Open Studio/Craft Sale

Date: Saturday 1st December

Time: 11am-5pm

If you are looking for some interesting Christmas present bargains, look no further than Flowerfield Arts Centre on Saturday December 1st. On that day resident craft artists Adam Frew (ceramics) and Catherine Keenan (glass) will be selling some of their beautiful pieces directly from their studios. Also taking part will be a number of Adam and Catherine’s friends, specially invited craft artists – so there will be many opportunities to pick up a perfect Christmas gift or something unusual for your own home. There will also be glass lampworking demonstrations on the day, and all are welcome to attend – the event will only run on Saturday December 1st, from 11am to 5pm. 

Drawing by Adam Frew!

Gail Mahon Exhibition Film

This is a film of Gail Mahon's solo exhibition at Flowerfield Arts Centre Gallery.  'Elemental Twitch: The Middle Mass Findings' was an exhibition of mainly ceramics, along with mixed media that spanned the two large gallery spaces.

Film by Adam Frew

Jewellery Workshops, perfect for Christmas gifts!

Flowerfield Arts Centre will host three jewellery making saturday workshops as part of their Christmas Craft programme.  Whether in sterling silver or glass, this is the perfect opportunity to make your own unique Christmas presents!!

Call: 028 7083 1400 to book a place

Glass Beadmaking for Jewellery

Tutor: Catherine Keenan
Date: Saturday 24th November
Time: 10am-4pm
Fee: £45 includes materials
Max: 6 students

Participants will each work on a flame torch to experience manipulating molten glass to create beads.  They will learn various techniques in lampworking, such as making round, cylindrical, flat and bi-cone shapes and also adding pattern, eg. dots and stripes.

Silver Jewellery Making

Tutor: Diane Lyness

Date: Saturday 1st December

Time: 10am-4pm

Fee: £45 includes materials

Max: 10 students

Each participant will be taught some traditional jewellery making techniques such as piercing, soldering, rolling, annealing and filing, enabling them to design and make a beautiful piece of jewellery to take home. 

Glass Beadmaking: Earrings

Tutor: Catherine Keenan

Date: Saturday 15th December

Time: 10am-4pm

Fee: £45 includes materials

Max: 6 students

Participants will learn the basics of lamp working, experiment with form and pattern application.  They will also focus on techniques of creating matching beads to make their own earrings.

Gail Mahon Exhibition

A conceptual ceramics exhibition of epic proportions opened at Flowefield Arts Centre last Saturday.  Renowned cerebral ceramicist Gail Mahon launched her elegant, site specific exhibition of pieces and installations, entitled 'Elemental Twitch: The Middle Mass Findings', that are the culmination of a lengthy investigation of the material and ideas.

She says of her work:
"I love to play with the possibilities in interaction and immediacy through multiple part arrangements; using configurations, fragmented ideas and surreal elements in order to assemble objects, which reference themes of the subconscious, memory, incompleteness, structure and movement."

The exhibition will run until 3rd November at Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart.

'Tube Loop Choke Hold'

'White Tunnel Run'

'Black Tunnel Diamond'

'The Landing'

Detail of 'The Landing', crushed crockery and slip-cast bee!

'Elemental Twitch' Ceramics Exhibition

Ceramicist Gail Mahon is bringing her acclaimed touring exhibition to Flowerfield Arts Centre.  With new additional sculptural and installation works this should be an inspiring and unique exhibition and definitely worth calling in for! Opening reception, 12pm on 6th October. The exhibition is running until 3rd November.

Creative Classes: A new term begins

In just a few weeks Flowerfield's term of creative evening and day classes will begin.  There's something for everyone.  From ceramics, warm glass and patchwork to painting, drawing and digital photography.

 For information and bookings call us on: 028 7083 1400

Or email on:  info@flowerfield.org.

Adam Frew's pottery class: Wednesday evening

Natasha Duddy's Warm Glass Class: Monday Afternoon and Evening

Monday

Beginners’ and Improvers’ Oils & Acrylics

10.30am to 12.30pm

Tutor: Penny Ramalho

Starts September 24 for ten weeks

Fee: £62, £55 concession

Intermediate Warm Glass

3-5.30pm

Tutor Natasha Duddy

Starts September 24 for eight weeks

Fee: £95, £88 concession - this fee includes the cost of kiln firing and some materials – students can purchase additional materials for their projects if they wish.

