Posted by Phiona Richards on Wednesday, March 28, 2012,
In :
Interviews
 Can you tell me a
little about your work I use objects that are usually considered rubbish to others
and employ many processes to develop ‘found’ mass produced pieces. Everyday containers
are transformed; cast in ‘white gold,’ commonly known as porcelain. Often
pieces have precious inclusions, which create unique marks in the firing
process or are explored in Pâte-de-Verre glass, raku and smoke firing. I explore the notion of ‘still life’ within ceramics. My
work is inspired by mu...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Wednesday, March 7, 2012,
In :
Interviews
The Corby Open is an exhibition that is a long time coming. I moved to
Corby in the early 80's just in time for the local bookshop and local
woolshop to close. There seemed to be nowhere, apart from W H Smiths to
buy anything remotely like art materials. I think this is probably why
my own work has developed in the way it has due to the lack of access
to materials.
I don't ordinarily apply for Open exhibitions, but at the very last
minute I had a change of heart. I like so many o... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Saturday, February 25, 2012,
In :
Eva
Today, I thought I'd share a little of my design process. Back in
November of last year when I was at the Christmas Market at the Harley
Gallery they asked if I would like to be part of the showcase that was
being planning for the New Year entitled 'Love Letters'. They were
looking for makers who feature text, handwriting and fonts in their
work, so I fitted the bill nicely. It is always a
pleasure to be asked to exhibit my work and it usually sends a chain
reaction from my brain to m... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Wednesday, February 15, 2012,
In :
Designer/Makers
Tell me about your current body of work? My current main work
is producing interesting and thought provoking lighting, sculptures and wall
pieces produced from a mixture of papers and metals. By using various
light sources I am able to display hidden textures and designs often missed
when using a simple item such as a piece of paper. Coupling this with repetition and
manipulating these shapes leaves me able to produce chandeliers and lights with
a different appeal.  I find your work truly stunni...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Sunday, February 12, 2012,
In :
Workshops
At the beginning of January, I made my usual 6 week trek
up to Manchester to visit my elderly mother. This visit had a few more
added extras a) it was my birthday b) I had a day's work in a school in
Preston.
I
had a fabulous day, working with year 10 and 11 who were working on
their GCSE Art and Design Textile. The girls were great, very keen and
produced some lovely work. I feel honoured that a few asked me for my
autograph, which I have to say is a first.
  
Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Wednesday, February 1, 2012,
I recently made a delightful purchase of some jet buttons. It is
something I've been thinking about for a while for some jewellery pieces
I have in mind, that and incorporating hooks and eyes (which I explored
for a little while at University). They were quite expensive, but
compared to what. Whitby Jet
is rapidly diminishing and was originally used in mourning jewellery by
the Victorians who took the whole occasion of death rather
theatrically.
After paying for the beads I waited... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Tuesday, January 24, 2012,
In :
Autumn Centre
Margaret, one of the ladies in the 50+ group came across these flowers
whilst visiting a florist to stock up on supplies. There was a lady
doing a demonstration using florist ribbon and a stripper (yes, some of
the ladies did giggle at this!). After an investment of said stripper
(now I giggle) I set about trying to figure out how they were made as
the group agreed that this was something they would all like to have a
go at.
I have to say that actually using the ribbon stripping ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Friday, November 4, 2011,
Following my appearance on Kirstie's Handmade Britain last
Wednesday, I've been approached by many people wanting to know more
about papercrafting or how to get started or more about what I do as a
designer/maker. Each email I have answered as fully as possibly, in the
hope that they will go on to enjoy their experience of crafting with
paper. Recently I've had a small spurt of enquiries from blogs and magazines, one of which was Val Williams aka
@SlickSilverJ from twitter. She sugge... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Sunday, October 16, 2011,
In :
Sampling
Last week I came across a You Tube video which showed you how to make
paper yarn. I have to say this is not the first time I have visited
this technique but I think it was the drop spindle that put me off. My
attempts without the spindle have been so, so, I twist the strip of
paper between my figures and it becomes a loose yarn with absolutely no
integrity. Interesting none the less. I would say the
last time I researched and experimented with paper yarn was about 2
years ago. I fou... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Tuesday, August 30, 2011,
In :
Workshops
Yesterday, outside the National Theatre, under the shelter of a Tee
Pee I was showing children and adults how to make traditional windmills
and origami windmill pin badges. This event brings together a selection
of artists that offer whimsical creations to buy or make, performances
from another era or food you may not have tasted before. Unfortunately,
because I was so busy, I didn't get to see much. Although I did manage
to peep my head out once and see some dancers performing the jit... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Monday, August 15, 2011,
This morning at about 1.45 am, I discovered that I had been re-tweeted
by Theo Paphitis for the #sbs (Small Business Sunday). What a blast....
This became very obvious when I discovered that my followers had leapt up by 100 and there were about 200 emails from Twitter.
I try and tweet my business every week but quite often forget. I
would say that I have tried about half a dozen times, perhaps ten times
at the most. Each attempt, I would wait for something to happen, then
realise as ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Monday, August 15, 2011,
In :
Sampling
I'm
just back from a week at the seaside, fully rested and refreshed.
