AUGUST 2011

Dear Buyer

Welcome to our BCTF and Design Edge Newsletter.

We hope you have all had a good summer break and are beginning to think about the orders you will be placing for this Autumn and Winter.

You will have received your password (arts2000) to access our online catalogue, Design Edge.

Please continue to visit as we are adding new makers on a weekly basis. Many of those included in the catalogue will also be exhibiting at BCTF next year. See our new-style Exhibitor Listing at www.bctf.co.uk/exhibitor_listing.php

See below this month's four featured makers.

Kind regards,

Margeret

Caroline Lukehurst

Caroline's inspiration comes from the modern world in which we live. We all find ourselves bound by commitments and restrictions. In our hearts there is a yearning for independence and liberty. Her work is inspired by this conflict.

Caroline works from her studio in Royal Leamington Spa and is a graduate in 3D Design (Craft) from Warwickshire College School of Art. She works with both kiln-fired glass and precious metals creating beautiful, individual pieces.

In her jewelllery, coloured crystals are held firm in resin and metal. Stripes represent the metaphorical bars that bind us while birds symbolise freedom, hope, optimism and endless possibilities.

Her work has been exhibited in London, Birmingham, Harrogate and the United States.

To see more of Caroline's work, visit the Design Edge Online Catalogue or see her on stand 327 at BCTF 2012.

Catriona Archibald Crafts

A lot of my work is vintage-inspired but with a quirky edge. I love to create beautiful but functional things. Haberdashery, buttons and ribbons make their way into my work, making each piece individual.

Combinations of colours and the excitement of wrapping things up to send to a customer or gallery are the things that inspire me.

Inspired by the scraps in "memory jars" from my own travels, I decided to create milestones from the memories collected. Evocative scraps from life can be gathered into vessels to tell stories that only the collector can understand. The power that these vessels hold - to recreate a whole world in just an instant - the humble jar is transformed to become something special, sacred and full of reverence.

To see more of Catriona's work, visit her on stand N16.

Constance A Darlington

Lampwork is an ancient technique of using a flame to melt glass. Molten glass is wound on to a thin steel mandrel. The glass bead is then embellished using many fine strands of coloured glass, metal leaf, frits and enamels. The glass is then annealed in a kiln for several hours. This slow process of cooling gives each bead its strength and durability. No two beads will ever be exactly the same.

I work with effetre glass. Much of my work incorporates classic lampwork design with its clarity and attention to detail. I also combine different techniques to produce soft fluid organic designs sometimes using vintage crystal, silver, and seed beads. Each piece of lampwork jewellery is one of a kind.

Glass provides a daily challenge: to explore, to understand, and to control it; the freedom to work with colour in three dimensions and the unlimited possibilities of colour, shape and design.

To see more of Constance's work, visit the Design Edge Online Catalogue

Laura Golborne

"I am interested in the concept of Escapism. Many people find everyday life rather dull and wish to surround themselves with products which alleviate this feeling. I escape by reading science-fiction and fantasy stories. In my work I combine functionality and movement which creates quirky qualities in the final products.

My passion for jewellery and silversmithing started when I chose jewellery design as a subject at A-Level. Since then I have gone on to gain a BA (HONS) in Jewellery and Silversmithing from Birmingham City Universities School of Jewellery. I am currently working in the Jewellery Quarter in a shared workshop as part of the Design Space collective.