Blog Archives

Adam Paxman

22/5/2013

Illustrator Adam Paxman is one of our newest artists at the Arts Hub, and when he agreed to be interviewed as part of this series I was delighted, as I am really interested in his work.

Adam is an talented illustrator, lecturer and prolific blogger, and he joined the co-op only last week. His bright and characterful digital prints of dogs and birds are sure to be popular in the shop and have attracted numerous admirers already.

Hi Adam! Tell me a bit about your work.
I work in different media, including traditional hand-pulled linocuts. I also write and illustrate short stories, as I'm interested in sequential art, experimental storytelling and comics.

So, you signed up to the Arts Hub last week?
Yes I did, I'm looking forward to becoming involved with the regular collaborative exhibitions. The prints I have available in the Arts Hub are illustrations that were hand-generated and then coloured digitally. They're framed and sell for £20 each. The images in the Arts Hub are of different dog breeds and a waxwing (bird). The dogs have been my bestsellers, so I'll be adding more breeds soon.

How did you become an illustrator?
I have worked as a freelance illustrator in the past, although that has taken a back seat in recent years due to my teaching commitments. I now produce illustrations to sell online and through shops like the Arts Hub. I trained as an illustrator and have an MA in illustration for children, so developing children's books is something I'd be interested in doing at some point.

And what's your proudest moment so far?
My proudest moment as an illustrator was probably sneaking my Burning Zebra character into the first two textbooks I ever had published. That, or organising a collaborative exhibition for my MA on a budget of zero!

Adam's framed prints, £20 each, are available in the shop

How do you like to work?
Mostly I draw in my living room after work, either hunched over my desk, perched at my computer or sprawled out on the floor while my girlfriend watches her soaps (don't tell my mum - she worries about my back). I prefer silence when I'm working but occasionally I listen to Philip Glass or classical composers. I try to eliminate distractions but I drink an absurd amount of tea.

Who's your biggest inspiration?
I'm terrible at picking favourites! My biggest inspiration is probably Mike Mignola, the creator of Hellboy. Anything drawn by Mignola is beautiful, macabre and makes me giddy!

What's your favourite thing for sale in the Arts Hub?
My favourite items for sale in the Arts Hub are the inventive glass and ceramic pieces by Andrew Moran. I have a beautiful set of his coasters and look forward to expanding my collection.

What do you get up to when you're not drawing then?
I love going out for meals with my girlfriend and friends - we recently moved house and are sampling the various culinary delights that Lark Lane has to offer!

What are you working on at the moment?
Over the next six months I will be adding to my various blogs and creating new work to sell online. Hopefully I'll be extending the range of prints available in the Arts Hub, too. I've already ordered some greetings cards, featuring some of my recent graphic montages.

And your plans for the next few years?
In the longer term I'd like to develop some books, whether that's through online self-publishing or more conventional means.

Adam's prints are available in the Arts Hub 47 shop now, for just £20 each (framed). They'd make a great gift for any proud pet owner.

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Peter Hamilton

14/5/2013

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The next of our members I spoke to is Peter Hamilton of Beatnik Framing, who is based in Princes Park.

Peter's high quality, bespoke frames have been a welcome addition to the Liverpool Art and Craft scene over recent years. However Peter's not just a framer - he's a talented photographer too, using vintage cameras and traditional darkroom processes to capture numerous local scenes in stunning black and white compositions.

Firstly can you tell me a bit about what you do and what you make?
I am primarily a picture framer and all my frames are completely hand crafted using locally sourced woods. I love going to the wood yard and buying up all the scrappy offcuts knowing the potential they have to be turned into something beautiful and finished. I sell at local craft fairs as well as Arts Hub 47 and have done framing for local artists and photographers as well as local companies, such as Leaf Tea Shop (I framed all the lovely prints they have in their upstairs space). I also do a bit of photography when I have the time!

How long have you been doing what you do?
I started picture framing around four years ago as a side project – I had started doing some pop art collages and wanted some box frames so I could make 3D versions of them. All the frames I looked at in the shops seemed expensive and not really what I was looking for so I started experimenting making my own and before I knew it framing had turned into my main passion! It was a lot harder than I thought it would be and it took over a year and a lot of learning before I had made anything I felt happy enough to sell but eventually it led to me taking the plunge into self employment. Its been quite an exciting process!