Before I went away I was having a play with some different techniques
that I could use with paper.
I wanted to try making a basket using some magazines I had left.
This is something that has been sitting on the back burner (in my head)
for a while. I see the idea being developed into
a neat workshop where participants can create their own custom
container using, what else, but old books. Incorporated with some ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Thursday, August 4, 2011,
In :
Exhibitions
.
What an opportunity, to exhibit in Paris the capital of France. Culture, Coissants, Wine and some of the world's most recognised monuments. Designed by Gustave Eiffel in 1889 for the Worlds Fair. At the time there was a petition by many local
artists who saw the structure as .....useless and monstrous. Amazingly
nature lovers were concerned that it would disrupt the flight of
birds. Within the first year sales of tickets to ride the nine hundred
foot elevator covered the cons... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Friday, July 29, 2011,
In :
Sampling
 Yesterday, I decided to have a shot at papermaking.
It's ages since I have done it but I had a nice stack of scraps left
over from making my jewellery. I absolutely hate waste, so much so that
I can get slightly cluttered with bits and pieces that in the words of
my mother, 'Will come in, one day'. STAGE ONE When papermaking
you need to plan a little in advance. First, I got the mulch ready.
This involved a bucket of warm water, the paper torn up into little
pieces and then left to ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Tuesday, May 17, 2011,
 Tuesday
18th May, my son's school are celebrating Green Great Britain by
letting the children wear green. The school is an eco school and a Good
Food school. Now he's eleven year's he's that age when he wants to be a
little be more crucial about what he wears. Designing this
T-shirt for him was a breeze as his favourite colour is actually green.
When I collected him from school, I put it in a carrier bag along with
some green hairspray. As you can imagine he was made up. So fo... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Monday, May 16, 2011,
In :
Sampling
 I have been exploring paper beads recently and having great success and actually loving the result. ( see earlier post - Making Beads from Paper) Until
that is I try to go bigger. My aim is to make some sturdy hollow beads
but every time I push them into shape they seem to collapse. I can
form the paper into a domed shape but as soon as I put it down the
centre pops out, as you can see in the photo. I'm not really sure
how I'm going to resolve this problem. It maybe that coiling around... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Tuesday, May 10, 2011,
The video is truly amazing, it was retweeted on twitter by from a post by @uponafold.
Flottille (detail) from Etienne Cliquet on Vimeo.
Don’t let the rather simple geometric images above fool you, watch the video. Using small pieces of paper (just 2-3cm wide) artist Stephen Ratcliffe
has created delicately folded origami pieces that once placed in water
begin to bloom, the result of capillary action as the paper absorbs
water. Beautiful. (via reddit) Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Monday, May 9, 2011,
In :
Exhibitions
 One:
The most obvious, to visit an all paper exhibition. If you are a fan
of paper and what can be created with it, then this is definitely for
you. Two: Location, location, location. Unit Twelve is found on a working farm set in the beautiful Stafford Countryside. Three: The curator of the exhibition is Jennifer Collier, so to met her in person and to see her studio will give you a very real connection to why artists work with paper. Four: The way the exhibition is set out allows you t... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Thursday, May 5, 2011,
In :
Exhibitions
I received an email informing me that my submission had been accepted for the upcoming 'Paper exhibition at Craft House Concept in Edinburgh. This
is my second 'all paper' exhibition this year. I feel as though I am
finally moving forward. I will be sending one of my book sculptures with
a selection of my 'Organic Repose' range. The downside of exhibiting is
the distance, I always want to be present at the private views but
logistically this is not always possible.
This Saturday, ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Wednesday, May 4, 2011,
 Last night was spent catching up on my box-making. I needed to make a
few to house some pieces that are going to the 'Ladies Night' event at Byard Art,
Cambridge I remember, when I started creating my jewellery pieces I was
conscious that they needed to be housed safely giving them that
precious feel. I sourced various companies that supplied boxes but they
never really seemed to have what I was looking for. In the end I
created my own.  This
means that each piece has a box made to fi... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Sunday, May 1, 2011,
In :
Exhibitions
This is an exhibition I am currently taking part in which is taking
place at Forge2 Gallery in Culworth, Northamptonshire. The theme is one
of spring and rebirth, and will incorporate associated topics such as recycling and sustainability. It will run from 8th April until 30th June.
Apart from my work other artists associated with this exhibition are:-
Kylie Coles is a Contemporary Woodturner. She layers paper onto wood then turns it created stunning aesthetically pleasing pieces.
 Craig En... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Sunday, May 1, 2011,
In :
Sampling
Making beads from paper 
I had a little dab  ble
at creating beads out of paper over the Easter. The first se
t of
beads, made from strips of paper I had attempted before but I didn't
like the e
lipse shape that resulted. I know it all depends on how you
cut the paper and I really wa
nted to figure out how to make a lovely
round bead. It's more straight forward than I thought
and I was pleasantly surprised at the result, I've just got to figure
out how I'm going
to use them i...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Tuesday, April 26, 2011,
In :
Trade Fairs
I've been so busy that I just haven't had time to show you all the lovely creatives that I came across at BCTF. As
mentioned in the previous post, the show was very friendly. I had
linked with lots of Twitterers pre-show, in the hope that I would meet
some of them. The plan worked well. Imagine a world of lots of
individual creative people all tweeting and creating. Since I have
joined twitter, I am never alone whilst I work, I can always pause,
strike up a conversation, or comment o... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Sunday, April 17, 2011,
Wow! Has to 
be my first word. I really didn't know what to expect from this event.
