Jane Dzisiewski

Rapid Update: Hothouse, GNCCF, Shipley Art Gallery, Made By Hand

2011-11-28T11:25:00.017Z

I have been remiss with my blog updates of late, so this is a rapid catchup.

Crafts Council UK Hothouse 2011 was officially launched back in September. It has been amazing so far and the other makers are incredibily talented. I feel very fortunate to be part of this programme - a feeling which grows more and more with every session I attend. I cannot recommend enough to other makers, to apply in the future if they get the chance.


Sound Wear Red Hat by Hanna Nielsen - Hothouse North Cohort

In October I exhibited at the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair 2011 (GNCCF) at Spinningfields, Manchester. It was at a new venue this year at Quay House - the best aspect of this being the fabulous display in the reception area showcasing the Great Northern Graduate and One Year On makers. This space was sponsored by Manchester based interior and design specialists Ferrious, curated by Kelda Savage (Ferrious), and it looked fantastic.

GNCCF 2011 - Great Northern Graduates and Ferrious

The GNCCF was a great chance to meet a new audience and talk with galleries and makers. I was mighty pleased to be awarded a prize for Best Innovative Maker (sponsored by The Plantation Rug Company), which I will gaze at fondly when weeks worth of experiments have all gone pear shaped.

Jane Dzisiewski - Best Innovative Maker

My work was also selected for the new Shipley Art Gallery exhibition 'Christmas Present', which showcases work from 11 artists, who were all nominated by craft experts from across the UK. Therefore a big thank you goes to Kate Day, Director at Manchester Craft & Design Centre, for putting my name forward for this opportunity. The show runs from now until 24th December 2011.

Jane Dzisiewski - Christmas Present / The Shipley Art Gallery 2011

Finally, this week I am off to South Wales for Made By Hand 2011 at Tredegar House, Newport and I will be one of 150 selected makers exhibiting. The Fair runs from Friday 2nd December until Sunday 4th December.

Hothouse 2011 Crafts Council UK - via the Design Initiative

2011-09-06T11:17:00.022+01:00

Design Initiative

It is now official, (see above), as opposed to when I blurted out the news at the end of the June - (please read here).

I am extremely grateful to have been offered this amazing opportunity, and very much looking forward to the induction day in London next week.

I have been selected for the Hothouse 2011 North cohort, but there is also a South West Textiles and a Goldsmiths' Institute Cohort.

Jane Dzisiewski - Crafts Council Hothouse 2011 North Cohort

Full list of all the Crafts Council UK Hohouse 2011 participants with links where applicable:

Amy Bear, Aimee Betts, Eleanor Bolton, Emma Bradbury, Kevin Brook, Hannah Felicity Dennis, Jane Dzisiewski, Amelia Fever, Lucy Jane Foakes, Helen Foot, Jasmin Giles, Anna Glasbrook, Mahtab Hanna, Zehava Hashai-Spellman, Tortie Hoare, Anna Collette Hunt, Zoe Lloyd, Hanna Nielsen, Elizabeth Peers, Carly Petit-Taylor, Helen Smith, Rhian Solomon, Thorody, Ellen Thomas, Victoria Walker, Sarah Warsop and Janice Zethraeus.

Moulds, Resin Blocks and Bangles

2011-07-31T13:58:00.020+01:00

It was out with the silicone again this week to make a new mould based on drawings of the Jaume Plensa exhibit at Yorkshire Sculpture Park. I also made new moulds from a couple of bangles and got started on pieces for both the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Designers Eclectic at Manchester Craft & Design Centre.

Masters fixed in place within plastic boxes

My able assistant, (my son Freddy), mixing the silicone and the catalyst together.

In goes the silicone and wait 24 hours for this to cure...

...leaving plenty of time to now walk Bonny, who was completely
underwhelmed with this whole process.

24 hours later, Freddy was given the task of choosing a painting on which to base the colours.

He selected a painting by Edouard Vuillard, and all the colours mixed to make the bangles
were inspired by the painting on the front cover of the book.

This is where my training as a textile designer comes in very handy, using the pastes
to make resin colours in a similar way one would as if they were paints.

The aftermath.

