The Oak Leaf of Inspiration.

People sometimes ask: where do you get your inspiration from. Here's one place: an oak leaf. This will end up that will end up in one of Sharon's pictures.

I picked it up last winter and made a drawing of it. It's marvelous how each oak leaf is unique yet is recognisably from an oak leaf template. I'd like to make some ecstatic noises about this. But I'm British and we don't do wonder very well.

A cold day in July.

Today the weather outside is cold, blustery and wet. It reminds me of the summers I endured when I was child in Scotland when a trip to the beach reduced you to blue, goose pimpled misery. I missed Stamford Market today because of conditions outside, which is a pity because I like going to Stamford. It's a beautiful town full of lovely old limestone buildings. I have good neighbours on the stalls around me. On my left is Rainbow, an elegant Chinese lady who sells silk scarves. On my right is Brian who sells second hand records, sorry, I should say collectible records. He specialises in old Blues, R & B and Jazz. He's worth a visit if you have interests in these areas of music. He buys and sells at very fair prices.

So here I am at home. Sharon is in the kitchen working on new designs, the cats are complaining because I've given them,the wrong cat food, and I'm feeling a bit guilty because I've been reading my latest books from Amazon. Time I got on with something useful like writing this blog.

Our Open Studio was an enjoyable event. We mix business with pleasure. That's our style. We like what we sell. We like selling it. We like our customers. Most of them seem to like us. We make a living. We enjoy what we do. That's wonderful! Thank you to everyone who has bought from us!

I feel sorry that so many people don't derive pleasure and satisfaction from what they do for a living. When I did counselling work a few years ago I encountered so many tales of workplace misery that I was quite shocked; so I am so grateful to all our customers who make our very pleasant way of earning our living possible. Incidentally I am considering working as a counsellor again. I'm being prompted by one of our Cambridge customers to do something in this area. More on this soon.

I meant to put up some of Sharon's new designs but need to twiddle around with photos and computers before I can do this. They are in silver and copper and have a lovely warm feel to them. I'll make them visible soon! In the meantime I'll post this.

Phil

News from the Harrogate Craft Trade Fair 2011

Sharon phoned last night from Harrogate.Things aren't exactly buzzing for crafters but there is enough business for us to get by. We had strong interest in our small pewter mirrors. A buyer from the National Trust for Scotland would like to have a range for Trust's shop at Hill House in Helensburgh. Hill House, as you probably know, was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh who is one the main sources of inspiration for both myself and Sharon so it would wonderful to have our work in there. We hope we can sort out some kind of deal. It's not just the money it's the meaning.


Back here at Lord's Cotttage, I'm practising my pewter work. I'm not to bad at 'art' but pewter repousse work is difficult. It requires concentration and a strong sense of line. Having a go myself has made me appreciate Sharon's skill.


Phil.

Getting ready for Harrogate Craft Trade Fair 2011.

Trying to make up for lost time this week after a fortnight's moaning and sneezing after both of us succumbed to 'a nasty virus that's going around' to quote the Doctor. They always say that don't they. I always hope, in vain, for a more enlightening explanation.

We have the Harrogate Craft Trade Fair this weekend and feel somewhat nervous about it. We shall have lots of contact with small independent shopkeepers. It will enable us to gauge what is going on with the craft retail trade which has taken a bit of a battering over the last year.

We have lots of new designs that we have just started to take photos of. I've just done some snaps of a couple of bangles which reflect our interest in 1950's designs. We may call it our 'Festival of Britain' range. That was a very lively optimistic period. We need to recapture some of that spirit to counter the dour negativity of our current rulers who have very little interest in arts and crafts and all those who practise them and make a living by them. I'll rant about that in a future blog.

What are our values?

I was thinking the other day: why do we do this craft stuff? It is hard work, there's no sick pay, no pension plan, we could both earn more money if we got ourselves 'jobs'.

Well, despite all the difficulties that beset us we enjoy what we do. It is very satisfying to make something good and sell it. You feel like your life is worthwhile.

And the process of selling can be wonderful. On a good day a market or craft fair can have a real buzz, that sense you might get at a party that's going well: energy flowing, optimism, ideas being exchanged, feelings expressed, gossip indulged in, jokes made, the pleasure of being in good company and so on. In other words a positive, life affirming feeling which 'jobs' often don't offer. You certainly don't get it in Tesco's even though the staff are trained to smile at you these days.

Money is important, yes, but the way you make it is important too. Buddhism has an expression for it: Right Livelihood. This goes deeper that the shallow entrepreneur culture that the Government wants to foster which I find rather suspect. So many entrepreneurs strike me as being sociopaths who need psychotherapy rather than adulation. We need more people making useful things and providing genuinely useful services rather than workaholics that will do anything to make money.

This morning I looked at the Common Ground Site [www.commonground.org.uk ]. Their 'Rules for Distinctiveness' reflect our values. I loathe the way our towns are losing their identity and dissolving into a homogeneous grey mush of chain stores and charity shops. I like to think that we are doing our bit to create some interest and colour along with our fellow market traders and craft workers.

Phil.

Oak Trees

Yesterday we were trying to find some good images of oak trees and their leaves. Google threw up lots but I found most rather sketchy or cliched. Like so much material on the Web it was a bit stale. I looked out the window. Outside the morning was bright and frosty. I should be out there in the real world, I thought. It seemed an offence against nature that I was hunched over my PC hoping that the Virtual World would provide what I was after. So I got in the car and drove up to Croxton Park where there are many fine old oaks and took some pictures. Incidentally Croxton Park was the site Croxton Abbey. Apparently King John's bowels are buried there. Thank you Google.

We will be using some of this material in a roundabout way in our new range of jewellery. We are following on from our Green Man pewter work. The green theme is getting stronger. Our next pendant range we've labelled 'Spirit Houses' more of which anon.

The pictures were taken by me rather than Sharon. Hers would have been better!

Phil

Emerging from Winter Gloom with Copper a Silver!

Sharon is totally engrossed in working on new designs so she suggested I take on our blog and keep our follwers and customers informed about what we are doing.

Neither of us seem to thrive in the winter these days. But now buds are bursting in the garden and the days are getting longer we are starting to feel quite lively!

Sharon is working on a range of copper and silver jewellery. The copper details give a feeling of warmth that goes nicely with silver's magical, lunar aura. Some of these designs are already on the stall. So please come and have a look. I'll put some pics on here in a day or two.

We are looking at ways to get a verdigris finish on the copper and are messing about with ammonia, salt, vinegar and few other substances to see what kind of effects we can obtain. We decided not to follow the Rodin route. He, apparently, encouraged his students to urinate on his sculptures in order to give them a nice green patina. His students were, presumably, male.

Phil Ashcroft.