Southhill Park Christmas Craft Fair, Sat 13th Nov 11am-6pm, Sun 14th Nov 10am-5pm.

Come and see Kat’s next exhibition and take the opportunity to meet Kat and try on some of the jewellery for size (or just for fun!) The exhibition is at the stunning venue of Southhill Park Arts Centre in Bracknell, Berkshire. Southhill Park is a wonderful 18th Century II listed manor house set in 49 acres of beautiful parkland. Further information on the location and programme is available at the Southill Park website at http://www.southhillpark.org.uk/festivaldetail.jsp?eventId=10862&pageURL=%2Ffestivalslst.jsp&pageParams=null&id=10862&range=all 

For the past year or so I have been creating new work in a project supported by the Arts Council of Wales. The use of resin ties in with my inclusion of coloured glazes, varnishes and semi transparent layers in my previous paintings, and is something I have been toying with off and on over the past few years.

The idea behind the project was to explore the potential of industrial resins as surface painting materials, allowing the resins to retain marks, imperfections and signs of the artist’s hand. I wanted to try to discover a new, gestural language of resins used in place of paint, and move away from the perfectly cast forms that we more usually assume resins will be.

This resulted in a year of experimentation, with my forthcoming exhibition showcasing the results. These include paintings made using specialist substances normally found on oill rigs and in car manufacturing plants, as well as the more usual latex and polyester resins. all work stems from the figurative as the figure is where my fascination lies, but moves away from the purely representational portrait to concentrate more on shape, form, feel, texture and gesture, referring to the language of sculpture and surface quality, volume, shape and size.

A very exciting aspect of the project was the chance for me to collaborate across industry and work with a wonderful polymer chemist who has helped to guide, advise and inspire me throughout.

The results have turned out to be truly wonderful.

An exhibition of my resin work will be on show at Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre, St David’s Rd, Cwmbran NP44 1PD. It will be officially opened by BBC Radio 2’s Lynn Bowles at 12-2pm on Saturday 11th Feb 2012. Please do come along for a glass of wine and a chance to chat to me about the work.

I’m so excited that this project has finally reached the point of exhibition. It’s probably one of the hardest things I have ever done: the nature of the project was so very experimental with no fixed outcome, and yet I had promised to produce n exhibition of new work. Sometime it was quite daunting; there were times when test after test of the various resins failed and I felt I might never produce artwork that I was able to show. But perseverance paid off, and finally results that made me happy began to appear. Now I truly feel I have pushed my practice into new and exciting places. I will continue to explore and expand this body of resin based artwork, and welcome any opportunities to exhibit elsewhere.

Upcoming Exhibitions 

Craft in Focus Design Fair, RHS Wisley, 3-7 May 2012 

Kat is excited to announce this new show for her 2012 calender.  To be held in the flagship gardens at RHS Wisley this event is set to be one of the premier events of the year to buy from the country’s finest designer makers. The event will be held mainly in marques. However, visitors will be able to discover a diverse range of sculptures, garden art and outdoor exhibits as they visit the world renowned gardens and the state of the art glasshouse. Pay to visit the garden and there is no further entry fee to the craft fair. Ample free parking and full disabled access are available. 9am to 6pm daily, last entry 5pm. 

 The Jewellery Quarter at The Essex Art & Design Show: Cressing Temple Barns, September 29-30 September 2012

Kat is set to return to the Jewellery quarter at the delightful Cressing Temple Barns in Essex in a gorgeous 11th Century barn built originally for the Knights Templar. The event is a popular show with a diverse range of crafts spread throughout the various beautiful barns, run by Beach Hut Events. 

J’adore Jewellery Show, Putteridge Bury, Luton October 13-14 October 2012 

Kat is excited to announce another new show for her 2012 calender, to be held at the ‘mini stately home’ which is the Putteridge Bury Conference Centre. Organised by Romor Exhibitions this show is the perfect place to find a unique gift, or treat yourself. The show is open 10am - 4.30pm each day and ample parking is available. 

Desire Jewellery & Silversmithing Fair: Winchester, 16-18 November 2012

After the run-away success of the 2011 show Kat is returning to the Desire Jewellery and Silversmithing Fair in the stunning Winchester Guildhall for 2012. Desire has become firmly established as the ‘must visit’ event for its stunning collection and unrivalled choice of contemporary jewellery and stylish silverware. Further information will be posted nearer the time. For a video of the 2011 show see below.

 

Essex Art & Design Show: Hylands House, 24-25 November 2012

Kat returns as an exhibitor to this event run by the same team behind the popular Cressing Temple show. Hylands House, set in the beautiful Hylands Park (the venue for the popular ‘V’ festivals), is a stunning grade II* listed building, fully restored to its former glory in 574 acres of historic landscaped parkland.