Hopefully we'll get some decent weather next week, so that I can get outside and sand and polish all of the above.

Made by Britain - Associate Parliamentary Manufacturing Group

2011-07-08T08:38:00.009+01:00

The Associate Parliamentary Manufacturing Group (APMG) has just launched Made By Britain..

"Made By Britain is a project of the APMG, designed to address the reputation problems facing the manufacturing sector. All 650 MPs have been asked to find a product that is manufactured in their constituency today. The objective is to draw up a diverse and comprehensive picture of contemporary British industry."

MPs will be able to nominate products, but we mortals have been invited to contribute to this process by writing to our MPs with suggestions. Information on how to do this in on the website here. There is also information on the background of the project and a list of the nominations so far.

Crafts Council UK - Hothouse Programme 2011

2011-06-28T09:38:00.024+01:00

It appears that the craft gods are smiling on me this week. I have been hovering around my inbox for days, and happily for me, when that email came from Crafts Council UK yesterday, it was one containing good news. Therefore I can announce, (and with considerable excitement I might add), from September 2011 until March 2012, I will be taking part in the Hothouse 2011 programme.

In its second year, Hothouse is an initiative run by Crafts Council UK, (with selected partners), which aims to support emerging makers. Last years collective were a very impressive bunch, so I feel extremely honoured to have been chosen. They are all presently working on a joint exhibition of their work, which will take place at Pitzhanger Manor House, Ealing - Portraits in the making (21st Sep - 12th Nov 2011), curated by Greg Parsons. There are seventeen makers in total from different disciplines, all exploring the process of making, in response to Pitzhanger Manor. They are recording their respective journeys on a blog, and you can also follow Hothouse 2010 on Facebook and Twitter.

They are breeding..(work for Yorkshire Sculpture Park)

2011-06-23T08:39:00.003+01:00

One week left until deadline for delivery. I keep arranging work into groups and then counting pieces - and then rearranging them again. This is not helping at all, however I have managed to mount some of these stones over the past few days..

Jane Dzisiewski
Work for Yorkshire Sculpture Park Jewellery Showcase - 8 July-4 September, 2011

In need of fresh air to clear my head before I start today. I'm off to walk my dog and count some cars instead.

Stylist Magazine - Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair 2011

2011-06-21T08:13:00.007+01:00

I have been very fortunate to have my work selected for this years Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair (GNCCF) at Spinningfields, Manchester.

The GNCCF PR Katy Barraclough went to London last week, armed with press packs and samples of some of the makers work for this years fair. One of my bangles was given to the fashion journalist, Morag Paterson from Stylist Magazine - and lucky for me, (and thank you Morag), she liked my bangle so much that she featured it in Morag's Summer Style Diary on Tuesday 14 June.

That picture may well be small, but I assure you that the bangle was perfectly formed and all handmade by me!

Jaume Plensa Design - (YSP site specific work)

2011-06-19T07:21:00.014+01:00

For the past six weeks, I've been working with the clever beans over at Lairdside Laser Engineering Centre (LLEC), as part of the knowledge exchange in lasers project (KE-Las). They do some incredible work over there, and they are helping with the masters I make for my resin pieces. Hopefully, I will be able to make larger moulds than I have been doing previously, which could open up new creative possibilities and outcomes.

One of my new designs for Yorkshire Sculpture Park is based on the Jaume Plensa exhibit which is showing there until 22.1.12.

Jaume Plensa - Yorkshire Sculpture Park
(Inspiration for the design below)

This is the design LLEC are creating a master of, from a drawing which was made of the sculpture above.

Jane Dzisiewski
Jaume Plensa design for Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Jaume Plensa - Yorkshire Sculpture Park

I'm delivering my work to YSP for my jewellery showcase the week after next. The showcase will run from 8 July until 4 September 2001.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park - work in progress

2011-06-18T16:35:00.007+01:00

I've been holed up in the Craft bunker for a good few weeks and that Yorkshire Sculpture Park deadline is fast approaching. I've been making new work for my jewellery showcase at YSP and the ball is well and truly rolling on my site specific projects.

This is what my desk looks like at the moment..

