Wednesday 14 December 2011

Cute Xmas Wrap


This will be one just for readers in the UK... if you're looking for some super cute, beautiful quality xmas wrapping paper...I highly recommend a trip over to Etsy shop 'Cotton Baked by Lulu'


...it's just too cute, and there are only a couple more days left to grab some in time!!


Thursday 17 November 2011

Cockpit Arts Christmas Open Studios 2011


Holborn: Cockpit Yard, Northington Street, London, WC1N 2NP
25 - 27 November

Deptford: 18-22 Creekside, London, SE8 3DZ
2 - 4 December

It's the time of the year for mulled wine, mince pies and Christmas shopping! And the makers at Cockpit are preparing to welcome you in from the cold for this year's Christmas Open Studios. You'll find me at both sites this year...with a few new things to show you, including postcards of the birds and some brand new prints.
Vogue calls us ''...London's most excting creative talent'', come see for yourself!

Competition

I have 4 tickets to give away, each entitling 2 people to enter for free to either site. To enter the competition please email me at abigail@abigail-brown.co.uk, entitling your email 'xmas'. I'll pick the winners at random on Monday.

Friday 28 October 2011

Ghosts of Gone Birds exhibition



The wonderful exhibition 'Ghosts of Gone Birds' is now being put up, ready to open on November 2nd. I just finished my piece...the Lesser Akialoa who disappeared from Hawaii in the 40's.
I've grown quite attached to this little fellow and feel so sad that he's no longer to be found.


The idea behind the show is to bring to our attention the crisis facing so many species of bird by bringing to life the ones we have already lost.
The artist, musicians and writers all involved in this great project, have each chosen a bird from a list of extinct species to represent in their medium.

The exhibition will showcase all these works alongside a second section which looks at the birds who are facing a rapid decline... hoping that we can draw enough attention to it and prevent the same from happening to them.

Cery Levy (filmmaker/producer and writer best known for the Gorillaz film Bananaz) and Chris Aldhous are the visionaries behind the whole project and have brought together so many wonderful people; Sir Peter Blake, Jamie Hewlett, Keith Newstead , Ralph Steadman, Margaret Atwood, Rob Ryan, Polly Morgan, Matt Sewell, Le Gun, Jon Burgerman, Oliver Jeffers, Angie Lewin, Claire Brewster, Emily Sutton...on and on...

Here's a little taste of the work on show, but really... you must come and see for yourselves!:

Esther Tyson

Matt Sewell

Pete Fowler

Emily Sutton

Greg Poole

Ben Newman

Le Gun

Margaret Atwood

Rob Ryan

Ralph Steadman



November 2nd - 23rd
Arnold Circus
London
E2 7ES.




Thursday 27 October 2011

Harper's Bazaar


Great press feature in November's Harper's Bazaar! Wonderful!! I feel very chic!


...and two other press features:

Quilts Japan, November issue.

Gardens Illustrated November issue.

Saturday 15 October 2011

New Illustration Blog

Way back in 2003 I graduated from a degree in Surface Decoration and Printed Textiles. Whilst the majority of my work now is in craft, I can still be found making many a doodle as a freelance illustrator and designer.

I've worked for all kinds of fields from children's books to children's wear, fashion to interior textile print design, and greetings cards to stationery.Over the years I have worked for Mothercare, Marks and Spencer, Adams, Mamas & Papas, Usborne Publishing, John Lewis, Hotch Potch Publishing and Zutano to name a few.

I've just created a new blog to showcase my print and illustration work and you can find it all here. Enjoy!!

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Decor8




Origin was a great week for meeting all kinds of wonderful people whose work I admire greatly. One of these people was Holly Becker, creator of the beautiful blog Decor8.

Holly bought a couple of pieces from me and I was delighted to see they made it onto the blog.
Thank you Holly!! You have such great taste so it's quite an honour and it was really lovely to meet you.


Monday 3 October 2011

New things!!


My latest creations have just been added to the webshop...come take a peek....

There are some beautiful, bright, exotic birds to add to the collection, along with some equally lovely British varieties, including the lapwing, heron and plover.
Hmmm...what next?!


Origin 2011


Wow! What an exhausting week!
It's taken me a few days to get over it but it was a wonderful show. I met so many lovely people, talented makers whose work I love (in particular Sophie Woodrow, Claire Brewster and Guy Bird...hmm slight bird/creature theme there!) and admirers and collectors of my own work.


