I love these new shade by Jorja Wilkinson Design. I first met her a bctf this year and have been looking forward to her bright and bold designs becoming part of the Radiance collection. Jorja lives in York and has her studio in an old cricket pavillion. Sounds charming. What lovely magpies! Her fabrics are inspired by the bold clean lines of 1960's wallpaper. I love that at a glance this looks like an abstract pattern but then you realise they are pelicans. All of her fabric is printed in the UK and her shades are made by hand in North Yorkshire. You can see them on the website here. There will be more stunning designs to come soon.
You may know Kate Boyce from her fabulous semi abstract paintings of our local landscape. If you don’t, then have a quick look here. I used to be in the same studio (Northlight Studios) group as Kate, before I moved to the shop so I have seen her work develop over the years (and been to her sell out exhibitions and open studio events). Anyway I’m very excited to announce that she has now branched out in to lampshades under the name of ‘House of Chintz’ and Radiance is the first place to have some! Lucky us!!! I thought I’d ask Kate a few questions about this new venture!
So Kate, how did this come about? What made you want to make lampshades?
Well, my creativity has manifested in many ways over the years and I do like to try out different things. Before becoming a painter I started out as a surface pattern designer and not so long ago I decided I wanted to bring pattern into my paintings in some way. I often arrive at ideas by playing about with images on the computer and I was doing just that one time when I realised that rather than being an idea for a painting I had a design that was just asking to be a lampshade!
You have three designs so far with great names such as ‘Buddleia of Suburbia’ and ‘Caravan of love’. What are the designs inspired by? Yes I couldn’t resist the opportunity to give my designs some fun names as I had so much fun making them. Working on a new project gave me a sense of freedom to explore different themes that had bubbled away at the back of my mind for a while. Whereas my paintings deal with a deep sense of feeling about a mainly rural landscape, this new work stems from a light hearted look at the surroundings I grew up in – the suburban landscape of Middle-England.The designs began as a combination of my own photographic imagery with scans of floral fabric from the 70’s and 80’s. I find it engaging how suburban houses were often lined with stylized versions of nature in the form of co-ordinating furnishing fabric and wallpaper. This along with the growing popularity of gardening as a hobby showed the importance of the natural environment in an otherwise concrete jungle of housing estates. I decided to reflect this stylised imagery onto the external surroundings in my designs. They in turn have been applied to a contemporary interior design product which I hope others will identify with in terms of the imagery and the nostalgic atmosphere they evoke.
Without giving your secrets away can you tell us a little about how the shades are made and finished? The designs are printed with fade resistant inks on a high quality tear-proof paper which allows light to filter through beautifully. I then apply a protective polymer lacquer to deter dust and allow gentle sponge cleaning. After assembling the shades using fittings for either pendant lights or lamp base I then finish them with a velvet trim.
If someone wants to commission a lamp of their own what can you do for them? Can they come in other sizes? My current three designs are all 30cm in diameter; however both larger and smaller sizes are in the pipe-line. I also plan to offer a bespoke design service. I have made a couple of shades as commissions for friends based on their own houses and favourite fabrics.
Have you got anything else up your sleeve? I heard you were going to an MA. Where’s that? I have been enjoying sharing my work time between designing and painting so much that I have decided to apply for a postgraduate course in surface pattern. If successful I plan to explore my ideas further and gain more knowledge of new technology for the application of my designs on other surfaces.
Caravan of Love is here, Suburban Dream is here and I'll be adding Buddleia of Suburbia later on. Watch this space...
Fiona has just done this lovely podcast with Helen Tayler of Ose Design. Go and get yourself a cuppa and have a listen while Helen and Fiona chat about Helens journey to becoming a design/maker, the difference between recycling and up-cycling and of course knitting!
It's been a while since we have done an artist interview on the blog so I thought an interview would be a good way to introduce a brand new designer/maker to Radiance. Helen Taylor makes these lovely knitted lamps which I immediately fell for - their lovely colours and their quirky asymmetric shapes give them real character.
So Helen, tell us about what you do? I make hand knitted lampshades from yarns which I choose for having a lower environmental impact, such as recycled materials, silk and linen. The lampshades are very unusual: the flexible knitted cover gives them a curvy, 'organic' shape, and I mount the lampshade frame within the knitting to give an asymmetric design to the shade. I make pendant and table/standard lampshades.
What inspired you to start making them? Where did the idea come from?It's simple really, I needed a new lampshade for my bedside lamp, and having looked around I couldn't find anything which caught my eye as being a bit different. I decided to make my own from an old lampshade frame I had. In fact, the very first shade was woven, using fluffy wool. I loved the curvy asymmetric shape and so did friends, so I thought I would make more.
I know a lot of thought has gone into the production and safety testing etc. How long were you working on your research and development?R&D has taken about 6 months, and is ongoing! To display my shades I make simple wooden lamp bases from chunks of oak wood (FSC certified) and the lamp bases had to be safety tested to ensure they comply with the relevant British Standard for safety. The shades have been tested against the British Standard to ensure they meet the fire safety requirements.
Have you always been a knitter? What’s your background?I have always loved making things, particularly with textiles, and I did a degree in Textile Science years ago, followed up by a Masters in environmental chemical engineering which is where I get my knowledge of sustainability issues. I also worked in sustainability consultancy in the construction industry, helping to encourage resource conservation in buildings. I gave all that up, though, to work for myself as a designer maker.
You have called your business Ose Designs. Where did the name come from?Ose is French for 'dare'. I speak French and love the language, and chose Ose to reflect the idea that a lampshade can be daring and punctuate a space with a designed form, as well as being functional.
.
You told me you work at home. Do you have a designated work space?I have a workshop in the cellar, a desk in my bedroom, and I do most of the knitting in the living room!
What piece of machinery or tool could you not live without?The knitting needles!
What do you like the most about being a designer?I love seeing the finished product, hanging a new shade and switching on the light for the first time, to see how it looks. It's always a pleasure.
LINK LIST. Elle Decoration magazine - always full of beautiful homes. (no web address)www.folksy.com - I think it's a great site.
You can find Helen's work on the Radiance website here.
Louise Traill has sent us some of her amazing flowers today. They are made out of papers and vintage fabrics and embellished with beads, feathers and sequins. They have a rigid stem bound with fabric. Each one is uinque and they look great on their own or in a bunch. I have listed a few on the website here.
I love these cluster lights by Jenny Bland. They are all hand made three dimensional textile pieces that she has spun in embroidery thread using an old record player. How inventive! Jenny will be exhibiting this year at the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair in Manchester. I'm looking forward to meeting her at the show. Have a look at her website for other examples of her lovely work.
I talked about Amy and her lovely bat brooches a while a go. They will be added to the website soon, once i do the new jewellery and accessories page. Amy sent me her lovely picture today and some profile info in readiness for me to build her page. I love this picture of her surrounded by her lovely embroidered chairs. I WISH i could have her chairs in the shop, but getting them from Denmark could be tricky!!
Let me tell you a little more about her. Me and Amy met at art college in Dewsbury years ago when we were doing our pre-foundation course. Then she met her the lovely Christian who is Danish and they married and moved to Denmark a few years ago. She is inspired by the nature in the garden and pond which her home studio overlooks. Her machine embroideries of animals, plants and everyday situations embody her naturally quirky sense of fun. Aswell as her brooches that I have at Radiance, and her chairs that you see in the photo, she has also made a series of living environments for her bat creatures - they have their own story to tell if you let your imagination run wild. You can see them here on her website.
This is Lacy Doris in her bat box. She has a real light and eveything!!!