Jane Dzisiewski's magical world of making and controlled chaos

Some of the stones I've been working on..

Jane Dzisiewski
Resin stones for Yorkshire Sculpture Park

A few finished pieces..

Jane Dzisiewski
Work for Yorkshire Sculpture Park

There's nothing like a heart pumping deadline to focus ones efforts.

CONSTRUCTIONS - Manchester Craft & Design Centre

2011-05-17T16:32:00.005+01:00

Jane Dzisiewski
Handmade resin stone, mounted in silver and gold

CONSTRUCTIONS - CREATING, BUILDING, CONSTRUCTING

A unique exhibition highlighting the different methods, techniques and processes used by some of Manchester's leading contemporary craftspeople

Eve Redmond, Jane Dzisiewski, Lucy Elsie Harvey, Carly Petitt-Taylor, Sadie Blythin, Janet Worral

Manchester Craft & Design Centre (Divinity) - 14 May - 28 August 2011

Work in progress for CONSTRUCTIONS - (exhibition at Manchester Craft & Design Centre)

2011-05-17T16:30:00.006+01:00

Resin block with pencil drawing of the
proposed stone

Cut out and sanded

Fine sanding and polishing - (taking advantage of a rare, sunny afternoon)

Polished resin stone ready to mount

CONSTRUCTIONS will run from 14 May - 28 August 2011 at Manchester Craft & Design Centre. The launch event coincided with that of The Walking Dead: Drawings in plastic by Clare Knox-Bentham.

Cutting Resin Stones for Jewellery Showcase at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

2011-04-27T07:33:00.024+01:00

I've been making good use of the dry weather and working outside cutting and sanding new stones. I need to make 35 pieces of work for Yorkshire Sculpture Park by the end of June. As I've mentioned before, part of this work will come from new designs inspired by the grounds and the exhibits, (currently Jaume Plensa), at YSP, and the rest will be made from my existing designs. As well as writing about my YSP project, I thought I would document creating some finished work from the initial stages of cutting blocks of resin into stones. However, I think I ought to precede this with part of my jewellery backstory. Also, for the benefit of people who are unfamiliar with my work, I have interspersed images of finished pieces throughout this post, to give an idea of how the resin looks when it is polished and mounted.

My first experience with resin was when I was at college. Our 1st year plastics tutor Sarah Thirlwell, had asked us to bring in a selection of interesting organic or manmade items to use in the demonstration she was to give us all. Having neglected to do so, this involved a last minute dash around the studio to find odd strands of wool, pieces of plastic, feathers and scraps from the metal drawer. A lunchtime scarper to Fred Aldous to make a purchase of a few tubs of detritus that looked like they had been swept up after a tic-a-tape parade, and I was good to go.

That first afternoon, Sarah patiently showed us the basics of mixing resin with the hardener and we all plopped our chosen artifacts into the clear resin, with varying degrees of success. Mine was one of the worst by a mile. My best efforts were two army action figures simulating a sexual act, followed by 'The Swan Lake Massacre' - feathers, sparkles and netting shoved into an ice cube tray filled with resin. It was ground breaking stuff.

Over the following weeks I focused on experimenting with colour in my samples. My design background is in printed textiles (where colour is paramount), and all the resin and plastics work I researched was lacking subtly of colour - straight from the pot. My second goal was to introduce another element to the resin which enhanced my design, rather than becoming the focal point of the piece. I wanted to work with the material (resin), rather than relegating it to a supporting role, i.e. see how lovely Aunty Vera's hair/teeth/favourite object d'art looks encapsulated in resin.

After 6 weeks of 12hrs work a day, I managed to produce my first resin bangles, and designs which I still use today. I also required two courses of antibiotics to clear up an infection which had developed in my thumb - sanding injuries exacerbated by resin dust, sintered metals and blood, sweat and tears.

One of six designs. The shape for these came from drawings I made of
Japanese textiles.

A later incarnation of one of my early Japanese stencil designs - neutral colours,
sintered brass inclusions and for the first time, a subtle use of pattern

Throughout the project, we discussed our successes and failures - our samples and eventually, our finished pieces. The predominant feedback was how difficult a medium this was to work with, because so many things had gone wrong for so many people, from melting plastic cups of resin, through to resin that refused to set. Our tutor Eve, had been constantly telling us that we must strive to find our own unique style, method or process. I figured that resin might be worth further investigation, because it was so challenging and therefore scared people off.

