Goodbye dear Marabou!

I swore I wouldnt sell it as it was my favourite painting I have ever painted but I was persuaded at the weekend to part with my beloved Marabou which was recently featured in the Guardian - it has gone to a very good home and I do think it is better to be in a new home rather than forever with me but I will miss it!  The blank space will encourage me to start painting the turkeys and pigeons and the funds will certainly come in very useful for the renovations on the derelict cottage I am about to buy! I have around 4 of the oil paintings left that I painted for my solo show if anyone is interested and don't forget prints are available too.

New Etsy Shop

Due to popular demand which has arisen from my marabou stork paintings being featured in the Guardian last month I have decided to produce very small print runs of the said paintings.  I am so pleased about the response to them as I thought I was the only person who loved marabous! - the series of oils were purely painted out of my love for them - I never dreamed any of them would sell! - Wonders never cease. It has encouraged me to continue painting and I am very exciting about my next painting project which will be turkeys and pigeons. They will all be for sale in my super etsy shop which  will be dedicated to showcasing my more unusual work outside my ceramic dogs like the marabous and also the new experimental multi media work which I have been threatening to make for a year but a little Rat called Reggie has been very demanding with my time!. I am determined to take a few weeks off over Christmas and start my new work - my aim is to launch it to galleries at the BCTF in April so I have a deadline to work to which is good.  I want to start with needle felting and then we shall see where it takes me - I am very keen to start work in textiles again.  As of next week I will be closing my online shop on my website and replacing it with my etsy shop  http://www.etsy.com/shop/OliviaJBrown as I need something more easily updatable - my ceramics can still be ordered by email/phone etc, anyway that's it for now so fingers crossed I will allow myself some time off to experiment - watch this space...!

A long Overdue update

I can't believe how time has flown since September  - so much for my regular blog updates - A lot has happened which I will try and cram into one post. Reggie has ended his residency at Ruthin - It was an amazing experience and the show looked absolutely fantastic - up to date photos are available from my facebook pages - as part of the show I did a week of workshops which was incredibly rewarding - I have to say I wanted to keep a lot of the work that was made by the local schools but it all had to be returned, then there was the celebrity dog show which was great fun - a heated discussion was had as to which dog should win which resulted in two of my dogs been given as prizes as we couldn't decide!.  The press coverage has been wonderful as well with a four page spread in BBC Homes and Antiques and my home was featured in the Guardian too - Reggie has now moved onto Swansea which is equally as good but in different ways - the venue isnt quite as grand as Ruthin but it suits Reggie and he is very much at home there - the gallery has done a fantastic job at setting the show up.  In the midst of all this I am trying to get my Christmas orders done and move house at the same time so hopefully this excuses my lack of communication!

Reggie's neon

One of the best new additions to Reggie's Roller Palace is the super neon sign that was specially commissioned to have a slightly wonky look (perfect neon just wouldnt do for Reggie). I am thrilled with the results and sets off the entrance to Gallery 2 at the Ruthin Craft Centre (which is now Reggie's Cinema) showing my animation and first attempt at film making! perfectly. It was made by neon workshops.com based in Yorkshire.
please follow the link below to see the other 'non wonky' things they do
http://www.neonworkshops.com/

Reggie in the Press!

There is a flurry of excitement surrounding the opening of Reggie's Roller Palace and I am thrilled that my work is going to be featured in the press.  Rachael Smith photographer for the Guardian came round to photograph our house yesterday  (which by the way is up for sale if anyone fancies a move to the lovely Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire!) - publication date to be confirmed  and BBC Homes and Antiques magazine are doing a four page feature in the November issue (out in October) this is on top of a  feature in Crafts  magazine and  Reggie is also taking up the full page of the back covers of the current issue of Crafts magazine and Ceramic Review!

Bel Green opens in Exeter

Ok well its not quite dog related but I feel I must mention the opening of a wonderful shop/ cafe in Exeter called Bel Green. Opened by my friends Teresa Cole Textile designer and Isobel Davies chef. I cant wait to go down and see it   - it's going to be wonderful - a mix of antiques, Teresa's beautiful printed textiles  and fine food from Isobel - what more could you want!
if you are in the area please do pop in and support them.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Belgreen-Shop-and-Cafe/109818355788444?sk=wall

Reggie is now open!

