Homes & Interiors SECC show & Julia Smith Ceramics...

We were glad to be in Glasgow while the Homes & Interiors show is on at the SECC. It started today, and we went along to look at all the lovely things on display!

Heading there, we knew we were going to see Julia Smith Ceramics, whose work we LOVE! We were lucky enough to visit her studio last year (and it's shamefully taken us this long to share the shots! But here they are... it was very inspiring.) but we have been loving the loot we bought for over a year now (a clock, cups, the cat plate above and some bowls) and it was great to see her stand today and see the progression of her work, and all the lovely new pieces she is producing from her new studio near Inverness. You can purchase her lovely pieces online, or visit her at stand between now and Sunday the 30th October and pick up something lovely there!

We also had a great chat with the lovely Niki Jones while wandering round. It was great to see her beautiful homeware in person and the stand was looking beautiful, styled to perfection with the entire range! It was VERY hard to resist taking one of everything ;)

Hope many of you will be able to make it along, or you can browse the full list of exhibitors online here and drool over their website at your leisure!

We will be back shortly with some studio visits, yummy dinners and shop tours we did while on our little Scottish trip! See you then.

A@a*r

Concrete Jungle...

Oh my! And what a lovely jungle (read, shop!) to browse through...

I have had Impure Vessels bookmarked for a while now, as the stunning, abstract forms of their hand formed and carved, one off, concrete bowls were something more akin to a modernist painting.

I love their colours, texture and patterns... they really would make the most fantastic object in the home, or, as suggested, a fantastic focal point in the garden as the most unusual bird-bath EVER!

In short... love, love, love them... hope you will, too.

Here is an interesting interview with Deborah Brackenbury who makes these lovely vessels.

Abigail@abigail*ryan

Double Dipping!

A short while ago, Abi and I were wandering around the Denby shop, fantasizing about all the gorgeous china we would have when we became rich and famous! Each Denby item is still entirely handmade, making every mug, plate and jug a unique work of art...and, after much deliberation over which of the massive selection of gorgeous glazes and patterns we would have, we noticed these beautiful mugs hanging, slightly hidden, in the corner of the shop.

We loved them immediately, and now wish they had a full range of tableware, including the beautifully shaped "Curve" mugs, available with these gorgeous "double-dipped" glazes...I think our penny jar will be taking quite a beating next time we visit the store!

ryan@abigail*ryan

Pots of Fun...well, plates, anyway ;)

Ceramics are, truly, my first love... ever since I went to a ceramics summer school when I was 16 or 17 (over 10 years ago, now...*sob*) I haven't been able to get the wonder of working with clay out of my system. In fact, when I first went to art school, I went to do the ceramics course, and it was only by chance, and circumstance, that I ended up in photography.

As I don't have the facilities to work in clay, I entertain myself by gorging on the wonderful eye-candy produced by the many fabulous ceramics artists out there...it has taken a massive effort to resist posting ceramicist after ceramicist on this blog (Abigail shares my passion...luckily, or unluckily for our bank balance!) but, as we're now trying to post as often as possible, sharing our loves and inspirations as well as our own work, it seems only fitting to show *everything* we love- eve if it means an inordinate amount of posts about pots!

Anyway, I saw the work of artist, Sharon Bloom, today on etsy and thought it was fantastic...perfect for the animal lover, ceramics lover, or just anyone who wants something vibrant and sunshiny on their wall. You simply couldn't help but smile every time you caught sight of your smiley dog, googly-eyed fish, or sneaky looking cat! :)

ryan@abigail*ryan