Blocks of resin in the unpromising early stages

This uninspiring lump, is a block after a quick blast on the belt sander. This gets rid of the top layers of resin and sintered metal residue, so that I can at least make out the pattern and some of the colours underneath. Below, the same block has been sanded further, and the alluminium and silver can be seen within the tree pattern.

Tree design - this evolved from a drawing I made of the tree which is situated
outside my studio window

Bandsaw and belt sander outside in the garden. My faithful companion, Bonny
is lying in her favourite spot, watching me work

The pictures above and below show how the blocks look after they have been further sanded. At this stage, I then decide how best to carve these up by drawing possible stone shapes on the surface.

Cutting up the larger resin blocks into manageable pieces

This is a cross section through the resin slab, showing the many different layers
within a block

After I've decided how a block is going to used, I cut around the pen marks using a bandsaw. The pendant below is similar in size to the stone cut out above.

Jane Dzisiewski

The photographs of the Izar design to follow, were inspired by stones from the River Izar in Munich. Whilst over in Germany for Schmuck 2008 and doing the rounds seeing all the satellite exhibitions in the many galleries and ateliers there, at the JAMES exhibition (this link is to their 2011 exhibition), I gravitated towards some lovely pebbles. It transpired that they belonged to a maker called Christine Graf. She told me to leave my details and that she would collect some from the banks of the River Izar and send them to me. True to her word, a package arrived a few weeks later containing not only stones, but also a bag of chocolates which had been inspired by them!

Izar design

Obviously the colours seen here are nothing like those of the original stones (although I have done several blocks in their more neutral colours). When I'm making blocks, I might use bits of fabric, paintings or photographs to inspire the choice of colours used on any given day.

Izar design

Jane Dzisiewski: Izar design - pendant and ball chain

A selection of stones after first sand

Jane Dzisiewski: Tree and Japanese Stencil design

A selection of stones after first sand (belt sander)

Crochet design

Jane Dzisiewski: Crochet design - Brooch

Tree design

Jane Dzisiewski: Tree design - Pendant & handmade chain

After second sand using Dremel

The design for the brooch below, evolved from the piece of crocheted silver set within the resin. I made a drawing of this, which I then used to create the decorative silver back as well as the block of resin, from which I cut the tear drop stone.

Jane Dzisiewski: Crocheted Stone design - brooch

For the next two weeks I will be sanding and polishing the stones I've cut, as well as producing work for an exhibition at Manchester Craft & Design Centre, called Constructions. This is a unique show highlighting the different methods, techniques and processes used by some of Manchester's contemporary craftspeople. Other makers taking part are Eve Redmond, Lucy Harvey, Carly Petitt-Taylor, Sadie Blythin and Janet Worrall.

Jaume Plensa Exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

2011-04-16T08:36:00.012+01:00

I went to Yorkshire Sculpture Park again yesterday. It's half term, so it was a great opportunity to immerse my son Freddy in a bit of culture. Also, when I went last week, the Jaume Plensa exhibit wasn't fully open to the public, so this was my first chance to see the work inside the Underground Gallery.

50 metre curtain of poetry made of suspended steel letters

Jaume Plensa - Yorkshire Sculpture Park 2011

These are breathtaking - and the pictures do not show their ethereal quality

There are pulsating lights above these sculptures, which has the effect of making the carved
stone pieces look like holographic images

Jaume Plensa - Yorkshire Sculpture Park 2011

After three trips to Yorkshire Sculpture Park in the past month, I've now got enough research and ideas to make work to fill twenty of their cabinets - I just need to pull my finger out and get on with it now.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park - Jewellery Showcase

2011-04-12T17:13:00.009+01:00

Last Thursday I took a trip to Yorkshire Sculpture Park, to gather research for new work I am doing as part of my Jewellery Showcase there in July/August. Since my previous visit, the David Nash exhibition has come down, and finishing touches were being made to the Jaume Plensa exhibit, which promises to be as equally amazing as its predecessor. The full exhibition only opened to the public on Saturday, but I managed to take a few shots of the outside exhibits I had access to..

