I visited
The Harley Gallery
for an open day to meet some local artists; I regularly go here for
coffee but the opportunity to see the artists' at work was a bonus!
I first visited Louise Presley, owner of
Hope and Elvis
and her beautiful little studio. Her work involves vintage fabrics she
finds and reworks among with hidden messages to create personal and
bespoke garments- all of which have a lovely sense of sentimental value.
I
found this little house absolutely adorable! It definitely inspired me
to have a go myself. The studio had a very homely feel to it with
doodles pinned to the walls and bits and bobs Louise had collected over
time.
She gave a lot of great advice that I
found myself furiously scribbling down in my journal, along with seeming
genuinely lovely to talk to!
The next artist I visited was
Ashley Thomas,
a surface pattern designer. When I first walked into her studio, I was
welcomed with warm summer colours and organic patterns which instantly
made me forget about the pouring rain outside!
Wildlife,
fabrics and flowers are her main inspirations, and this shows in her
beautifully illustrated cards and notepads that are displayed in her
studio.
My favourite piece of advice she gave was "Do what you enjoy, find your own path and have fun!"
There
were many other artists I visited and chatted to which I found very
useful and would recommend these open days for anyone who has an
interest in art and design/ crafts.
:)