All Things Considered

Ed Kluz – Paperworks
by Simon Lewin on May 15th, 2013

We've had the pleasure of working with Ed Kluz for a number of years now - both exhibiting his prints and collages but also working on his range of screen printed fabrics for St. Jude's.

Ed has an exhibition of prints and collages opening at The Idler Academy in London W2 on 22nd May and running until 2nd June 2013. Find out more about the exhibition.

If you're unable to visit this event in London, Ed will be joining us for St. Jude's In The City at The Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh opening on Tuesday 2nd July 2013. 

Here are some images from Ed's London show plus the short film we commissioned about the work of this talented illustrator, graphic artist and textile designer.

Tuscany
by Angie Lewin on May 9th, 2013

Whilst the weather hasn't been as idyllic as we'd imagined when planning our trip to Tuscany, the converted barn that we're staying at in the hills close to Sansepolcro is about as perfect as it could be, surrounded by olive trees and wild flower meadows.

After the rain yesterday I collected a few unassuming local specimens to paint in detail. View larger images over at my Facebook page.

Sissinghurst Castle
by Angie Lewin on May 6th, 2013

We managed to sneak in a quick trip to Sissinghurst the other week. Maybe it's a bit ambitious to try to make the large scale planting schemes of these great gardens work in a small garden, but the spring-flowering anemones, snake's head fritillaries, trilliums and hellebores were just so beautiful and understated. I'm going to try to emulate it in our long, well, long-ish, narrow front garden in Edinburgh.

The Charles Rennie Mackintosh watercolour below shows the unique chequerboard pattern on the fritillary's purple flowers. Apparently, Vita Sackville-West called it "a sinister little flower, in the mournful colour of decay" which seems a bit harsh.

Find out more about Sissinghurst Castle and view more of Mackintosh's work over at the Hunterian Museum website.

A return to North Norfolk
by Simon Lewin on May 5th, 2013

We took a return trip to North Norfolk just before Easter - our first since not having a permanent base in the county. 

Despite the time spent catching up with Kate and Elaine in our Norwich studio and the bitterly cold & windy weather, we did manage to get in a few decent walks.

One of the joys of not having a specific place to stay is that we can now spend time exploring some of the areas we hadn't properly visited for a while.

This time we stayed in Cley Next The Sea at Manor Coach House - a traditional brick and flick property dating back to 1825. Definitely somewhere we'll return to and highly recommended.

Find our more about Manor Coach House.

The Unsophisticated Arts
by Simon Lewin on April 30th, 2013

Another Barbara Jones post! Our friends at Little Toller have just republished The Unsophisticated Arts in which Barbara Jones records the art of everyday life. She travelled throughout Britain visiting fairgrounds, tattoo parlours, taxidermists, houseboats, high street shops, seaside piers and amusement arcades.

The book was first published in 1951, the same year that Barbara Jones curated the ‘Black Eyes and Lemonade’ exhibition for the Festival of Britain. These two events were definitive in the history of popular art, creating a vibrant snapshot of culture in postwar Britain which has influenced generations of artists and designers ever since.

This new edition includes previously unpublished ephemera and art from Barbara Jones’s studio including watercolour, ink and pencil studies from her sketchbooks which reveal her lifelong fascination with vernacular art.

Find out more about the book or take a look at a few pages from the original catalogue for Black Eyes & Lemonade.

Autumn Garden, Norfolk
by Angie Lewin on April 28th, 2013

Here's my latest screen print, Autumn Garden, Norfolk.

Growing cultivated and wild plants together often creates a beautifully random effect. This screen print depicts huge papery artichoke flowers, astrantia and miscanthus growing amongst teasels, wild poppies and grasses in my Norfolk meadow garden on a late autumn afternoon.

View on my website or purchase online at St. Jude's Prints.

Michael Kirkman
by Simon Lewin on April 11th, 2013

A final Open Studio recommendation for anyone in or near York over the next couple of weekends...

Printmaker, painter and illustrator Michael Kirkman will be exhibiting a selection of work at 45 Grosvenor Terrace, York.

Having studied at Edinburgh School of Art followed an MA course at the Royal College of Art, Michael is now living and working in York.

Here's a selection of the work he'll be exhibiting as part of York Open Studios 2013.

Mark Hearld
by Simon Lewin on April 11th, 2013

And here are some of pieces Mark Hearld will be exhibiting as part of York Open Studios.

Both Mark Hearld and Emily Sutton will taking part in our next St. Jude's In The City event in Edinburgh in July. If you'd like to attend the opening, sign up for an invitation.

Emily Sutton
by Simon Lewin on April 10th, 2013

If you're anywhere near York over the next two weekends you're in for a treat.

It's time for the 2013 York Open Studios and at 104 The Mount, Emily Sutton and Mark Hearld will be exhibiting a selection of paintings, prints and collage.

Visit on 13th/14th and 20th/21st April (from 10am-6pm on the Saturdays and from 10am -5pm on the Sundays). Full details from the York Open Studios website.

If you're unable to visit, don't forget that you can view a selection of Emily's prints online, plus her fabrics for St. Jude's, Deep Sea and the Elle Deco award winning Curiosity Shop.

Here's some of the work Emily will be exhibiting...

A conversation with Ed Kluz
by Simon Lewin on April 10th, 2013

We're pleased to announce the launch of a short film about the work of Ed Kluz.

Filmed and edited by Alun Callender, Ed Kluz discusses his work, inspiration and working practices. The film is shot on location at Racton Tower in West Sussex and at Ed's Brighton studio and home.

Ed is currently collaborating with us at St Jude's on a range of fabrics and wallpapers. You might like to take a look at his Painswick and Lionheart fabrics.

Ed will also be taking part in an exhibition of prints, paintings and collages that we're organising in Edinburgh in July.