YSP staff member unwittingly giving a sense of scale
It was very surreal seeing these forms within the Yorkshire landscape

The Underground Gallery

On top of the roof of the Underground Gallery

The Gardens

The Gardens - detail

The Gardens

From these photographs, my initial response will be to create two new resin designs to use in approximately half of the work I supply for my YSP Showcase. The rest will come from existing designs in my portfolio.

A few weeks ago I showed my friend and fellow maker Lucy Harvey some of the processes behind making the resin blocks. She suggested that I record selected parts of the journey from the design stage, through to the finished pieces, as she had not realised how much work was involved in making my resin stones and bangles. I like to challenge people's perceptions about what is valuable, and evidencing my toils in this way seems like a pretty good way to do this.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Advice for rank amateurs

2011-04-11T10:08:00.005+01:00

Folksy Blog – Photography Tips

I just stumbled upon this series on the Folksy Facebook page, which I thought might be useful to share. It is written by Jo Bradford, who is currently photographer in residence at Plymouth College of Art & Design.

This is a fortnightly blog written primarily for people who sell on line, but is also useful for people like me, who rely on photographs to record their work on a daily basis, but are completely clueless.

I really should have married a photographer and not a cameraman - that was very poor planning.

BUSINESS: Craft Trade Fair Dos and Don'ts – advice from the British Craft Trade Fair

2011-04-02T08:38:00.005+01:00

The British Trade Craft Fair (BTCF) starts this weekend - Sunday 3rd April - Monday 5th April. In this article for UK Handmade Magazine, the BTCF Organiser, Margeret Bunn, shares her top tips for those thinking about doing trade fairs.

BUSINESS: Craft Trade Fair Dos and Don'ts – advice from the British Craft Trade Fair
This article was originally published in the Autumn 2010 issue of UK Handmade Magazine.

Image taken at the 2010 BCTF by Michael J Oakes Photography

Schmuck and Fair applications

2011-04-01T16:42:00.012+01:00

It’s been a busy few weeks. All Fair applications are now done and out of my hands. This is a hideous process for makers, which involves trying to give a room full of strangers a good reason to choose your work over that of 100+ others, with only 50 words and 6 photographs at your disposal. The eternal struggle with photographs and which best to use as usual took up far too much time, and has therefore pushed this aspect of my work up my priority list of ‘nuts to crack’. The need to be able to take consistently good shots in a controlled environment is vital for me, not only for Fair applications but also because it is a major part of how I work and move projects on.

I went to Munich the week before last with Eve Redmond, (my ex-tutor and now neighbour at Manchester Craft & Design Centre), and Angela Mann and Ann-Marie Franey, (organisers of the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair). It is impossible not to have fun with this bunch, but it was also great for Eve and me to introduce Angela and Ann-Marie to the incredible contemporary craft event of Schmuck.

Schmuck is the oldest exhibition of contemporary jewellery work in the world and since 1959, has taken place every year during the International Trade Fair in March. Over time, satellite exhibitions have sprung up all over Munich in the many galleries and ateliers there - far too many for us to see during the 3 days of our visit.

Whilst in Munich I managed to delete all my photographs from my camera - (I got a bit a punchy when over excited in a gallery). This means another trip to Yorkshire Sculpture Park, as the pictures lost were the starting point for the work I’m making for my jewellery showcase there in July and August.

2011-03-11T08:56:00.004Z

As this is my first post, the tendency would be to over think what I'm going to write and gaze at the computer, devoid of thought. So I thought I'd tackle this the same way I start a new sketchbook - stop faffing and just get something down.

I'm off to Fred Aldous today with fellow jeweller and harbinger of fun times, Lucy Harvey. It's application time for several craft fairs for which photographs are required, and Fred Aldous have a small photography studio, which they bravely rent out to clueless fools.

Incidentally, the profile picture I am using at the moment was taken by photographer, Ed Chadwick. Ed is owner of a fabulous gallery in Hebden Bridge, called Snug.