Summer 2022
I’ve had a busy few months since my last post so haven’t had chance to write one until now! Since June I’ve taken part in 6 shows which have all been amazing, here’s a little roundup of each one:
Staffordshire University Degree Show
June 2022
As part of our residency at the university me and Soyida got the opportunity to show our work as part of the 3D Designer Makers degree show, it was so nice to see all of their final pieces come together after 3 years of their hard work and to celebrate with them.
New Designers week 1
June 2022
For New Designers week one, I was part of One Year In, an exhibition of new designers one year into their businesses. Located in the Business Design Centre in London this was such an exciting opportunity and I met so many other amazing business owners! It was also my first time going to London on my own and setting up my display alone, very scary but I was very proud of myself and my work by the end of the week!
New Designers week 2
July 2022
For week 2 of New Designers I was lucky enough to go down with my old uni course and this years graduating students to exhibit my work alongside their’s. This was even more special because my year group missed out on this opportunity as a result of the pandemic. It was such a fun few days seeing everyone’s work displayed together and I even got chance to go and see Yayoi Kasuma’s infinity rooms!
Art in clay
August 2022
This year I went back to Art in Clay for the second year. This year was just as lovely as last year with all of the other makers there being so friendly, I even got to see some familiar faces from last year and have a catchup with them.
London Design Festival, Shoreditch Design Triangle
September 2022
This was another amazing few days surrounded by recent BA and MA graduates from staffs uni. As part of London Design Festival, Shoreditch Design Triangle gave the uni space for us and other unis to exhibit our work in Old Spitalfields market. Whilst we were there we went to visit other exhibitions across the festival in different parts of London. This exhibition was definitely one of my favourites this year.
Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair
October 2022
My most recent show was Great Northern, which is another of favourite shows so far this year. This year my stand was in the deep end of the pool in Victoria Baths, the most amazing venue. It was a really friendly and busy event, and I was really happy with my stand and the work I had made. I also had so many friends visit which made the weekend even more special. I’d love to go back next year!
New work
I’ve taken my new work to each of these shows and you can see it in the pictures below.
Picture 1 shows my breakfast set, designed with texture in mind. Sesame seeds create texture within the surface of each piece of the breakfast set, thoughtfully placed where the user would instinctively interact with the products.
Pictures 2 shows my petal pots, created as a result of my ongoing experimentation into the application of waste materials within ceramics. Petals are placed within the ceramics and once fired a candle can be placed inside illuminating the delicate texture created by the petals.
Picture 3 shows the latest update to my petal pots, I added gold lustre to highlight the texture of the petals. These sold out quickly at Great Northern but will be at my upcoming shows and listed on my website soon, so keep and eye out for social media posts announcing this!
Picture 4 shows my latest product, petal baubles! These will be finished with a gloss glaze with an optional gold lustre finish. Click here to pre order one!
Studio
As of September, I’ve now officially left uni! I’m so grateful that I got the chance to have another year at uni thanks to Tim and the Artists Benevolent Fund. Although I’ll miss it it’s exciting to look ahead and to make use of the space I’ve created at home.
As a result of this I’ve finally organised and tidied my studio! The before and after pictures show just how messy it had got! But luckily it’s all clean and tidy to make in ready for my upcoming shows in the run up to Christmas!
Now I’ve left uni I no longer have access to the facilities there but I’m lucky enough to know Meg, (instagram: @mestudios.co.uk) from school and a few weeks ago I went to visit her new photography studio in Trentham to have professional pictures taken of my new work! Megs studio is clean, modern and has so many different back drops perfect for both product photography and lifestyle photos, I love the final images! Here are a few photos from the day:
As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve also been working with Leighton (Instagram: @leightonjones_gd) to design new branding for MK Designs. He pitched 3 ideas to me and after a few teams calls we both decided on the final one which consists of a new logo, fonts, and a new colour palette! You’ll have seen these on Instagram and at shows by now but here are some up close pictures of the designs:
This Sunday 6th November I’ll be at the Kings Hall in Stoke for the Christmas Craft and Flea market and on Sunday 4th of December I’ll be at Wedgwood for the Josiah and Co Christmas market, my last show of the year! It’d be lovely to see some of you there, but if you can’t make it I’m also featured in this years Made in Staffs magazine where you can shop my work alongside many other talented Staffordshire makers or you can buy directly through my online shop!
Buy tickets for Kings Hall Craft and Flea here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/stokes-christmas-craft-flea-tickets-427933379257?aff=ebdsoporgprofile
View the Made in Staffs magazine here:
https://issuu.com/madeinstaffs/docs/gift_guide_aw_2022_made_in_staffs_28_
Shop my website here:
https://mkdesigns.uk/shop
Well done if you’ve made it this far and thank you for reading and following along.
Meg :) x