I made the decision a while ago that I would try to replace all the posters and reproduction prints on my walls with original artwork as and when I could afford to.
Alot of my friends are buyers of art and regularly purchase work from students at Glasgow School of Art degree exhibitions and WASP’s Studio’s open days. It is a cost effective way of getting an original piece of artwork at an affordable price and the money goes directly to the artist rather than to a gallery (not that I have anything against galleries!)
I am lucky enough to know many talented artists some of whom have made to commission or gifted their work to me – and some things I have purchased or swapped.
Caireen makes the most lovely patchwork pictures from old maps and this is one of the first pieces she made which I purchased a couple of years ago…….
It is made from an old road map of the Scottish highlands – I think that it is such a lovely idea – the marriage of recycling and patchworking skills to create something new. Caireen has developed this idea further still by making works that are particularly pertinent to the individuals life, so I was delighted when she presented me this large picture as a Xmas gift…
which is a patchwork of maps from all the places I have lived and depicts my creative journey….that’s my little creative bee heading for the Outer Hebrides!
I love it and it is the perfect piece for the blue wall in my workroom where I can look at it every day, enjoy it and be inspired. It also reminds me what a lovely, generous, creative friend Caireen is, to take the time to make me such a beautiful gift. The words THANK YOU hardly seem adequate.
This piece was a birthday gift from my friend Rhian (a graduate of Glasgow School of Art)…..
She made thousands of these hand folded butterflies out of old dictionaries for an installation she did a few years ago which was absolutely amazing – she got a deep frame from Ikea and filled it with just a few of them – perfect!
These were done by Kara who is also a Glasgow graduate …
We were working together on a job and she made some artwork for the walls of a set. I liked them so much I commissioned her to do some for me – a horse and a dog. They are made of 4mm plywood scraps and emulsion paint with the image scraped into the paint layers – she’s a very talented lady.
This was bought from my friend Bevis’s brother Matthew. He trained in Fine Art at Edinburgh College of Art but has given up painting in favour of being an organic farmer.
This is a painting of the family croft at Dykeside, near Elgin, in the snow. I think it is a lovely painting and enjoy it all the more for the fact that I know the family that live there and the person who created it.
This piece of embroidered art is by Moira Ann Dickson…
We met at Morningside Maker’s Market and did a swap – one of my wee hotties for this piece – a good deal.
I bought this at a craft fair a couple of years ago from Louise Scott…
A lovely hand tinted copperplate etching – I am a big fan of prints – more so than paintings. When I next get some money I am going to invest it in a piece by Helen Fay!
Finally, this piece of woven art is hanging over the cutting table in my workroom…
I love the colours, textures....just about everything really.
It is by Emma Jo Watson who is a very talented weaver that I first met at a craft fair at Invercottage a while ago. I give all my really small scraps of tweed to Emma who uses them in her brooches and scarves. When I went to a WASP’s open day just before Xmas I wandered into her studio not realizing it was her studio! I saw this piece and fell in love with it immediately – to date it is the most expensive piece I have bought but I had to have it. She very kindly gave me a discount on the original price as she has had so many scraps from me – how good is that!?
Doing craft fairs puts you in contact with a great many talented, creative people and you never know where those connections might lead – building connections and relationships with other crafters is always an enriching and positive thing. Long may it continue!
Looks like you've got your own little gallery going on ther Suzanne!
Posted by: Bella Bheag | March 24, 2011 at 06:04 PM