What made you start working as an artist/designer/crafter?
I think I have always been involved in something creative – growing up my sisters and I were quite imaginative and always making our own newspapers or constructing dens in the garden. At school my art teacher suggested I consider doing GNVQ art and design and as soon as she said it I was fixated on doing just that. It was a brilliant two year course and I got to try a bit of everything – life drawing, print making, photography, sculpture. I went on to do fine art at university after this and I think I definitely need a creative outlet in my life!

What's your proudest crafting moment so far?
I felt very proud at the first craft event I was accepted for. I had been going to local craft fairs for quite a while and always felt in awe at the standard of work at them. I was quite apprehensive applying for my first craft fair and I was made up to be selected. I think we have some amazing art and craft in Liverpool and I still feel very honoured to have my work out their alongside them!

Where, when and how do you work?
I have a workshop in my garden which is a converted garage. This is where I prepare all my wood and assemble the frames. It gets pretty noisy in there when I have my machinery on so I'm not often able to listen to the radio! If I'm doing something quieter like sanding or staining though my radio is set to BBC 6music, I love that you can hear something quirky you've never heard before on it mixed with some old classics (sign of age, I have no idea what's in the charts these days!). I also have a space in my house for mounting artwork and cutting glass, its quite important to have somewhere clean too. I try to work 9-5 but sometimes I find myself working into the evening, I find it hard to stop sometimes if I'm half way through something!

Which artist or designer is your biggest inspiration?
I love Parisian photographers from the 1930's like Brassai, Robert Doisneau and Willy Ronis. For me this is the golden age of photography, I'm a bit of a romantic about old cameras, using film and the smell of chemicals in the darkroom. I also love the artist Andy Goldsworthy, his work hits a spot where art and craft join that I think is really interesting. He uses very traditional processes, for example dry stone wall making, to creating really abstract and poetic pieces that fill the landscape. I saw his work in Yorkshire Sculpture Park last year and can't wait to go again.

What's your favourite item for sale in the Arts Hub?
There's so much excellent work in the Hub but my favourite piece is "To Blake", a ceramics work by Vicky Crossley. I love the muted tones in it and the strong use of line. It's also beautifully framed!

Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hopefully running a successful business and having a studio space in the centre of Liverpool. It's important to me to be working with more local artists and designers, maybe even employing an assistant. I would love to buy my own house and fill it with local art too!

Peter has a range of ready made frames in the Hub priced between £10-20 and also mounted prints of his photography for £11.50 each. He also volunteers one day a week in the shop, and is a member of the Arts Hub committee.

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Alison Little

10/5/2013

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Alison at work in Cheltenham

In the second feature about our talented co-operative members I spoke to Alison Little, a visual artist based in Anfield.

Alison works across many mediums, she's a talented painter but also uses upcycled clothing in an innovative manner to create a range of imaginatively named Sock Toys, a very popular product in the Arts Hub 47 Shop. Alison has also worked on a number of large scale commissions including Go Superlambanana, Go Penguin, Cheltenham Horse Parade and more recently the Nottingham Biennial.

Tell me about how you became an artist.
I was conceived an artist and have spent the moments since birth developing my practice, something which will continue throughout my life.

Where do you create your work?
I currently have an arts council funded studio in Chester, however much of my creativity comes later in the evening when I'm going at a much slower pace, when there's time to make changes and try new concepts. My creative intentions are formed in the middle hours of the night where ideas are born and shaped with the turning of the head with the pillow.

What's your career highlight so far?
Selling two of my Cyber Puppies to Debbie Harry’s children; and the creation of Cat Burglar, my favourite and most desired character. I started producing the Sock Toy around 2008 in line with the Capital of Culture celebrations. Many stitches have made many toys, much laughter has been had in the naming of numerous creations.

Close up of "Utopia" - £300

Various Sock Toys - from £4.50 each

Who inspires you?
Many artists have inspired me, I am currently interested in a number of leading figures such as Louise Gardener Embroideries, Tracey Emin’s earlier textile work, and Friz Freleng animations such as the Pink Panther.

