Bowbeer Designs by Resident Artist Caitlin Bowbeer

My illustrative work is playful, contemporary, and often takes a tangible form, using unusual structures and materials as a canvas for design. I am passionate about producing contemporary drawings and designs whilst keeping my practice environmentally sustainable where possible. My most regular commission work has focused on illustrating resources for outreach projects aimed at communities and young people, creating work for such clients as The National Galleries of Scotland and Dundee Heritage Trust.

After gaining my degree in Illustration from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in 2016, I decided to up sticks and head to Brighton to gain some inspiration and a get bit of sunshine. Whilst working in a pottery studio, I rediscovered the beauty of clay. I think it’s properties are fascinating and find that it complements my illustrative work perfectly. I learned how to throw on the wheel and create minimal designs that work well with their partnered illustrations, keeping them fresh and playful.

I have now been living in Edinburgh for almost 2 years and am privileged to share my newest studio in St Margaret’s House with two very close friends. Although the effects of the lock down have been tough, with reduced work and having to temporarily move out of Edinburgh to help family members, it has brought new opportunities for learning and development within my practice. I have used this time to create an online shop, work on personal projects, and slow down, taking more time with each of my ceramic pieces. I have begun to handbuild with clay which allows me to make larger and more experimental forms and I am keen to try more traditional techniques of firing when a kiln is not accessible. I am hopeful that by indulging in this time I will be able to apply new techniques and skills to my practice in the future.

Website: www.bowbeerdesigns.com
Instagram : @BowbeerDesigns

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Resident Artist Jacqui Higgs

Jacqui Higgs is an Edinburgh-based, Dublin born artist with a background in fine art and painting. Having graduated from Edinburgh Art College in 1994, she then moved on to study Art Therapy, gaining her Postgraduate Degree in 1996. She became a professional member of the Scottish Society of Artists in the same year. Since then, she has exhibited frequently throughout the UK, in group and solo shows, as well as London Art fairs.

Over the past 2 years I have travelled northwards to make on-site drawings & conduct research which I then use in my studio for larger and mixed media pieces. These travels have invoked a deeper insight into issues surrounding climate change and societal complexities, often exploring the interconnectivity between human/animal relations; and within this context my destinations have become more adventurous. On the Faroe Isles, I met with residents and academics who spoke about the recent levels of tourism and how they are managing this (particularly towards a sustainable approach within the fishing and sheep industry)

In the Faroes, sheep are viewed not only in economic terms but treated with a certain level of reverence, i.e. sheep shelters are provided for them when the weather  deteriorates. The motif of human and non-human interrelationships is frequently revisited in my work and working in inaccessible locations such as the Orkney Isles and the Faeroes is exciting and rewarding.

The fantastic backdrops of oceanic panoramas, fjords and sea stacks are key to an abstract way of painting in which I add elements of printmaking to the images.

www.jacquihiggs.co.uk/

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Portrait and Resident Artist Danielle Hewlett

As a portrait artist, my work explores concepts of identity. The psychology and behaviour of people and how it shines through the surface of their outward appearance is something that has always enthralled me and is the centre of my work to date. I’m always looking for the essence of subjects, their identity, or at least a part of it. It is an authentic aspect of their being that I’m trying to capture and portray and through that, telling a touching and heartfelt story.

I come from Johannesburg, South Africa where there is a board spectrum of people from various backgrounds in life. Many artworks are portraying the stark contrasts to the western first worlds and the hardships faced in South Africa. I prefer to highlight the more subtle aspects of emotion and mind that are much closer to home for all of us around the world. I have a strong attraction towards topics of women and their careers, especially in art, but really, I just love people. I use real-life subjects as much as possible and work with whatever comes through.

