Gail Stubbs | Ceramics | Devon
Gail Stubbs is a ceramicist who makes both functional and installation work based in South Devon. Gail’s work is closely associated with the complex issues surrounding the mechanisation of food production, overfishing and fish politics. The work exists in the realm of social political commentary through craft production.
Fishing related images have been screen printed onto slabs of white stoneware which have been used to form plates using a RAM press with dies cast from factory made originals. The screen-printed images distort when pressed illustrating how the narrative of food and fishing is sometimes romanticised and warped by both marketers and consumers.
Maritime phrases were used to convey suggestions of the frailty of marine life and dangers of overfishing and the situation humans find themselves in with regards finite resources. Mass production methods of ceramics have been used as a canvas to mirror the mass production and processing of food.
Westcountry clay has been used and limited firings carried out during the making process enabling the production of the work with a low carbon outlay.
Susan Bradshaw | Textiles | Devon
I have developed my craft skills of lace and embroidery since the 1980's, attending adult education classes and local textile groups. Making textiles has given me a creative pastime and social exchange.
My new textile professional practice is in a home-based studio. I have showed at a variety of local galleries and outlets and organise workshops to share my skills of needle lace and I have been invited to take part in art retreats. I use traditional needle lace techniques that create the textures needed for my designs.
I like to explore the potential of the lace stitches by working with a variety of materials to keep the delicacy that embroidery and lace embodies. Sixteenth century Elizabethan Stumpwork is my inspiration, particularly the distorted perspective of animals, people, and places.
Natural and urban landscapes are my design source. I love to combine colours and blend them to capture my visual interpretation. I use natural threads such as space dyed silks and cottons to make my lace and embroidery.
Breesha Partington | Mixed Media | Bristol
Breesha Partington is a recent Maker graduate from Cardiff Metropolitan University, specialising as an interdisciplinary designer with a primary focus on the laser cutting process. Their work encompasses the creation of decorative design pieces, including acrylic and ply vases, alongside unique wall pieces crafted from the by-products of the laser cutting process. They are committed to creating circular, eco-friendly bodies of work.
Their design philosophy leans towards minimalism, infused with mid-century modern influences. They strive to harmonise digital processes, such as laser cutting, with traditional handmade techniques, creating pieces that blend precision with the organic touch of craftsmanship.
Lyndsey Gates | Glass | Devon
I am a glass artist who combines the crafts of stained glass and silk-screen printing. I use a silk-screening process to create images on glass with enamel, powdered glass, and acid. The glass is then kiln-fired many times to permanently embed the images.
For me, experimenting with these processes is challenging, detailed, and yet highly rewarding. Each piece is unique due to the unpredictable nature of the medium. Subtle variations emerge after each firing, creating distinctive patterns and details.
My inspiration is highly drawn by nature, geometry, symbolism and a tinge of dark, doomy loud music! I often incorporate plants and greenery to construct living, functional beauty. Plants and greenery are not just decorative elements; they are integral to the pieces themselves. This integration allows a sense of growth and resilience, mirroring the natural world's constant dance of life and renewal.
I am also committed to sustainable practices. Each frame, border, and stand is crafted from salvaged wood, giving each piece a unique story. By incorporating reclaimed wood into my work, discarded materials enjoy a new life.
My glasswork encompasses techniques including traditional stained glass methods using copper foil and lead, and kiln-fired work that integrates screen printed enamels and finely sifted powder glass frits to create patterns, and imagery.
I am a member of Double Elephant Print Workshop in Exeter, utilizing their amazing facilities to help create my screen-printed glass works.
Although my journey with glass started several years ago, it was the transformative events of the pandemic and the birth of my daughter, that allowed me to reflect on my love for this craft, igniting a renewed sense of self-discovery and motivation to nurture my confidence with glass and propel it forward.
My path with glass is yet to unfold fully, and I am enthralled by the possibility of refining my craftsmanship and cultivating my skills further.
Graham Tapper | Furniture | Devon
I get most enjoyment from making rustic items, or humorouse items that make me chuckle and / or quirky objects that no-one has seen elsewhere before.
Sarah Drury | Jewellery | Devon
I am a Devon based artist specialising in jewellery, my work revolves around social commentary. Each piece I create serves as a form of gentle protest, designed to be placed or worn as catalysts for meaningful discussion. Contemporary jewellery, with its intimate relationship to the body, holds a unique position in that it can act as a mobile talking piece for big issues. Functionality is essential to my jewellery making, ensuring that each piece embodies a dual purpose: wearable art with significant meaning.
My approach to jewellery making blends high-tech and low-tech processes. Utilising techniques ranging from computer-aided design to traditional methods like lost wax casting, etching and patina. I prioritise principles of repurposing, recyclability, and the safe disintegration of materials. Recycled brass and silver serve as the foundation of my creations, this aligns with my commitment to sustainable practices.
