Friends are members of other professions that support and share our ambitions, designer/makers that have links to the East Midlands and anyone who has an interest in design and crafts:

Amelia Kirk - akirk5@hotmail.co.uk
Amelia Kirk is a 2009 graduate from De Montfort University whose inspiration is taken from the traditional Cornish kitchen and the iconic everyday pots within it. Her ceramic ware offers both functional and aesthetic qualities, which is visible in the form and surface pattern. The methods of slip casting and transfer printing are used as traditional British methods of production.

artworks-mk - www.artworks-mk.co.uk
artworks-mk is an arts education charity with 3 sites in Milton Keynes. They promote contemporary craft and art practices, through exhibitions, events and activities. They have a constantly changing programme of artist led workshops for adults and also for young people including jewellery, woodcarving, textiles, glass, ceramics and more. artworks-mk also supports over 20 studio artists through affordable rent, training, mentoring and exhibitions.

Bend In The River - www.bendintheriver.co.uk
Bend In The River is an independent gallery showing high quality contemporary art. They specialise in painting and have a regular presence at the London Art Fair. Information on our sister project can be found at www.slumgothic.co.uk

Created Gallery - www.createdgallery.co.uk
Created Gallery provides a showcase for designer/makers in ceramics, textiles and jewellery. They focus on makers based in Derbyshire and the surrounding counties as well as those further afield. New and emerging designers receive support and guidance on developing their businesses from Deirdre and Dominic Gage.

E J Lance - emma_lance@hotmail.co.uk
Emma Lance is a fine artist who responds to natural history, human anatomy and archaeological museum collections through the medium of drawing, questioning what it means to be ‘human’. Emma draws an object and then creates abstract sculptures inspired by that object in mixed media, which are designed to be worn by a human. The work is complete with a series of complex drawings of the relationship between object, sculpture and the human form.

Forest Edge Gallery - www.sherwoodforestartcraftcentre.co.uk
Based at Sherwood Forest Art & Craft Centre in Edwinstowe, Forest Edge is a collective of artists and craftspeople offering a variety of original paintings, prints and greetings cards, as well as contemporary ceramics and jewellery. The craft centre is also home to 10 other craft studios and is situated at the edge of the historic and picturesque Sherwood Forest.

Garden Reflections - Kate Sell - www.gardenreflections.co.uk
Kate Sell designs and makes mosiac mirrors for the home and garden. Each mirror is made with stained glass, recycled mirror and weatherproof materials, ensuring it can stay outside all year.

Grantham College, Visual, Performing Arts & Media - www.grantham.ac.uk
Grantham College provides a variety of Art & Design courses; Photography, Drawing and Painting, Design Crafts, Digital Imaging, 2D and 3D Mixed Media work in Design Crafts, Graphic Design, Fine Art and Photography. Recent additional programmes include the University Certificate in Professional Development Design Crafts and the Foundation Degree in Design Crafts.

Hale Events - www.hale-events.com
Hale Events are trade exhibition organisers who have put on a range of events over the last 8 years under the 'SELECT' umbrella. All events include British designer/makers and artists, attracting galleries, independent retailers and heritage sites.

hellish designs - www.hellishdesigns.co.uk
Inspired by a love for and a collection of vintage textiles, 'hellish designs' by Heather Lawson transforms these treasures into attractive and functional pieces for a modern lifestyle. Inspiration is drawn from nature and art, but primarily the fabric itself, usually cotton or linen and it's period and area of origin. Each piece is handmade and unique - bags, cushions, aprons, notebooks and seasonal Christmas fairies.

Jane C Sanders - www.cjdesigns.homestead.com
Jane Sanders works in clay to make ceramic beads for necklaces, bracelets, earrings and cufflinks. The beads are fashioned from earthenware clay and biscuit fired. They are then hand painted using a wonderful variety of glazing colours, or a complete landscape is painted on an individual bead, which is similar to delftware. Raku firing also increases the range of colours, patterns and effects that can be put on the beads.

jgallery CIC - www.jgallery.org.uk
jgallery is a free entry art gallery situated in the rural village of Moulton, Northamptonshire. With 6 major exhibitions a year including photography, video, painting, drawing, sculpture and installation art, the gallery also runs workshops and hires out the gallery space to corporate/public and private clients.

