An invitation for you!
Come and celebrate the glorious, golden end of summer at the pop-up shop I'm hosting over two weekends with local friends Stefi of Artus Jewellery and Mim of Wicker and Weft. On sale will be a range of my greetings cards, framed & unframed fine art photography prints (my latest ones are printed on eco-friendly bamboo paper) and gift vouchers alongside Stefi's beautiful handmade pieces in silver and brass and Mim's gorgeous ethically-sourced baskets.
We'll welcome you with tea and cakes throughout the day, and wine and nibbles on the Friday evenings, and there's guaranteed to always be chat a-plenty. Bring your friends and join us - all are most welcome.
Dates:
Friday 23rd August 11am - 8pm / Saturday 24th August 11am - 4pm
Friday 6th September 11am - 8pm / Saturday 7th September 11am - 4pm
Location:
The Shed at 51 Stocton Road, Guildford, GU1 1HD. It's just ten minutes from junction 10 of the M25, and free two-hour parking is available on the opposite side of the road by the park. When you arrive, head straight through the black-painted gate to the right of the house, and all the way to the back of the garden where you'll find the shed.
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I'd set my heart on tadelakt for the bathroom, for its minimal yet warm, wabi-sabi properties, and I couldn't be happier. I wanted a soft, barely-there plaster pink and I found just the colour in Little Greene's china clay mid, which Valentin at Tadelakt London colour-matched for me. The basin and taps are from Lusso Stone, the light from The Pendant Light Company, and the floor tiles from Fired Earth. The Victorian pine door (seen in the mirror) was a local skip find, which I had stripped and installed on a sliding track on the landing outside the bathroom. I worried a little that the shower wall to the right would intrude too much into the space - it's not a large room - but with its curve and smooth tadelakt finish, it's a beautiful feature and also, quite handily, means you don't see the loo when you walk into the room.
There's always fun to be had with reflections - and here, I enjoy how the landing wall and old school locker unit - as well as the trailing ivy on the shower wall - are reflected in the mirror. (The green wall is just a tester pot patch at present; I'm just waiting to find time to paint the whole landing!)
This cabinet from House Doctor (a lucky ebay find) sits perfectly above the loo and next to the curved shower wall. Disclaimer: although all of these items *do* live in the cabinet, I did remove a few less photogenic items that normally also live in here for the purposes of this photo! Photographic half-truths aside, I was a bit concerned that this beautiful cabinet would look a bit rubbish with all of our bits and bobs in here, but it really doesn't - it's lovely.
By replacing the inwards-opening door with a sliding one, we created just enough space for a walk-in shower. What a treat.
Quite early on in my planning, I decided I wanted plants trailing from the top of the shower enclosure (thank you Pinterest!). Oh, and as the usual shampoo and conditioner we buy just weren't pretty enough for this lovely niche shelf, I bought these recycled plastic bottles from Muji. Happy sigh.
Mirror from The Little House Shop
All about the curves.
We moved the bathroom wall to create more space in the bedroom behind, and as we now had less space, decided to replace the existing roll-top bath with this built-in one. And as well as saving on space it's actually a lot more comfortable.
The wall-mounted taps in brushed gold and basin were from Lusso Stone, as was the slimline "thinn" basin.
See how tactile the tadelakt finish is?
A neat little cupboard in the side of the bath works brilliantly for some extra storage.
I hope you've enjoyed the photos. Do please let me know in the comments below :)
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Having gathered and a selection of handmade pots and had a go at the kintsugi technique (see my previous post), it was time to create the photographs I envisaged. And what I had in mind was a series of very simple still lifes: minimal, muted in colour palette and with beautiful light and shadows, so that the images were something like simple meditations on form and texture, light and shade, with the focus on the gold lines in each piece.
I love to use natural light and I knew that the light out in the south-facing summerhouse at the end of my garden would be perfect; you can see the space in the the pictures below. The light is not only strong and directional on a sunny day, creating the perfect shadows, but it would also give me the chance to use the rather ugly mottled glass window panes to good effect! So I set up and photographed all of the pieces in there, set on a whitewashed chest and a table I'd made from pallets, with an old sheet hanging as a backdrop, and the beautiful dappled light created by the window panes.
