John Crowther Award for Best Newcomer 2010 to the Cornwall Crafts Association, judged at the 'Craftsmanship 10' private view at Trelowarren Gallery. For more information about Cornwall Crafts Association, the show and gallery, please visit http://www.cornwallcrafts.co.uk/

The Contemporary Craft Fair and Made By Hand

2010-03-05T04:21:00.000-08:00

I have been selected to exhibit for the second year at The Contemporary Craft Fair, Mill Marsh Park, Bovey Tracey, Devon, in association with the Devon Guild of Craftsmen. The event runs from 11 - 13 June 2010, and boasts a selection of 165 of the UK's finest designer makers, as well as workshops, demonstrations and entertainment. For more information about whats on and the fair itself please visit http://www.craftsatboveytracey.co.uk/

I have also been selected to exhibit at The Contemporary Craft Fair's new sister event Made By Hand, at Tredegar House, Newport, Wales. A brand new craft, design and food event on 3 - 5 December 2010, just in time for Christmas!! For more info, take a look at the website,

http://www.madebyhand-wales.co.uk/

'Collections' Exhibition, Craft Centre and Design Gallery, Leeds

2010-02-26T00:54:00.000-08:00

I have been invited to exhibit at The Craft Centre and Design Gallery in Leeds as part of their summer show titled 'Collections'. I will be showing alongside four other ceramic artists and 10 jewellers whose work has all been chosen to specifically work well together. The show will be running from 4th July till 30th September, plenty of time to make a visit!! For more info about the show and gallery itself, please visit http://www.craftcentreleeds.co.uk/

Liberty's Best of British Design Open Call!

2010-02-11T02:24:00.000-08:00

Arriving at Liberty's full of nerves and excitement to a queue of already 100 people by 8am, I had no idea what the day would have in store for me. A cold wait for the doors to open and a bit more queuing inside before being called to be seen by David Nicholls, Design Editor of the Telegraph, and Michelle, head of homeware at Libertys. And so my five minutes began! A blur of questions and answers about me and my product, before being handed a card that got me through to round two, and a chance to meet the head buyer Ed Burstell! The whole process was being filmed by Maverick TV, for a new show for BBC2 titled 'The Buying Game', presented by Dragons Den Theo Paphitis. A quick interview followed, before being allowed to go out and grab some lunch and get ready for the afternoon session. Out of the 569 designers who had brought their wares to the day, 40 of us got through and gathered together to wait to be seen. And we did indeed wait! I was seen at 9.30pm by Liberty's Head of Press Kate and Ed, who gave me similar feedback to that of David and Michelle. They thought I should up my colour range, and also maybe introduce some new forms, and then contact them again. So watch this space for some new work!! A very long and tiring day, but well worth all the effort!

Swanky Maison, Online Selling!!

2010-02-11T02:19:00.000-08:00

I am now selling my work online, at http://www.swankymaison.com/, home of handmade designer accessories for the house and home. Check it out!!

Craft&Design Selected Awards 2010

2010-01-12T07:17:00.000-08:00

I have been entered into the Craft&Design Selected Awards 2010.
Awards are judged by an online public vote so please vote for me by going to http://www.craftmaker.co.uk/rosannamartin/ and clicking on the link at the bottom.

Cornwall Crafts Association

2009-10-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

Accepted to become a member of Cornwall Crafts Association, and to have new work on display in Trelissick and Trelowarren galleries. For more info please visit http://www.cornwallcrafts.co.uk/home

'Wrapped Up' Exhibition

2009-09-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

I have been selected to exhibit at 'Wrapped Up', the Christmas exhibition at The Devon Guild of Craftsmen in Bovey Tracey. The exhibition is running from 21st November - 3 January. For more information about the exhibition please visit http://www.crafts.org.uk