Beginners’ & Improvers’ Warm Glass

6.30-9pm

Tutor: Natasha Duddy

Starts September 24 for eight weeks

Fee: £95, £88 concession - this fee includes the cost of kiln firing and some materials – students can purchase additional materials for their projects if they wish.

Watercolours

7-9pm

Tutor: Alison Wilson

Starts September 24 for ten weeks

Fee: £62, £55 concession

Tuesday

Intermediate Digital Photography

2-4pm

Tutor: Steve Lowry

Starts September 25 for ten weeks

Fee: £62, £55

Oils & Acrylics

7-9pm

Tutor: Keith Stynes

Starts September 25 for ten weeks

£62, £55 concession

Intermediate Digital Photography

7-9pm

Tutor: Steve Lowry

Starts September 25 for ten weeks

Fee: £62, £55

Wednesday

Patchwork

2-4.30pm

Tutor: Ann Rickerby

Starts October 3rd for eight weeks

Fee: £62, £55 concession

The Art of Drawing

7-9pm

Tutor: Derek McAfee

Starts September 26 for ten weeks

Fee: £62, £55 concession

Sculptural Ceramics

7-9pm

Tutor: Adam Frew

Starts September 26 for eight weeks

Fee: £77, £70 concession – includes materials costs and costs associated with kiln firings.

Friday

Friday Art Club

10.30am-12.30pm

Tutor: Penny Ramalho

Starts September 28 for ten weeks

Fee: £62, £55

Getting Started in Digital Photography

11.15am-1.15pm

Tutor: Kathy Stewart

Starts September 28 for ten weeks

Fee: £62, £55 concession

Introduction to Digital Photography Editing

2-4pm

Tutor: Kathy Stewart

Starts September 28 for ten weeks

Fee: £62, £55 concession

Summer Ceramics

Resident potter Adam Frew taught several courses throughout the summer.  Flowerfield Arts Centre runs a very popular month long programme of classes for children during the school holidays.  Adam taught ceramics to a group of 8-11 year olds.  Their project was to create a ceramic model inspired by the original georgian building here at the centre.  The results were very imaginative and impressive!

He also taught two four day master classes.  The focus was on throwing on the potter's wheel.  Students had the opportunity to work in porcelain and the pieces were later gazed and fired using Adam's techniques.  All of the students surprised themselves with the progress they could make in just 4 days, and everyone went away with a lot of nice pots!!

'Flowerfield House' ceramic pieces by 8-11 year olds!

Adam's master class

August Craft Masterclasses

Resident artists Adam Frew and Catherine Keenan will be teaching several masterclasses in August, offering the opportunity of learning techniques from these experienced makers.

 

2 Day Glass Beadmaking Classes

 

-7th+8th August

-28th+29th August

10am-4pm each day

Tutor: Catherine Keenan

Glass maker Catherine Keenan will teach the unique process of making a glass bead on a gas fueled lampworking torch.  Learn how to work with the molten material, ways of achieving different shapes and how to apply a variety of patterns.

Maximum 6 students.

Fee: £85 (includes materials)

 

4 Day Pottery Masterclass 

 

21st-24th August

10am-5pm each day

 

Tutor: Adam Frew

 

Work with Adam Frew, a talented young potter who throws pots of bold dynamic quality. As part of his workshop, participants will have the chance to make their own energetic pots on a wheel under Adam’s guidance.  The first workshop advertised for this August has already filled up, so book quickly to get a place!!

Maximum 6 students.

Fee: £110 (includes materials)

To book contact Flowerfield Arts Centre on 028 70831400  or email: info@flowerfield.org

Film of Scott Benefield Glassblowing

Scott Benefield's glassblowing demonstration at Flowerfield Arts Centre on Sunday 3rd June.

Film by resident potter Adam Frew

Glassblowing Demonstration

Last Sunday Scott Benefield and Andrea Spencer arrived at Flowerfield Arts Centre with their portable electric furnace and 'flat-packed' studio!  With in a very short space of time the pottery room here was converted into a fully functioning glassblowing studio, with furnace, bench, glory-hole and marver.

