smaller the better???

Lately I have been making lots of coffee mugs and espresso cups for orders. Espresso cups are the smallest range of my work. Even they are small, the amount of work goes into are almost the same as other pieces. They are also rather fiddly to handle… a kind of pain this is. (and I don’t even drink espresso!!) Nevertheless as long as someone wants them, I shall carry on. The last one is a bit of fun. A baby cup for my new born niece. Guess that she won’t be using it as babies and ceramics won’t go well together of course, and by the time her mum teaches her not to break it, she won’t need this type of cup! It is so not practical I know but I love making these… xm  

CLAY2DAY

Last weekend was my first show abroad, CLAY2DAY in the Netherlands. Our trip to the Netherlands was a very pleasant one. First time we tried an overnight ferry, too. Beautiful sunset at Hull lead us a sound journey to Rotterdam. Driving in the Netherlands was not too bad either. It seemed to be all ok until we saw my soaking wet stand table. Everyone else were so used to do outdoor show like this, having tarpaulin, metal clips and all those weather proof gears… Us? All I was concerned about was the amount of stuff to put in our car, so we had minimised the gear. Hence we did not have any water proof material to protect my stand from overnight rain. Agh… So we headed to a local garden centre and DIY shop to search for a temporary solution. No time for sightseeing after all. Great start! Anyway, we had managed to cover the stand and returned to the accommodation without setting up the display. 

Next morning, the sky was on our side! Set off early to prepare the stand display. I had provided a full range of work, including the last stock of HELP JAPAN birds. Second day of the show was much better footfall. Sun was shinning all day. Really enjoyed being there. And the good news… HELP JAPAN birds were sold out! Thank you so much kind Dutch people. I shall blog about the donation process in the near future. Here are some photos of my stand. 

The venue, Landgoed De Olmenhorst, is an apple orchard. Truely beautiful surrounding with a fabulous deli, shop and cafe. Everything was organic. We had potter’s meal on Saturday evening at a farm house within the site. It was magical setting with huge piles of old apple crates, art of tree display, herbs on the long table and scrumptious organic meal… honestly it was so much like ‘kinfolk’ and we had a brill time. 

We have met lovely potters during our stay. I would like to introduce some of them here. Click their names to view the website. 

Sarah Michael is the organiser of this event. Without her kind offer, I would not have managed to join this event. A big thank you to Sarah. Her work is ever so colourful and a joy to see. 

Bob & Mary Kershaw are a couple from England. They showcase their work in Europe quite frequently so their approach and advice was very informative to me. Whilst Bob throws beautiful and confident pots, Mary creates imaginative sculptures. They also produce collaborative work. 

Marcin Witkowski is a Polish potter. Bright and bold decoration on majolica was very eye catching. I loved his poppy series in particular. Like many other potters, Marcin also often travels and showcases throughout the Europe. 

Somewhat reminded me of Robin Welch’s, the Dutch potter Job Heykamp’s work appeals breathtakingly beautiful texture and colours. He came to my stand and commented it’s like a fairly tale! (I shall take it as a compliment?) Lovely smile he had. Great to meet you, Job! 

If you have visited CLAY2DAY, thank you so much for coming! If not, hope you enjoyed viewing the images. xm

off to Netherlands!

Ceramics are packed. Display kits are ready. Just need them all to be fit in our car!? I’m off to the Netherlands for this weekend’s international ceramic festival CLAY2DAY. If you are nearby, please do come over! (I will be at stand no.6) xm

spring has come to my studio

Finally, (yes finally!) long winter has gone and spring is here! I am working for orders right now in my studio where no longer full blast of gas heating is needed. It’s just so nice to be able to feel the air is warmer and the day is getting longer. I even hung the washing outside today. (This is so important to me.) Blooming marvelous! Even work can get better when I feel so good? xm

post BCTF

Nerve racking BCTF has finished. Three days of my first ever experience in a such big trade show went unexpectedly well for me. I received many positive feedback and interests from potential customers, and now have got a huge list of orders that occupies me. How wonderful! I just have to crack on with working and more making now. Here are some images from my stand. Hope you like it. (click images to enlarge)

It is almost impossible to check out all exhibitors in a limited space of time, but I have managed to indulge myself with some wonderful makers’ productions. Here are my top four artists at the show. 

Ever popular Virginia Graham. I am also a big fan of her work. This gorgeous jug has now joined my obsessive jug collection. She even kindly offered to ‘swap’ with my work!! (Thank you so much Virginia!) You can view more of her stunning and colourful selections of ceramics here. 

Among so many jewellery makers, Clare Collinson’s pieces caught my eyes instantly. You see many resin jewellery work everywhere, but her work was well beyond the crowd for me. Like these pair of stud earrings with such a quirky message simply makes me smile. I absolutely love it! (Also I’ve noticed that she was a part of ‘Made with Love’ exhibition too.) You can view her lovely work more here. 

Another trip to fill my jug obsession. Vanessa Conyer’s ceramics are so light-as-a-feather. These bold yet rather nostalgic tones and print was so well suited to the altered shapes. I was drawn into this deep purple ones particularly, but her range of work are all fantastic. View more and enjoy her decadence here.  

Finally, I am delighted to share fab fellow new comer Hollies Handmade. Her stand was filled with dream and tickled my heart. In particular this pair of baby shoes made with wire and paper has completely stolen my heart. So cute! Visit her facebook here to find out more. xm

BCTF

it’s tomorrow!! 
wish me luck! 
xm

new website!

A wonderful news! 

(and this is not April fool!) 

My website is now on live!! 

Please go and have a peek here! 

Your feedback are welcome. 