What a week it was last week setting Reggie up at the Ruthin Craft Centre! - it was the private view on Friday and officially opened on Saturday - I must say I am absolutely thrilled with the results. Ruthin Craft Centre have invested so much into the installation including building bespoke platforms for all the dogs to sit on so it the dogs themselves have much more of an impact then they did just sitting on the floor, a catalogue has been produced  with a wonderful essay by Jane Audas (these are available mail order from Ruthin Craft Centre priced at £10) and an extra gallery space has been dedicated to my animation and film of me making a dog - I am so pleased with it  - It was my first attempt at filmmaking and animation and it has been entered into a ceramics film festival in France so fingers crossed it will be selected.  Two of my adverts have been made into huge billboards which look stunning and there is now a super rotating mirrorball!, one of my favourite additions is the neon sign that has been specially made by neon workshops.com based in Wakefield, Yorkshire - it really ties the whole show together.  We got huge amount of help from Artworks exhibition logistics as due to the increased size its no longer an installation we can manage on our own - we simply couldn't have done it without them,  so a huge thankyou to everyone who helped set up the show  and if you havent made plans to see it yet please do - its well worth the trip - even if I do say so myself!

The Mission Gallery

Things are hotting up here with preparations for the Reggie's Roller Palace grande reopening on the 16th September at the Ruthin Craft Centre. I am thrilled to announce that the press are taking an interest and a four page article has been confirmed in a very special magazine (more details later!), the new dogs are taking shape and I am having a meeting today to discuss the elevated stage which is being built for the show - all very exciting! Thrilling all this is  but there is more news to come! - I have just received confirmation that after the show at the wonderful Ruthin Craft Centre Reggie will be moving down to South Wales to the Mission Gallery in Swansea where he will stay till January 2012! (19th November 2011-8th Jan 2012) keep checking in as more news will be added as it becomes available
http://www.missiongallery.co.uk/

HOME -OH

My work is now stocked in the fabulous town of Hebden Bridge in the most excellent shop Home -Oh
which amongst my sculptures sells work by artists for the home  as well as lots of other unique finds - a visit is highly recommended! take a look at their facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/HOME-OH/208148749217250

Bright lights for Reggie!

My installation Reggie's Roller Palace can be seen at the Piece Hall in Halifax this week as part of the Halifax festival - it is a warm up for the grand reopening in its new venue in September at Ruthin Craft Centre. I have had some neon lights made that I am very excited about which will be used above the doors to the cinema we will create at the gallery. It seems that things are really moving along with the show - all the photos have been taken for the catalogue.   I had my interview on Monday with Jane Audas who is writing the essay and Im meeting with Lawn creative tomorrow to discuss the catalogue design - exciting stuff!

Islay Woolen Mill

I have just returned from a trip to Islay where I visited the most wonderful Islay Woolen Mill, where some of the finest tweeds are made - I couldn't resist buying a selection of cloth for scarves to accompany my new range of dogs - watch out for them as the first batch will be reaching galleries in the next month.

Hens

Another new project has been a set of hens commissioned by Easthorpe Spa for their new venture the Potting Shed opening July 2011, I was a little apprehensive because I wasnt sure how they would turn out and if the character would shine through - but I am thrilled with the results and a range of hens may be on the cards in the future!

and Screenprinting too...

these were our reserve the dates - which involved collecting over 90 vintage handkerchiefs and getting back into the printing studio!

ahem!

Ahem indeed - the regular updates have not been quite as regular as i was hoping  - Im on the case now though. The truth is I have been beavering away but not as I originally intended. I am getting married shortly and have decided to hand make everything  this alongside packing Reggie Up, Crufts and a trade fair in Harrogate it has been a bit hectic! I have been using the wedding as a good excuse to experiment in different techniques for my work - I have been etching again as you can see from these invites, which was great to have an excuse to print again.