Lino Printing....

Cutting the lino by Mick Hodgson
Photo by Jo Howell

Lots of interesting work going on in the studio today. Mick was working hard on his lino cut of Durham Cathedral and it has turned out wonderful. He plans on showing his work at the craft fair in the  Arts Centre Washington so if you would like to order a special limited edition print then come along on the 2nd November 2013 and I am sure he would be happy to oblige.

Hand Printed Christmas Cards by The Art Studio
Photo by Jo Howell

It may be a bit early for Christmas but if you're an early bird then you may want to purchase some of our lovely Christmas card designs for someone special!

Keep up to date on Facebook or contact us via the website for more information.

Mudslinging again....

Christmas decorations (work in progress) by The Art Studio
Photo by Jo Howell

I say mudslingers but what I really mean is hard working ceramicists have been in The Art Studio once again, manically making vessels, decorations, and glazing furiously.

I hope you guys are ready to dig deep and support your local Arts and Mental Health Charity by purchasing some of our lovely handmade items from the craft fair in the Arts Centre Washington on the 2nd November 2013!

I will certainly be adding to my own collection of tree decorations as all of the proceeds go towards new projects in The Art Studio.

Ceramic bowl by Josie made in The Art Studio
Photo by Jo Howell

We are also in the process of finalising some dates for outreach work in the community, this is where we will be bringing The Art Studio to you!

On Wednesday November 20th 2013 and Saturday November 23rd 2013 between 1pm and 4pm, two of our artists will be offering free mono-printing taster sessions in the education room of the library in Fawcett Street, Sunderland.

Its completely free to take part and there are no age restrictions for the activity (although younger ones will need supervision). We will be taking our charming city of Sunderland as our inspiration you will learn the basics of creating your very own print.

There will be resource materials there for you to use but if you have specific photos or drawings of Sunderland that you would like to use then please bring them along.

Printing rollers from The Art Studio
Photo by Jo Howell

Our artists on the day will be Jo Howell and Karen Dodsworth who are both experienced print makers, so get yourself along for a free afternoon of creative printing!

Remember you can find out more information from our facebook and website.

Re-launch, new logo, new outlook....

This artwork holds pride of place and is hand painted by the group onto our reception area window. Using glass paints and one of Mick Hodgson's designs, the members of the group all stepped-up to take part in the production of the piece.

Since everyone had some ownership over this piece we decided to use this for the basis of a new logo to represent The Art Studio. We are still ironing out some of the ideas for the final logo but we will run with a vector version of the following design:

On another note everyone has once again been putting pedal to the metal where the Washington Arts Centre craft fair is concerned. New designs are being made which will include christmas cards, ceramics and other small handmade prints.

Please check out our new links page to find links to all of our artists blogs and websites.

Getting ready for the Craft Fair....

Hand Painted Glass candle holder by Polly Cotterel Art made in The Art Studio
Photo by Jo Howell Photography

The studio has been buzzing again with a lot of time and energy being put into the creation of craft items for our stall at the Arts Centre Washington craft fair on 2nd November 2013. Alongside some wonderful hand painted glass objects we will have lovingly handcrafted ceramics, prints, Christmas cards; and you will even be able to commission our member artists to create personalised works by paying a small deposit on the day.

The members have also been working very hard on their own online profiles- making new blogs and learning the power of social networking to share their work with the rest of the world.

Painting (work in progress) by Mac made in The Art Studio
Photo by Jo Howell Photography

You can check out our members blogs here:

Polly Cotterel Art

Mind Blown Art

Elaine-Marie Art

We will post more as the members progress and we will keep giving you a good rounded view of general goings-on via this blog or you can also follow us on facebook.

If you have any queries or you know of someone with a mental health problem who would benefit from this service then please head to our website and contact us via there, we are always looking for new additions to the group.

It's all go at the studio...

Ceramic Booties (work in progress) by Elaine made in The Art Studio
Photo by Jo Howell Photography

It's been full throttle ahead at The Art Studio Sunderland since we received our Big Lottery Funding, we have started regular ceramics workshops, printmaking workshops, and photography workshops alongside business support/mentorship.

There's been a great buzz around the studio with lots of our members coming in to take full advantage of the new program of activities.

Polly Cotterel Arts adds some finishing touches to the glass tea-light holders made in The Art Studio
Photo by Jo Howell Photography

In the coming months we are preparing for a craft fair in the Arts Centre Washington and a new exhibition showing a range of the members work at a venue in Gosforth. We'll keep you updated as we go along with photographs of the work as its being created, and if you want more information in the meantime please 'like' our facebook page by clicking here.