I’ve recently moved to Edinburgh, Scotland where I have new subject matter to work with. Not just Scottish people, but the wider European community in general. Of course, as these things go, it took some time to get settled into the country and my new studio at Edinburgh Palette. Just as I was getting into the swing of things, we hit lockdown and it’s been quite challenging with my 5-year-old daughter around. I have a limited amount of space to work with at the moment and I’m working on smaller pieces, which I’m challenging myself to produce one a day. I’m also using this time to refine ideas and explore new topics and techniques.

www.daniellehewlett.co.za

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Rainbow Project 7

Rainbow Project: 7 classes run by 7 women dedicated to the 7 colours of the rainbow to honour this stormy time in our lives while waiting to welcome the rainbow afterwards. Yoga, creativity, cooking, flower essences, writing, yoga, mindfulness, and spirituality. The project has been created by Giada Gaslini of Invisible Caims, inspired by the strong conviction that we need to offer the ability to endure in spite of all the challenges we are facing.

We have recalled the main lesson from the Polish scientist Marie Curie:

“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.”

These are our classes and even if you cannot attend on the day, you can contribute purchasing the recording which will be sent to you afterwards.

23RD APRIL 7-8 pm
YOGA CLASS with Cori Wilkie – Koa
Muladhara Grounding Yoga
https://bookwhen.com/invisiblecaims#focus=ev-sty4-20200423190000

3RD MAY 5-6.30 PM
CREATIVITY CLASS with Giada Gaslini – Invisible Caims
Create your Rainbow Salt Dough: meditate with the palms of your hands
https://bookwhen.com/invisiblecaims#focus=ev-szjh-20200503170000

5TH MAY 11-12 AM
COOKING CLASS with Valentina Casati – The Oven Fan
Natural Cooking Class: sweet dreams are made of treats
https://bookwhen.com/invisiblecaims#focus=ev-srmd-20200505110000

16TH MAY 3-4 PM
FLOWER ESSENCES CLASS with  Maria Doherty-Shimmering Wings
Flower and Vibrational essences to Balance the Heart Chakra
https://bookwhen.com/invisiblecaims#focus=ev-sr93-20200516150000  

23RD MAY 7-9 PM
WRITING&YOGA CLASS with Sarah- Alexandra Teodorescu, Life is Just a Story Written
Creating Sacred Space on the Page and on the Mat
https://bookwhen.com/invisiblecaims#focus=ev-sxz9-20200523190000  

29th MAY 5-6 PM
MEDITATION CLASS with Susie Hooper- Pause & Breathe
Listen to you-Mindfulness
https://bookwhen.com/invisiblecaims#focus=ev-s89z-20200529170000  

2ND JUNE 7-8.30 pm
SPIRITUALITY CLASS with Beatrice Sala- Las Raices del Alma
Violet: Purification, Transmutation, Transformation
https://bookwhen.com/invisiblecaims#focus=ev-si20-20200602190000

Rainbow project flyer

As we expect the lock down to go on and we are thinking of a second edition, please get in touch if you feel you want to be part of the Rainbow Project Part 2 and 3.

Invisible Caims
Holistic Art, Meditation and Yoga
www.invisiblecaims.com

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Continuing to Promote You!

Are you a tenant and have you seen previous posts such as:

The first ‘Lockdown’ featured resident artist is Simon Rivett

OR

Self Isolation Sketchbook Diary: Resident Artist Evie Jamieson

Do you fancy having a piece published in the newsletter, on our website and on social media about you, your work and/or business? Please do get in touch with Carly if this is the case. She would love to hear from you!!

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Staying connected during the Coronavirus outbreak

People Know How have partnered up with Venture Scotland, Change Recruitment Group, Edinburgh Palette, the University of Edinburgh and the Edinburgh Remakery to get computers and internet to those who need them during the coronavirus outbreak.

As coronavirus changes lives across the globe, charity People Know How have adapted their services to online and telephone support, continuing their support of children, young people and adults in Edinburgh and East Lothian. Alongside this comes the increased importance of computers to help many experiencing social isolation.

The organisations have teamed up to address this. The project began when People Know How received a donation of 12 computers from the University of Edinburgh, which were then refurbished by Edinburgh Remakery. Soon afterwards Change Recruitment Group, part of the Taranata Group, became the second organisation to gift devices, donating 79 computers. Venture Scotland transported these from George Street to People Know How’s offices at 525 Ferry Road, where Edinburgh Palette has offered the use of the building and its spacious areas as a computer refurbishing base.