I've loved every bit of this kintsugi project and am delighted that a series of images from the project will be exhibited at the Guildford Arts' summer exhibition in July. Entitled "A line of gold', they've been printed by east London-based print studio Point101, who produce fantastic quality prints on a great range of specialist papers, and their customer service is second to none. And they're offering all of my readers a 10% discount on your first order of giclée prints using the code 'cathy101'. Go go go!
If you'd like to come and see my prints, along with work by other artists in a range of media, you are warmly invited to the exhibition which opens on 4th July, with a private view from 6-8 pm on the evening of 3rd - all the details are below. I'll be there on the 3rd, and also from 10-12.30 on Saturday 7th and Wednesday 11th. Do drop me a line if you're planning to come along, or just pop in to say hello. I really hope to see you there.
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I was also inspired by these words I read by Sean O'Hagan, who wrote in the Guardian- "I think photographs should be intimate. And everyday. And luminous.' - which I jotted down in my notebook to remind me of what I might hope to capture in my photos.
And so, when I was thinking about a creative project or two back in the spring, I decided I'd like to have a go at the kintsugi technique and then photograph the results, creating a series of simple, quiet, still life photographs. My aim was just to explore the process, without expectation of repairing the pieces with any skill, and also to look for beauty in the results, however imperfect.
I approached a few ceramicists - some I know in real life, and some I've never met but have come to know as friends through the wonderful community of Instagram - to explain what I was planning to do and ask if they'd be happy to let me have a play with any of their broken or imperfect pieces. I was lucky enough that they responded with huge generosity of spirit and I had soon collected a box full of broken, cracked or otherwise imperfect pots, plates, vases and spoons.
Armed with a kintsugi set from the Design Shop - it comes with two types of glue that you mix, and a pot of beautiful gold dust - and slightly full of apprehension, I set to work one afternoon on the pieces I'd been given. There was a lot of trial and error; there were messy pots, sticky fingers, and a table covered in gold dust. (I hadn't had so much fun in ages). Some I was really happy with; others less so, and others were such a mess I confess I couldn't find any beauty in the way I'd mended them! But by the end of the afternoon I'd amassed a small collection of pieces I was ready to photograph - and about which I'll be sharing more very soon.
Huge thanks are due to everyone who generously let me loose on their pots and pieces: Emily Mathieson of ethical homeware store Aerende, Elvis Robertson, Jo Rowley, Emma Alington, and Elisabeth Barry. Thanks too to those other lovely people who offered help but who didn't have any broken pieces to share!
Jim's studio, attached to his house, is a treasure trove filled to the rafters with metal springs, pieces of wire mesh, broken toys, crushed cans, machine parts and fragments of wood: discarded, abandoned objects gathered from beaches, skips and building sites. It's with these pieces that he creates his art, assemblages inspired by an aesthetic of urban and natural decay: work that he describes as ‘midway between painting and sculpture’.
And outside the studio, Jim's home and garden are filled with his creative pieces, from the pebbles strung across the front gate, to the assemblages attached to the exterior of the studio walls; the model aeroplanes and fishing buoys suspended from the weeping larch tree to the sculptures made from garden spades. There's a shed, stocked full of collected materials and finished pieces of art, and an open shelter Jim made, inspired by those he'd seen on his travels.
If you'd like to see it for yourself, Jim's home, garden and studio will be open to visitors in June as part of Surrey Artists Open Studios.
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Located on the edge of a sawmill in the Oxfordshire countryside, Louisa's studio is an inspiring, ever-changing space. Currently, the interior is inspired by Spice, one of her carefully curated range of four scents: 'vitalising ginger blending with amber tones of patchouli and the warming aroma of cinnamon leaf. An enchanting, expressive scent that energises and stimulates the senses'. Painted in warm tones, it's decorated with shelves and tables made from offcuts from the sawmill, nature finds and artisan lighting, as well as work by artists with whom she collaborates.
Louisa's now planning to redecorate her studio with Roseum as her inspiration, a scent based on rose geranium, petitgrain, and clove. I think it's my favourite, and I can't wait to see how she interprets it in her space.