It takes a lot of courage to put the things you have created out into the world for people to judge and a great deal more to be there with it. I have to say I struggle a little bit with this part and after months of working really hard to build the work and think through how I would exhibit it all, I'd already reached the brink of exhaustion and the point at which you question everything you have done and it's worth before Origin even began!

I know that art is very subjective and that we won't all like the same things so I accept fully that people won't like what I am making...but it feels pretty wonderful to know that there are people who do, and even more wonderful when they come back a second time, or a third or forth time to buy more!
Aside from one lady's comments on my display that didn't make me feel very good, and another funny lady who felt inclined to tell me I was far prettier and younger looking in my photos! Ha! ...I had such a great time meeting people who had such touching things to say about my work. THANK YOU if one of them was you!!!
All in all it was a great week and after a long weekend in the sunshine I'm now...just about...ready to go back to the studio and make a start on all the orders!

I somehow managed not to take any photos the entire week :( but have managed to hunt out a few to show you what it all looked like...the idea behind it was an old curiosity shop/natural history museum...so there were display cabinets, a bell jar with a little moth inside, spools as plinths, bird books, some english garden flowers to make it cheery and little name plaques for the birds on the wall which identified them in english and in latin...hope you'll like it!


Wednesday 7 September 2011

Origin- COMPETITION!


I realised I had forgotten to mention I would be at this years Origin show opening later this month. I exhibited there last year for the first time and it led to so many wonderful things this past year. I was sharing a stand last year but have opted for the full stand all to myself this time and have been having a wonderful time scouring flea markets, second hand shops, junk yards and Ebay for the perfect display equipment. I'm going for a take on a museum exhibit, and have some beautiful cabinets I'm still in the process of restoring...(will add some photos in another post)
Origin is a contemporary craft fair run by the Crafts Council and takes place in London at Old Spitalfields Market.

****COMPETITION****

I have a limited number of passes for the event and wanted to offer one ticket out to a customer/fan/reader of my blog...so here goes.

All you need to do is email me at abigail@abigail-brown.co.uk and say what your favourite piece of my work is. I will pick a winner at random on Friday 16th September so you have time(if in the UK of course) to get yourself organised for a visit.
It'll be a great show!!...GOOD LUCK!!!!

Origin

Monday 22 August 2011

Anna's Hummingbird

I had made an anna's hummingbird a long long time ago for a lady who was very fond of them. I just finished up my second commission and am delighted with the results...it's nice to see how my work moves on over the years as I develop my skills and techniques further.

Friday 12 August 2011

BBC Homes & Antiques magazine


There's a lovely feature on me and my work in this months BBC Homes & Antiques magazine. The piece is in the 'Antiques for the Future' section and is written by Emily Brooks, with beautiful photography by Sarah Cuttle. I was delighted to reason that antiques expert Graham Lay 'honestly, truly love[s] them'! Thanks Graham!!


Monday 27 June 2011

Oh Canada...



Excited to show you the pieces I created for a beautiful little group show in Toronto, Canada which opens this week. I was invited by my lovely friend Margie, from Resurrection Fern to take part in a show she has curated on the theme of birds.

The show is titled 'Winged Migration' and features the work of:
and me!

These ladies are all incredibly talented and I can trust with Margie at the helm, this will be wonderful show to visit if you can...sadly I can't :( .
Open June 29th - July 24th.
Bookhou, 798 Dundas Street West, Toronto, Canada.

And here are my contributions, 4 Canadian birds: blue jay, canadian warbler, chicadee and towhee. These items will also be added to my shops very shortly.


Wednesday 22 June 2011

New!!!!

These delightful little swans have just appeared in my Etsy shop and will shortly be found on my own webshop too.
They are my newest creations, launched at my open studios weekend and to huge success to my delight!
I can picture them as wedding gifts or even as exquisite cake toppers! but equally simply perched on a shelf in a home or work space, and lovingly admired.


Saturday 18 June 2011

Cockpit Arts Deptford- June 18-19th


Come on down and visit me this weekend at Cockpit Arts in Deptford for their Open Studios weekend...

18-22 Creekside
Deptford
London
SE8 3DZ



Thursday 16 June 2011

Styling by Emma Cassi


I had the most wonderful afternoon at the incredibly beautiful home of Emma Cassi and her photographer husband Bertrand Bosrédon a few weeks back.

Emma set about arranging my work around her house whilst Bertrand composed the photos. It was fascinating to watch them at work and I was in awe of the beauty of their home, so many gorgeous things filling very little corner.

The photos are just perfect I'm sure you'll agree!


Emma is also a jewellery designer, crafting her pieces by hand from antique lace and beads. They are just as delightful as she is!