Kate Smith Designs - www.katesmithdesigns.com
Turning your ideas from caterpillars into butterflies! Good design brings words to life: Kate Smith can add sparkle and depth to any text. Kate works with a variety of methods, ranging from pencil sketch to computer-generated illustration, including experimental illustration, inks and watercolour crayon to produce fresh and original illustration and design.

Leicester Print Workshop - www.leicesterprintworkshop.com
Leicester Print Workshop has a passion to print – promoting the practise and enjoyment of fine art printmaking to a wide and varied audience in the East Midlands and across the UK.

Philippa Day - www.philippaday.co.uk
Philippa Day creates uniques collections of bags, purses and other textile goods. She's built an excellent reputation for her high-quality level of design, detailing and finishing, as well as a real eye for combining colour and texture to produce deliciously elegant work. Philippa has a deep love of sumptuous textiles and gets terribly over-excited by the silks, fine leather, vintage buttons, fancy ribbons and yummiest of rich velvets and brocades used in her work. A textural, colour-rich palette, combined with the delight of observing space and nature inspire Philippa to create textiles treats for the eye and soul!

Sarah Allen Textiles - www.sarahallenweaving.co.uk
Sarah Allen creates bespoke, hand woven textiles. She blends yarns such as merino and lambs wool with silk, linen and cotton: the combination of these yarns with techincal weave structures create cloth landscapes of ridges, pleats, lumps and bumps. Sarah uses her fabrics to create distinctive quality products including scarves, wraps, cushions and purses. Her current work is inspired by a trip to Iceland to study the glacial blues, greys and volcanic reds of the rugged environment and the ridges of the corrugated iron houses.

SG Designs - www.stansg-design.com
"The age of the triangle - it's just a postive energy which comes from space through my heart to my work" states London-based ceramicist Stanislov Geissler of SG Designs. Stan uses earthenware, college red terracotta, stoneware, standard crank, St Patrick buff and St Thomas clays.

Shed 2 Studios - Rachel Carter, Travis Kelly & Mike Radford - www.shed2.co.uk
Shed 2 Studios is a studio that houses designer/makers, artists and jewellery designers in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, including permanent residents Rachel Carter, Travis Kelly & Mike Radford.

Simon Burrows Cabinet Maker - www.simonburrows.co.uk
Simon Burrows produces high quality furniture from wood, a material close to his heart. Objects that are beautiful not only to look at, but to feel, to touch, to use. To know that hours of shaping, turning, moulding and working have been lovingly spent to produce something from initial thoughts, sketches and plans into an object of reality, an object of craft from a living medium - wood. Simon also commissions bespoke, handcrafted, built in furniture - contact him directly for more details.

Studio 61 Gallery Boutique - Karina Goodman - www.karinagoodman.com
Karina Goodman is a professional artist with a studio gallery in Holloway, near Matlock in the heart of the Derbyshire Dales. Karina creates watercolours, handpainted ceramics, natural soaps, bath bombs and candles. Studio 61 is a working studio gallery showcasing the work of over 100 regional artists, designers and makers.

Sunflower Soft Furnishings - www.sunflowersoftfurnishings.co.uk
Sunflower bags - uniquely designed hand made bags in leather or fabric. Sunflower soft furnishings - from alterations to hand made cushions to bespoke hand stitched curtains/blinds. Sunflower cards - beautifully hand made cards.

The Art of Texture - Janice Allen - www.janiceallen.co.uk
A self taught artist inspired by nature, Janice Allen's style is driven by shape, colour and the texture of the landscape to create colourful contemporary paintings. Working mainly in acrylic paint and ink, adding texture gel for more depth and added interest.

The Old Forge Art Studio - www.theoldforgeartstudio.co.uk
Barbara Melling uses batik techniques of wax resist, both traditional and modern, together with her own tried and tested mode of working, to create artworks and usable batiks. Barbara uses mainly natural materials; silk, cotton, wool, paper and wood in her work, which can be both 2 and 3 dimensional. Using procion dyes as colour plays a very important part of Barbara's work; however she also uses the discharge technique of applying bleach to remove colour, particularly on her paper bowls. Inspiration is drawn from her local area, which is rural and coastal.

Thoresby Gallery - www.thoresby.com
Thoresby Gallery houses a changing exhibition programme as well as original pictures, prints, textiles, ceramics, jewellery and affordable art from regional artists. The Courtyard accommodates artist studios, retail outlets, a café and on-going event programmes in the Park and Riding Hall.