Christmas Open Studios

This weekend there were Christmas open studios at Northlights and Brooklyn studio groups and we popped a long yesterday afternoon. I don't get round the studios in the summer because my own is open and usually I work in the shop every Sunday in December (not this year now we have the lovely Suzi) so it was a treat to get to visit myself. 

We started of in Brooklyn Studios and I really liked Angie Rogers work. Gorgeous papercuts, prints and dioramas.

We had a little conversation about lighting these up. I always want to illuminate everything! Papercutting and light just go hand in hand don't they!

Now this cute lady is Cathy Edwards or 'Cathy Bags' as we call her fondly. I have known Cathy since I first moved to Hebden in 1999 and got my tiny studio space at Northlights where she was a full time shoemaker crafting posh brogues for London gentlemen. 

Cathy was always the first one in the studio in the morning and the last to leave at night. Such a hard worker and super skilled.

Now, when she is not  in her little white cottage on the side of a hill tending her three small children she is busy making her own range of coveatable leather bags. She's a clever one.

Cathy is opposite lovely printmaker Linda Thomas (I can imagine there's quite a lot of gossiping going on) who has been making these lovely little printed books.

And let me introduce you to my friend Hannah Penguin. Well really she is Hannah Lawson but as she spends a lot of time in the Antarctic and doesn't make lamps this helps us all know which Hannah we're talking about!

Hannah has an incredible life as a wildlife guide on cruise ships in far flung places. She then comes back to her little studio in Hebden Bridge and creates woodcut prints and paintings of the amazing things she has seen.

She takes awesome photos too.

Then we popped next door to Northlights. This studio group is where I first started on my artistic journey all those years ago. They were good old days :)

Kate Boyce is still there. When I first knew her she was painstakingly hand painting colour separations for wallpaper design company. Now she is a sought after landscape painter and lampshade designer/maker (we sell her brand House of Chintz at Radiance).

It was exciting to see that she is now experimenting with ceramics too.

This is Rachel Hawthorn making some felt. 

And this is smiley Kate Rhodes. She is a jeweller but the picture I took of her earrings was all blurry. 

You'll have to look on her website instead!

Lastly we popped in on Andy Pointon and it was lovely to see all his gorgeous fifties inspired prints together.

I bought one of his pretty shopping bags. I'll be going to the Co-op in style.

It was a satisfying hour of seeing what everyone had been up to and having a chat. There are loads of artists who I haven't even talked about here too. Next year. End of June. We'll all be open for two weekends this time so you'll have to make a day of it...or even a weekend. 

Keep an eye on the Hebden Bridge Open Studios website for details.