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This year I've created a Christmas card that is beautifully printed on gorgeous paper: a simple still life with a few sprigs of eucalyptus in vintage jars, a dangly string of hearts and a few fairy lights. It's blank inside for your own personal message, and is a generously sized 148 mm square, printed on a super-thick 350 gsm 100% recycled card with a soft matt finish, and comes with a Kraft envelope for an organic feel.
I'm selling them in packs of five, for £10 including postage, and I'll be donating all of the profits to Crisis at Christmas.
Just get in touch if you'd like to purchase a few.
So when the lovely Zoe from Packhouse got in touch to ask if I'd like to collaborate in running some photography workshops in the summerhouse, I jumped at the chance, and we're delighted to now announce two dates for September. The first is a complete introduction to photography, helping you to take better pictures on any phone whether it's a camera phone or something fancier - it's all about using light and composition to create stronger, more appealing images. The second workshop is for those of you who have an SLR and would like to learn how to make the most of what it can offer: we'll look at how to use manual mode, looking at the basics of shutter speed and aperture. Both workshops are very informal and practical, and with a maximum of six participants there'll be plenty of opportunity for discussion and feedback as we go along.
To find out more and to book your space, just click on the relevant image below. Any questions, please just pop me an email or give me a call. I hope to see you there! xo
A beginner's guide to taking better photos using just your camera phone
Get your SLR off auto: an improver's guide to taking better photos
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We'll be open at the following times:
Saturday 3rd June 11.00 am - 5.00 pm
Wednesday-Friday 7th-9th June 11.00 - 5.00 pm
And also Thursday 8th June 6.00 - 8.30 pm
No need to book; just turn up, bring your friends and family (there's a trampoline in the garden for the kids), and come and say hello and have a browse. We'll be offering tea, coffee and cakes (on a good day, they'll be homemade!) every day. And yes, the Thursday is election night, so come along and escape from the world of politics for an hour or two while you enjoy a glass of wine in this beautiful setting with us.
You'll find us at 51 Stocton Road, Guildford, GU1 1HD. There's two-hour on-street parking on the opposite side of the road, and you'll find us through the side gate - just follow the signs and balloons.
More information about all of the artists taking part in the Surrey Artists Open Studios event is available over here. And if you have any questions, just send me an email and I'll be in touch.
We look forward to seeing you there! x
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Antje and I first connected over a year ago on Instagram, where we discovered a shared aesthetic - simple, pared-back scenes of the everyday, flowers, light and shadows, often in muted colours; scenes that capture a moment of stillness - as well as a shared love of flea-market finds and a passion for our art and craft. Antje invited me to visit her in Lisbon, and in September I headed off to Lisbon for a few days of late-summer sunshine, exploration and pastéis de nata. Antje, of course, turned out to be every bit as lovely in person as I'd expected - a dynamic and creative spirit, and a wonderfully warm and welcoming host who guided me around Lisbon's streets, cafes and (most importantly of all!), its famous flea market. During my stay I also took the opportunity to photograph Antje's stunning, light-filled apartment, which you can see over here on Apartment Therapy.
So in late March, Antje will be coming to spend a few days in the UK, and while she's here we'll be hosting an evening private view in my home, showcasing a selection of Antje's paintings, cyanotypes, assemblages and jewellery, along with my photographic prints. We'll be joined by my dear friend and creative collaborator Ruth, a psychotherapist and writer, who'll be giving a reading of some of her beautiful poetry during the evening.
We're looking forward to an evening of twinkling light, sparkling conversation and gentle appreciation of life's beauty. Please do join us if you can. You can find all the details and reserve your space here.
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Back in 2005 Tim, a solicitor in his mid-fifties, was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. After taking early retirement from his legal career, he embarked on this project that has since brought him into contact with nearly 400 photographers, each of whom Tim has entrusted to capture him in any way they choose. From photographers as well known as Rankin and Harry Borden, to up-and-coming photographers, students, and keen amateurs - Tim has looked for photographers whose work resonates with him in some way and invited them to take part in this unique project, which has not only documented this new, challenging stage in his life but has filled it with curiosity, creativity and connection.