It was my first time and the thought of exhibiting at a trade event
kind of scared me. Even the week before the event I kept telling myself
that maybe I was out of my depth. It all began with the Design Factory get together last year. Margaret Bunn came and talked to the group about BCTF.
She is a very inspiring lady. I think because she spoke about her
routes and how she had developed her business f... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Tuesday, March 29, 2011,
In :
Trade Fairs
Not as the title suggests. Since being selected for the British Craft
Trade fair I had had the idea of putting empty frames in my stand and
pinning my work within theml. I've since found out that the walls are
actually quite thin so I had to re-think my original plan.  I
filled my frames with canvas and board, which means that I will be able
to use them for other events....OTHER EVENTS!! Ok I guess I can do
that once I have got over BCTF. Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Monday, March 28, 2011,
Time is marching on and before I know it I will be talking to people at
the British Craft Trade Fair. Hence this is my last week for finishing
all those odds and ends that need doing. Today was paperwork day.....
pro-forma invoice, press release, press pack, price lists etc  All very time consuming but needs to be done. Just my catalogue to do now.... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Monday, March 28, 2011,
In :
Selling Event
You know when  you get one of those moments when you wake up and you just want to do something different. Saturday, was just one. I woke up with SOCK on my mind. Note the capitalization. I don't want you to think I had some sort of strange fetish.
No, the Sock Craft Fair was on this weekend as was the Freecycle 'Give and Take' sale. As the latter was in the afternoon I took a chance that I would be back for it. Unfortunately, travelling from Corby isn't always that easy. Sure, we have a ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Friday, March 4, 2011,
Here's Jessie and Anna, two new ladies who came to my 50+ group at the
Autumn Centre in Corby. They had turned up expecting to be making Royal
Wedding bonnets which in fact we are doing in a few weeks.  Although they were initially disappointed I think I managed to bring smiles to their faces by getting them to join in anyway. We
were also interviewed by the local Evening Telegraph as like everywhere
funds are being cut. The biggest effect this will have is on the
transport that is laid o... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Wednesday, February 16, 2011,
I just think this is absolutely amazing, click on the link......for more Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Tuesday, February 15, 2011,
So one exhibition finishes and the next one begins. Flair is being held
at the Ferrers Gallery at Staunton, Ashby de la Zouch. Leics. A
selection of Design Factory members are being shown. These include
designer/makers who work in paper, ceramics and metals. I found an excellent link which gives you a good overall of the designers. FLAIR
I hope some of you get the opportunity to visit, it's a lovely
gallery set in a rural setting and part of the Ferrers Centre so there
is plenty to see. Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Monday, January 31, 2011,
In :
Eva
Thursday 27th January until 13th February 2011, 9 am until 5 pm (not open weekends) Well,
the Private View was a great success and my new piece of work had a
good reception. Sorry, it's not the best of pictures I haven't given it
the SLR treatment yet. Thank you for those of you who attended, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I've entitled it 'EVA' after my mother who is the grand old age of 93 years old.  Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Monday, January 31, 2011,
Wow, we're half way through January and it's countdown to my first
exhibition. It's entitled 'The Collective' and it features a selection
of Post Graduates from De Montfort University who have come together to
see where their work has taken them since leaving uni. Anna Bagnall, Amy Jo Nolan, Samantha Robinson, Serra Malta, Sharyn Dunn, Luce Crisp, Amelia Kirk, Katie Almond, and Kirsty Whiltlock Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Friday, November 5, 2010,
I'll be at th  e Atkins Building at Hinckley tomorrow selling my jewellery and books sculptures at Glitter Arti. This is a new event so we shall see how it goes. I have created some paper baubles especially for my Christmas audience. Maybe I will see some of you there. Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Wednesday, October 20, 2010,
20 Good and Gorgeous make it yourself (MIY) designs suitable as festive decorations or gifts are being compiled into a digital book.Following a recent shout out for a re-design Christmas MIY book I have successfully secured a page which is the brainstorm of re-design My submission is entitled Filigree Fantasy. re-design will be showing the book along with the finished artifacts at two prestigious events. Handmade in Britain Chelsea Old Town Hall, 27-30 October 2010 Eco Design Fair Islington Town... Continue reading ...
Posted by Phiona Richards on Friday, June 18, 2010,
In :
Blogs
I've been writing a blog over at Blogspot for a little while now but I am finding that I am not reaching many people so I am in the process of making the decision to either move my blog, run two blogs or stay where I am. It's a tough one. Continue reading ...
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About Me
I am intrigued by paper and it's versatility. It is a total misnomer and full of contradictions. I am continually exploring the possibilities this material unfolds for me.
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