They are now refurbishing the computers and accepting further donations. With Venture Scotland ready to deliver them to doorsteps, People Know How are identifying members of the community who will most benefit from a device.

Read the full article: www.peopleknowhow.org/staying-connected-coronavirus

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Self Isolation Sketchbook Diary: Resident Artist Evie Jamieson

‘I am a self taught representational artist and have been painting and drawing for many years.  I have been fortunate enough to live in foreign parts and to be exposed to a rich variety of cultural, climatic and ethnic experiences that have shaped my life and my painting. Back living in Scotland after 40 plus years away I am still enjoying the wonders that surround me and hopefully still improving my art.  I have exhibited in London, Surrey, Edinburgh and in Languedoc in France.

I have been in self-isolation since 17 March 2020 and have been producing a sketch each day which can be found on my website here.

I have found the exercise has kept me grounded and sane and recommend it to all.  The results are not always of great artistic merit, but it will always be a memory.

Self isolation sketch diary started 17.3.20 

Paintings

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The first ‘Lockdown’ featured resident artist is Simon Rivett

‘In September 2017 I and my wife, Mary  left the island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides to live in Edinburgh.  I had lived in the islands for 25 years..
They  are a raw and beautiful landscape of water and air, open, treeless and crofted, where the land is the product of the interaction of an ancient, traditional, pastoral land use, and a fragile ecology.’

‘From 2013 onwards I had begun to look for new landscapes to inspire me, my first explorations saw me seeking out more extreme landscapes. I had the good fortune to make two trips to the far north of Iceland , spending a month in Akureyri in September 2013 and April 2015 in Siglufjordur. The landscape of Iceland was a new and exciting challenge. The graphic rhythms of rock, ice and snow encouraged me into a period of  experimentation. I found myself making works that were entirely found, not based on a source drawing, applying paint to boards until the appearance of an image seems to me to evoke a landscape. An amazing sea trip up the west coast of Iceland and as far north as Svalbard continued my encounters with snow, ice and water.

In 2015 I had my first solo show at the Doubtfire Gallery in Edinburgh. The landscapes reflected the trips to Iceland and the Artic but also paid homage to the Hebrides. However the seeds of change were planted and my next trip was to my home region of Northumberland to its softer, lusher valleys and moorland hills. It also marked a change in artistic direction, looking to line and shape rather than dramatic graphic depictions of light and shade. There was greater abstraction and a more controlled simplification of the subject. The images were found though a different approach. This led to a new successful  exhibition at the Doubtfire in 2017.

Arriving in Edinburgh meant I needed to return to the world of employment and to find a new studio. To my surprise and relief I was taken on part-time in visitor services by the Museum of Scotland and was able to secure a studio space with Edinburgh Palette. Unfortunately I felt like Jonah as I had no sooner moved in than the future of the building was placed in doubt.

However I continue to work in the  building and have produced a group of work based on the Borders carrying on the work started in  Northumberland. Recently I have begun to employ my new creative  approach to the city and have a number of new paintings underway. I am optimistic that they will be on exhibition at the Doubtfire Gallery in their new gallery space in  August.’

https://www.simonrivett.co.uk

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Handmade Chelsea – Open Call for Makers & Artists

We feel it’s important for you to have events to look forward to later in the year, just as we are looking forward to Handmade Chelsea – The Contemporary Craft and Design Fair (13 – 15 November). As a direct selling event taking place just six weeks before Christmas, Handmade Chelsea continues to celebrate the best in high-end design and craftsmanship. Overcoming this challenge together we are seeking over 100 highly-skilled, international and UK-based makers.

Working at the moment is not easy so from selection in May we will start to work with you over the coming spring and summer months. As spaces are highly sought-after in each discipline, we would strongly encourage applying early before the deadline of Thursday 30 April.

Apply – Visit handmadeinbritain.co.uk/chelsea for full details on how to apply and to complete the online application form.

IMAGES: See email

LINK: https://handmadeinbritain.co.uk/chelsea

CONTACT:

Alis Clement
Events Manager
M:+44 (0)7593654006
T:+44 (0)20 3490 6556
E:alis.clement@handmadeinbritain.co.uk

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