During my undergraduate studies, I researched PFAS—per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as forever chemicals and illustrated the public health risks posed by these substances through a collection of jewellery.
I made components for the jewellery from resized sink traps with the aid of CAD. Incorporated carpet, embroidery and nasal cannula (used to administer oxygen to hypoxic patients) to create a visual narrative representing the ways that PFAS are infiltrating our bodies within the domestic environment and that this is leading to PFAS accumulating in our bloodstream causing serious disease including cancers. The collection is designed to create visceral discomfort and generate discussion about a pressing public health issue that remains overlooked by the government.
Rachel Ward | Mixed Media | Devon
Rachel is a Textile Design Innovation Masters graduate from Devon who is passionate about combining traditional embroidery and textile techniques with laser cutting, 3D printing, photography and digital design to create colourful and imaginative pieces that provoke joy and awe.
Growing up in the Southwest Rachel has been continuously inspired by the euphoric feeling of the natural world, from the coast to the moors, the outdoors has had a large impact on her work. She aims to capture this in abstract shapes, ensuring the audience feels the natural world’s light and wonder without being tied to its literal appearance.
Rachel creates mixed-media pieces suitable for interiors, and accessories including bespoke embroidery/ beaded items and sculptures. She also has experience making large-scale installation pieces suitable for commercial and gallery use.
Jenna Barnes | Jewellery | Cornwall
I started my business from my kitchen table after the birth of my little girl in 2022. I needed to fit my business around my home life because I also have twin boys of primary school age, and my part time job in my local library was no longer a good fit. However it has been a dream come true to have the opportunity to pursue something that I have always wanted and have always been developing in my spare time.
I knew I wanted to make jewellery from a young age and went off to university to study Metal Work and Jewellery at Sheffield Hallam University and graduated in 2003. (After the first semester I transferred onto the fine art course, I felt I wanted to explore ideas and other materials). After graduating, I worked as an artist exploring mediums such as textiles and painting. I then went on to work for OnCourse SW, managing and teaching a wide range of art courses to adults. I also worked as an art tutor with young adults until my twins came along in 2016. I continued to experiment with materials and techniques and create jewellery in my spare time.
Now as my family grows up I hope I can continue to develop the visual identity of my work.
I am passionate about the qualities of the sterling and fine silver that I am working with and the processes which forms the work. As I play with form, shape and surface texture, ideas come to me. It is like there is a dialogue between myself and the work. The qualities of the silver, how malleable it is when forming, or the way that two pieces can be seamlessly be soldered together are so pleasing. Shapes I have come across through playing inspire new designs, and textures can create contrasts between different surfaces. Different finishes such as oxidised surfaces or highly polished can create an interesting visual dialogue within the same piece of work.
Adding stones for interest and reproducing leaves or shells found in nature also inform my work. Using techniques such as riveting, enamelling or engraving, is a great way to develop ideas in new ways, with the different elements I am developing and playing with at my work bench.
I am loving every minute of this journey and seeing where my creativity will take me next! I am not sure what creative ideas will come, as I work in a way in which allows many possibilities to develop, and I then make decisions on compositions and aesthetics which are the most elegant to form the design.
Jodie Bastow | Ceramics | Devon
I am a potter, painter and artist intrigued by the unconscious part of the self and working with my dreams to access this.
Universal ideas of beginnings, endings and cycles and how everything has a season inspire me to convey these complex ideas in tangible, interactive objects.
My hope is that my work inspires discussion in the viewer, asking them to question who it is they really are and how they live their life.
I work on the pottery wheel and use different types of glazes and firings to finish my pieces. I will be setting up my studio in Devon and building a kiln to create a cohesive set of techniques to convey the concepts of my work.
Funda Ersoysal | Ceramics | Cornwall
I am in constant dialogue with matter—listening, responding, and allowing it to assert its own agency. My practice as a ceramicist is rooted in primitive modern aesthetics, where raw simplicity intersects with transformation and expression. Engaging with eco-somatics and the embodied experience of neurodivergency, I investigate the tension between control and surrender, permanence and impermanence. Each gesture and form emerges from a negotiation between instinct and material resistance, revealing a space where time, presence, and process converge.
At the core of my work is an inquiry into the autonomy of materials, the ephemeral nature of creation, and the ways in which making becomes an act of self-ownership. In this ongoing exploration, the boundaries between self, matter, and time dissolve, leaving behind a record of embodied experience.
Currently, my focus extends to ethical sourcing practices—researching and gathering local clay waste and developing glazes from domestic discarded materials—continuing a practice grounded in care, sustainability, and deep material awareness.
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