(many many thanks to a talented friend Kevin!)

xm

smile maker of the week #8

This super cute sailboat piloted by a merry wobbler was a total custom made by fabulous Ann Wood. Beautiful vintage fabrics in my choice of colour. So so pretty, don't you think? I am sure many of you also adore her world. If you have not seen it yet, you know you must! (click here) 

Have a nice easter evenyone! xm

Hello Holland!

If you live in Europe or precisely in the Netherlands, you may be interested in this news. 

On 27th & 28th of April, I will be taking part in the international ceramic festival CLAY2DAY, which will be held at The Olmenhorst in Lisserbroek. This will be my first time to showcase my work abroad and also to visit the Netherlands! How exciting! There will be over 50 wonderful potters from the country and beyond, and I am very pleased to be sponsored by the event organiser as a new artist. (Many thanks to Sarah :) All ranges of my work will be on sale, including the new rakugaki series in the above photo. So if you are interested, please do put the dates in your diary. It would be lovely to meet my blog readers in person. 

For more information about CLAY2DAY, please click here. xm 

two years on

As of yesterday, two years has passed since Japan’s earthquake. Whether it’s small or large, I guess many people have had a different way of thinking about everyday life from that day. Be more prepared. Be more considerate. Be more appreciative to the ‘normality’ around you. Those who were affected directly may still be saddened, yet trying to enrich their new life with a little hope they can hold onto by doing whatever they can do right now. To me, the big day was like an enormous awakening too. The last two years has caused me to reflect on what I could do. Things must not be forgotten. I certainly haven’t. 

I would like to thank you for your huge support and contributions on my HELP JAPAN PROJECT. This fundraising project had run on two occasions via this blog and successfully made a huge donation to the area. Since last November, I have continued the project with special discount, titled HELP JAPAN PROJECT SPECIAL. 

Today I would like to use this opportunity to remind you that HELP JAPAN SPECIAL is still open. This will be the third phase of donation, for which I am aiming to support orphan trust fund in Miyagi prefecture. (this fund support those who lost parent(s) for their education in long term. Miyagi itself have over 1000 children accounted who lost parent(s).

If you are interested in, please do contact me. The details are below. 
Please feel free to spread the words. Your support can make a difference. 
Thank you. xm

PRICE

HELP JAPAN BIRD - £5 a pair. 30 pairs in stock. 

THE LIGHT OF HOPE - £25 each. Limited editions of 60, all numbered. Only 5 stock 3 left. (updated 15 March)

100% of proceeds will go to the donation.

Packaging & Post fees will apply to your order. (Please note that P&P includes a basic PayPal surcharges in order to maximise the donation.) If you order birds and candle holder(s), you will get 10% discount on the total of P&P. Here is the detail. (click the image to enlarge)  

PAYMENT

Payment method is PayPal. Once order has been made, I will email you a PayPal payment request. If you haven’t got a PayPal account, you can easily set up for free, or you can pay by credit or debit card. 

DELIVERY

Delivery will be by Royal Mail after the confirmation of payment. Please allow 10-15 days for an oversea delivery. Royal Mail is very reliable, however, if you would prefer special delivery, please let me know when you place an order. 

HOW TO ORDER

Please email me the following details with a subject "HELP JAPAN" :

1. Item(s) and amount you like to order

 e.g. a pair of birds, 1 x light of hope

2. Your Name

3. Your full postal address

4. (option) extra donation. please indicate in £ GBP. 

CLICK HERE TO ORDER

(if this does not work, please Email me to makikohastings@gmail.com) 

wedding project

These porcelain pieces are for the recent wedding project that I was asked to do. It was actually for my step daughter’s wedding last weekend, and my task was to create centre pieces for her wedding reception. After some discussions and consideration of the couple’s theme colour, black and creamy white, I decided to throw porcelain in a simple form but with a bit of personal touch. In the end, I made oval vases for the flowers on the top tables, round vases for the orchid as the centre pieces of the round tables and many candle holders to go around them, which are half embossed their names and half screen printed photographs of the couple. When they are lit, the letters and images would show up nicely. The result went well. The groom’s mother was especially delighted so I was pleased.

The wedding was great. Congratulations to the lovely couple! Wishing you both many more happiness to come. xm 

pretty madness

I am currently working toward next big event in April, British Craft Trade Fair. BCTF is one of the biggest trade show in Britain established since 1977, where over 500 exhibitors showcasing their ‘Made in Britain’ products to the professional buyers. I am delighted to be a part of this show as a new comer among many established artists and makers, but the pressure is paramount. I’ve experienced BCTF during my degree study and I found it quite daunting. As this is trade only and not really open to the general public, the atmosphere can be tense. What if no one shows any interests and being stood there for three days twiddling my thumb? Such worry popping into my head now and again. 

I wanted to make the range of work wider, but there was too little time to develop, after all I could not manage to extend much since last year. Reviewing prices a number of times. Sorting out my marketing materials and literature, photos to take, more documents to prep, website to complete etc. Planning a display is the hardest one. To make a small cubicle attractive, inviting and professional. To bring the feel to match my work, which hopefully helps finding my niche audience. Yet, I cannot spend huge resources on this and need to consider within my capability. Over the last few weeks, many many sketches and ideas have come and gone. I am still drawing. Only a month to go. Pretty madness is this. 

Only one benefit is that luckily I live very local to the venue. Some are coming a long way. Any last minute hiccups, I may still be able to sort out. (Well, I hope…) And the good news is that an image of my porcelain lilypad has appeared on their invitations and the advertisement in the latest issue of Ceramic Review magazine! I am very flattered. 

Anyway, unless you try it you will never know what may happen next. So fingers crossed for all being good. xm 

P O T C A N F L Y

experimenting with new forms. 'hanetsubo' flying vases. xm