Tell me about your involvement with the Arts Hub.
I became involved in the summer of 2012, and the shop fast became a key selling outlet for my work. My Sock Toys are regularly stocked and I often have wall based pieces in the temporary exhibition space on the first floor. I also volunteer at the shop on a Friday afternoon.

What's your favourite of your own pieces in the Hub right now?
The new collection of cows are my favourite of the Arts Hub Sock Toys, Utopia being the strongest of my exhibition pieces.

Various Sock Toys - from £4.50 each

Who's your favourite maker in the Hub at the moment?
I admire all of the work in the shop - from Sue Leach's knits to Libby Bower's cards; Grinning Cat neck pieces to Witty Heart's prints.

When are you happiest?
My happiest times are when my artworks are at their strongest, my unhappiest are when they are failing, then need to destroy a few forms as they are not working.

What are you up to at the moment?
I have several group shows in the pipeline and I am aiming towards my first debut solo exhibition within the next 12 months.

And your plans for the future?
In 5 years time I would like to still be having fun with the sock toys, a stronger exhibition portfolio within in the region in additional to the production some fine art textiles concepts which have been creating in my visual imagination for the last decade.

A variety of Alison's work is available now in the Arts Hub 47 shop. Prices start at £2.50 for cards, £4.50 for Sock Toys to moderately higher costs for larger pieces and wall based work.

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Helen Leigh Dolan

9/5/2013

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Flower Earrings - £7.50

Triangle Geometric Necklace - £12.50

In the first of a series of interviews with co-operative members I spoke to Helen Leigh Dolan, a jeweller based in Aigburth.

Helen designs and creates hand pierced minimalist, contemporary jewellery and modern metal artwork. Formerly trading under the name "Grinning Cat Designs", Helen is in the process of rebranding her business to "Helen Leigh Dolan". Her trademark brooches and necklaces are animal shapes cut by hand from reclaimed aluminum, however over the past year or so she has expanded her range to include geometric shapes, flowers and most recently beautiful wall art.

Tell me about how you became a jeweller.
I studied for a Bachelor of Design (BDes hons) specialising in silversmithing and textiles at Hope University. I've always enjoyed being creative and I love the design process.

Where do you create your jewellery?
I work in my makeshift workshop in my spare room listening to Kerrang! radio, when I'm not working in my day job as a florist.

What is your favourite material to work with?
It has to be aluminium, it's durable and light weight. It's appearance ranges from silver to dull grey and has amazing appeal when turned into jewellery. Using mainly reclaimed off-cuts, I allow the slight surface imperfections to add to the charm of a piece and enjoy the fact something previously unwanted has been turned into something beautiful.

Flower Collar Necklace - £30

Lambanana Brooch - £7

Geometric Dangle Earrings - £10

Who are your biggest inspirations?
Since my art college days, I've always been inspired by the work of Michael Brennand-Wood, a textile and mixed media visual artist and jewellery designer Wendy Ramshaw, especially her Picasso's Ladies, stackable rings which come on their own stand.

Tell me about your involvement with the Arts Hub.
I became a member in October 2012; I strongly believe in supporting local initiatives and I love the community ethos of the Hub. I sell my jewellery in the shop and I have been a committee member since January 2013. I attend monthly committee meetings and I am mainly involved with the marketing side of the co-operative.

What's your favourite thing for sale in the Hub at the moment?
Oooh, that's a difficult one! Lots of my friends have work in the shop, and of course I do love their work. However a new discovery for me was the chunky wood furniture made from sleepers. The big rectangular coffee table in the shop window at the moment (priced at £175) is definitely on my wish list.

When are you happiest?
I'm happiest when I'm walking, sketching or collecting shells on the beach, especially a beach in Cornwall with my husband!

Swallow Aluminium Bird Necklace - £12.50

Strolling Cat Brooch - £7

What are you up to at the moment?
I'm currently working on some metal artworks, something which is new for me and planning my autumn/winter jewellery collection, moving more into silver.

And what are your plans for the future?
In 5 years time I would love to be working for myself full time, creating some larger scale work.

A selection of Helen's jewellery is available in the shop, and priced from just £7 it's the perfect choice for those who value the bespoke quality of independent handmade products.

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Adam Paxman

Peter Hamilton

Alison Little

Helen Leigh Dolan

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