catmose arts gallery shop

Each season we invite some of the most desirable makers and make their work available to our visitors. The shop is about supporting exceptional designers and providing visitors with unusual, hand-made one-off pieces that can be bought as very special gifts for you or friends.

The materials I use - silver, metal, leather and paper with the combination of motifs - play a symbolic role within my work.

I am interested in how memories can become distorted through time. I find that old memories can grow into glossed over dreams, it's this quality of change that I want to document in my work. For example I use butterflies, birds and cogs as symbols that become metaphors and allegories to depict memories, the fleeting nature of life and death and the journey of one's life's experiences. The objects act as references and the decorative qualities of the pieces then conceal the complexities of the content.

Lucy Jade Sylvester

Silver and Gold Jewellery inspired by Nature

“I walk in the countryside to collect delicate seed heads and insects, I'm interested in finding things that would decay into the ground, turning them into precious permanent wearable objects. Each new season or place visited brings fresh inspiration and items to work with.”

Her finished pieces are solid silver and gold, oxidized before barrelling to enhance the delicate patterns, textures and colour.

Lucy graduated with an MA from Birmingham School of Jewellery in 2003, and now exhibits in many UK galleries, most recently Art in Action. Lives in Banbury.

Hollie Wright

www.holliewright.co.uk

I use reclaimed wood and fittings to make quirky functional furniture. My influences come from the allotment and smallholding lifestyle I grew up with in rural Oxfordshire. Chickens have always been a central part of my daily life, and so have become the leading characters of my work. My work ranges in scale and complexity, from small boxes to large scale bespoke furniture. Every piece has a function, with cupboards, drawers and compartments, making them entirely usable and designed for everyday life.

Rebecca Shreeve

www.quirkles.co.uk

The work I produce is colourful, lively and fun. I create bright bold designs that are naïve yet sophisticated and provoke feelings of happiness.
My inspiration comes from animals and other simple forms which appeal to both children and adults, as these allow me to create whimsical characters and designs. The fabrics I use are influenced by my love for children’s textiles. Soft fabrics make my pieces cosy and tactile. Appliqué and machine stitch are an important part of my work. I use these techniques to create detailed pieces containing a lot of colour, texture and pattern. Rebecca lives in Lowestoft.

Muttley the Toymaker

Muttley has developed his wooden toy sculptures over the last thirteen years in Stafford where he lives. His influences are many and varied but he always looks for the comical side in ordinary things. Whilst using brightly coloured paints, he likes to keep some of the wood unpainted so that the beauty of the natural grain shows through.
Muttley uses a wide variety of materials ranging from paper to jewellery wire, copper to tin and glass beads. He makes traditional wooden toys, particularly jigsaws and spinning tops but brings a new, quirky slant to them.

Lauren Van Helmond

www.laurenvanhelmond.co.uk

I am a Staffordshire based mixed media sculptor & illustrator. I create intricate mixed media figurative sculptures that have a hint of eras gone by. My work has a distinctive style which is formed using wire, sheet metal, recycled & found materials, fabric and printed paper.