So - back to Tim’s email. I said yes, of course. We met, chatted over lunch, and afterwards I started thinking a lot about the concepts of home. Tim had spoken with such sad eloquence about the home in Surrey he had lived in with his wife Jane and their children before becoming ill, and yet his pleasure in their new home and life by the sea was evident. Home is (if we're lucky) a safe place, a soft place to land; a place so familiar you don’t even notice it; a place we gather with our loved ones. And I realised that the concept of home is inextricably bound up with time; in the words of novelist Sarah Dessen, it’s “not a place, but a moment, and then another.”
But it was a word in Welsh for which there is no direct translation that really captured my attention (this is the kind of thing that speaks to my trained-linguist’s heart): hiraeth, a homesickness for a place to which you cannot return; the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places of your past. And I think this struck a chord with me because surely it’s something we’ll all feel at one time or another, whatever the story of our lives - we grow older, our children grow up all too quickly - and it's beautiful, yet there's a sadness in leaving the past behind.
With all of this in mind, I travelled to Brighton one day in April, and spent an hour or two photographing Tim in the rooms of his artistic, characterful home, using glass doors, mirrors and windows to frame the images. And afterwards, we headed to the beach for a plate of chips in the wind and dazzling sunshine.
My images from the day are about the exquisite, beautiful tension between past and future; between sadness and hope. It was a very special privilege to photograph Tim, to share a little in his life and this wonderful project that he has brought about. And to eat hot, salty chips on the beach on a bright spring day with a new friend.
The images from the shoot can be seen here, and Tim has written some lovely words about our shoot on his blog.
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Let me know what you think, and if you've ever created anything similar, I'd love to hear your experiences too.
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Over recent months I’ve been working with composer Camilo Mendez San Juan in a collaborative project conceived by London-based music initiative new dots, exploring the concept of place. We've been tasked to create a piece in music and photography, to be performed alongside works by other composers and photographers on Saturday 16th April at the Warehouse, Waterloo.
The place Camilo and I chose as inspiration for our project on is a local house clearance and antiques centre, Perry Hill Antiques, and we'll be writing later this week about our collaboration on new dots' blog.
Aside from the concept itself, though, the project has presented me with an interesting new challenge: how to present my photographs so that they can be experienced by the audience alongside Camilo’s music. It's the first time I've worked with photography as performance - and it's very different from a conventional exhibition! When Camilo and I first met to discuss the project, we agreed that we didn’t want to have the images projected, and talked about the idea of presenting them as a series of “postcards” which could be experienced in different orders, almost as if being shuffled or picked out at random rather than in a linear progression, in the same way as the “spaces” of Camilo’s music can be performed in any order. I've recently been thinking about how our experience of seeing (and feeling) images in print is still so important in an age where images are so readily viewed on screen, and have been experimenting with printing my pictures on a variety of different papers, seeing how the end result differs. So I knew that I wanted to have my images viewed as prints, ideally on a variety of paper finishes, creating an experience that goes beyond the visual to the tactile.
Having decided to show prints, however, I’ve also been grappling with how to enable the audience to view prints in a space that's set up for listening to music. (This of course is the benefit of projecting images at the front of the stage - it would probably be more straightforward!) The venue doesn't have wall space for hanging pictures (one wall is filled with windows, another with acoustic panels), and even if there were space to hang pictures, would people be able to see them from their forward-facing seats? So I came up with the idea of suspending loose prints at different heights from wire from the venue's ceiling beams and balcony - the idea is that they'll rotate, allowing audience members to see different aspects and angles of the images throughout the performance. So - on 16th April, I'll arrive at the venue early in the day armed with several reels of fishing wire, clips, a wire mobile, a bunch of vintage wooden hangers, and a box full of prints. Why don't you come along to see how it all works in practice? (I'm hoping it will be just as it is in my mind's eye - time will tell!) Tickets are available here.
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This new year is proving to be an exciting one so far, with a number of new plans and projects in the pipeline. Don't you love those times when new things are bubbling? One of those exciting new things is a new Photography & Styling workshop that I'm planning with talented designer (and all-round lovely person) Doris Lee. The first one will be held some time in the spring, in a beautiful central London location. Watch this space!
Let me know if you'd like to be the first to hear all about it, as soon as we've finalised the details! Either comment below or get in touch via the contact page.
Cathy x
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