Tag: modern folk art

Artist Support Pledge

Hooperhart

I don’t know about you, but I’m finding the period we’re in at the moment more of a challenge than when we were in full lockdown; normality is returning, but not necessarily the good aspects (traffic levels springs to mind), and other things are still a very long way off (cultural hubs re-opening etc)…I think I accepted and adjusted to lockdown in the knowledge that it was a temporary situation, and in a few months we would return to our old lives and move on.

Of course it’s not proving to be that straightforward, and the ‘new normal’ is a pale imitation of our old lives – another way of living which we have to accept and adjust to all over again. Thousands of people have no jobs to return to and thousands more are facing the same prospect in the coming months; tourism and culture (both a hugely vital part of the Uk economy) will struggle to recover from the effects of COVID-19 for years to come.  I actually feel more anxious and pessimistic than I did 4 months ago. So, to try and gee myself up a bit I’ve decided to take part in the Artist Support Pledge.

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Artist Support Pledge is “a culture and economy in support of artists and makers established and led by artist Matthew Burrows on 16th March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is now a global movement of connected communities committed to an equitable and sustainable economy for artist and makers of all countries, media and ethnicities”. The concept is a simple one – when an artist/maker sells £1000 worth of their work, they pledge to spend £200 on other artists’ work. It is mostly focused around Instagram but I’ll also be posting about it on my Facebook page.

As we approach the tail-end of summer (!!!!) I would normally be starting to plan ahead for the autumn and winter’s markets and fairs, but these are very much up in the air at the moment, which is a huge concern. So I’m hoping the Artist Support Pledge will generate some sales and of course enable me to spend money on lovely things (I’ve already compiled a want list)!

Thanks for reading x

What’s in the Box?

Hooperhart

There’s always a bit of a post-festive lull here at Hooperhart Headquarters; stock has been depleted to the point of non-existence, I don’t have any trade fairs to prep for, and if I’m honest, I use January as an excuse to take things a little easy. It’s a time to contemplate the year ahead and consider how I want to develop and avenues I fancy exploring…to mix things up a bit I’ve signed up for a weekend course using a material which couldn’t be more different to wood, but more on that at a later date!

In the meantime, I’ve been thinking about making more boxed dioramas and developing the storytelling aspect of them in a visual way. I started making them in 2017, initially using domino boxes and wooden cubes:

I’m always on the lookout for interesting boxes which will be suitable for housing little worlds – towards the end of last year I found some with lovely little clasps and lids:

They’ve gradually become more elaborate, and I’ve started using transfers alongside screenprinting and painting as a way to get fine detail and text onto the boxes and their interiors:

So far the boxes have all been fairly small but I’ve recently acquired some larger boxes which I want to use but I’m concerned the little scenes I have in mind might lose their charm the bigger they get…I could certainly fit plenty of detail in though. I’ve even been considering designing some around a character from literature – and I usually steer well clear from actual humans in my work! Sometimes you need to step out of your comfort zone, we’ll see…I’ll continue to mull this one over – first step is to sit down with the sketchbook and put pencil to paper…

Thanks for reading 🙂

Festive Fairs 2019

Hooperhart

Well, it’s nearing the end of October (in my last post I was bemoaning the fact it was nearing the end of July!) so I should quickly draw your attention to all the festive fairs I have coming up over the next 6 weeks or so.

First up we have Tea Green Events’ contemporary craft market at Bowhouse in St Monans – I’ll be there on Sunday 10th November:

The following weekend I’ll be back with Tea Green at Glasgow’s Kibble Palace for a full weekend of fun!

On Saturday November 23rd you can find me in Perth for Perthshire Creates Design Market at Civic Hall

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I’ll be staying in Perthshire for the Dunning Craft Fair at Dunning Village Hall on Sunday November 24th:

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On Saturday November 30th I’ll be back in Glasgow for Etsy Made Local at the Briggait

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The following day, December 1st, I’ll be at the Engine Works with Super Market Christmas 

And for my final fair of the season I will be back with Tea Green at Kibble Palace on December 7th & 8th.

Also, I’m very happy to have had a framed diorama accepted for the annual Edinburgh MacMillan Art Show raising funds for MacMillan Cancer Care,  which you can catch from 7th – 10th November at The Apex Waterloo

As always, you can check the shop page for dates and details.

I’ll be back soon with some pictures of what I’ve been making recently but until then I look forward to seeing you at a market soon!

Thanks for reading 🙂