The event kicked off at 2pm, firstly with a short lampworking demonstration by Catherine Keenan and then with Scott and Andrea explaining the process of blowing to an enthralled audience.  It was a rare opportunity to witness blowing molten glass in Northern Ireland and for many people it was the first time they saw the process up close.

First gather from Scott's new furnace

Onlooking crowd as Scott marvers the glass

Scott shaping the glass as Andrea blows

Andrea bringing a punty

Opening the vessel

Making a lip on a jug

Andrea making a handle

Putting the handle on

Finishing the beer mug!

Resident artist Catherine Keenan gathering

Shaping the bubble

Furnace going home!

Wood Firing Workshop

Last Saturday, 2nd June, Flowerfield Arts Centre hosted a wood firing workshop run by resident potter, Adam Frew, and assisted by Peter Montgomery.  It was a rare and exhilarating opportunity for participants to not only have pieces fired in an outdoor kiln fuelled by wood, but also to help in the actual stoking of the kiln through out the day.  The workshop began at 9am with students glazing pots and then packing the kiln.  Then a small fire was lit at the front , and stoked throughout the day giving a steady climb in temperature up to 1300℃.  The grand finale of 'crash cooling' the kiln saw Adam and Peter packing as much wood in as they could before sealing the kiln.

The wood firing was successful in creating interesting effects on the pots, the flames coloured the pots and the wood ash formed glazes, warm reds to cool blues.

Stoking the kiln

The grand finale: crash cooling

Reduction cool

Kiln sealed up

Peter, Adam and participants, Laurian and Frieda

Fired Pots

August Craft Month Saturday Workshops

Flowerfield Arts Centre is all set for another busy 'August Craft Month' as part of Craft NI's month long programme.  The centre has three one day workshops each taking place on a saturday.

Saturday Workshops:

Making Contemporary Recycled Jewellery

Tutor: Lesley Frew
Date: 11th August
Time: 11am-4pm
Cost: £35
Capacity: 14 students

Students will work with acclaimed jewellery maker Lesley Frew to make ornate jewellery from plastic bags! They will use techniques in heat fusing to create beads and hand stitched flower embellishments and will end up with a beautiful bracelet or necklace to take home.

Please bring a good selection of colourful plastic bags, some metal skewers, pins, needles, elastic thread and a pair of scissors.

Feltmaking in 3D

Tutor: Nicola Farrell

Date: 18th August

Time: 11am-4pm

Cost: £35 (includes materials)

Capacity: 12 students

Learn how to make a colourful 3D bowl using the process of feltmaking with textile artist, Nicola Farrell.  She will teach the 'enclosed resist' method of building up layers of wool on both sides of a flat plastic 'resist' or template.  The form is then manipulated by hand to create the shape. 

Suitable for all levels and from 16 years old and up. To view photos from her Christmas felting class click here.

Glass: 3D Pate de Verre

Tutor: Alison Lowry

Date: 25th August

Time: 11am-4pm

Cost: £45 (includes materials)

Capacity: 10 students

In this exciting workshop crushed glass is combined with glue and pressed into moulds to form thin walled glass vessels.  Working with renowned glass artist, Alison Lowry, students will design, make moulds and pack with crushed glass all on the day.

Suitable for beginners and also experienced glass makers.  Alison's last class was very popular so book soon to avoid disappointment!

Contact Flowerfield Arts Centre for more info and to book a place:

phone: 028 70831400

email: info@flowerfield.org

Fused Glass 8 week Course

Natasha Duddy runs very popular classes teaching all techniques in fusing and slumping glass: from the basics of cutting glass to copper inclusions, frits, confetti, stringers and oxides to name just a few to create your own projects.  


Classes run for 8 weeks and will be starting again in the autumn.  
Contact Flowerfield Arts Centre for more details or to book your place:
Telephone: 028 7083 1400
Email: info@flowerfield.org

Natasha helping a student arrange her glass before fusing

Glass all cut, arranged and ready for fusing in kiln

Cutting dichoric glass

Fishy project!

Fused glass, ready to slump into moulds

The exciting bit...opening the kiln!

Pendant with copper wire inclusion