Beth Mander / Handmade Palace

Immortality, whether actual or merely figurative, has long been craved by mankind. To achieve it, it seems to me,  you could do worse than become a potter or ceramicist. After all, what is the first thing that comes to mind at the mention of archaeology? All those ancient Greek and Roman vases surely? For a medium so soft and pliable, clay, in the hands of an artist, has the potential to transform into one of civilisation's most enduring art forms. Ceramic artist, Beth Mander probably doesn't dream of immortality, but she has become a well known face on the Triangle, as a result of her running the Handmade Palace stall at the market every saturday.
Things have happened remarkably quickly for Beth, who not so long ago did a City & Guilds course in ceramics, followed by a teaching course (to teach ceramics to adults), as a way of pursuing a new path after a career break spent bringing up her kids. Although living in Croydon, where she was brought up, Beth always gravitated towards the creativity of SE19. Then eighteen months ago, while on the hunt for studio space, she was lucky enough to find a ready-made potter's studio, complete with kilns, at the Gipsy Hill Studios. And once settled in the space, she got straight on experimenting with different techniques and glazes. Her work, such as the ceramic bunting, is light-hearted, colourful and fun. Her first sales outlet was via the Secret Garden, and it was then that her work was spotted by the organisers of the Alma market. About the same time, she got involved with Makerhood, a Lambeth based organisation that supports artists and makers. Being part of the events team, gave her the confidence to take on the running of the Handmade stall, which has since gone from being  monthly, to weekly, showcasing the talents of many and varied local creatives. While Beth's own work has developed, circumstances have channelled her increasingly into organising events. After the successful Christmas market, at the Sparrowhawk, other events are in the pipeline.

Bowls with a molten glass glaze

Enamel badges

Beth at work

Left over clay all gets recycled.

Oxide glaze test sheet

On the right is a whimsical model of a certain local landmark made from clay dug from an SE19 garden.

The Handmade Palace stall

A pair of Sinead Taylor's prints

Make a Statement jewellery made from tropical nuts!

Beth's bunting

Crochet Craft by Libby Holloway

Locally themed mugs by Dom Richards

Homewares by Anne Fortin

Mya and Joe jewellery

Dreamcatchers by Ismay Frazier

Make a Statement

Angelique Hartigan, Artist

It must be spring at last, there are bluebells as far as the eye can see. The bluebells in question are actually painted on canvas. Drips of intense blue, beneath a haze of silver birch,  in the signature style of artist, Angelique Hartigan.

And the drips aren't confined to the canvas. Angelique's boots, clothing, and the studio floor, are all works of art in their own right.

While chatting, we discovered that we were both studying at Brighton Polytechnic around the same time in the late 80s, but while I was doing a BA in interior design, Angelique was on a much more hands-on course, known as WMCP (Wood, Metal, Ceramics & Plastic). As the course progressed however, she realised that the process of making something where you know from the start what the end result will be, began to lose its appeal. As she discovered, painting allowed a lot more freedom, as you are never quite sure how it will look in the end. But painting had to wait. After studying, when the cold light of reality intruded, Angelique started a career in web design for a city bank. By 2006, it was finally time to take the plunge, and so she quit the day job and picked up her brushes. The web design turned out to be a big influence on her work, particularly the manipulation of images in Photoshop, and the concept of working in 'layers'. So the years of being desk bound in an office, at least found expression in her new work.  
By this stage, Angelique was already a resident of Crystal Palace, and so she found a studio space in the Triangle. Despite having lived as far afield as Plymouth and Milan, it was finally in SE19, that she truly felt at home. And much of her work features local subject matters. Her love of trees and buildings finds plenty of local inspiration, from the parks and woods to the Victorian streets. It's a surprise to learn that the gentle sun dappled scenes she paints are created to the hectic accompaniment of very loud dance music. As she says "My paintings aren't calm productions but energetic like the music I listen to".

Unmistakably, Church Road SE19

And Angelique has done much locally to bring art to a wider audience, founding The Bigger Picture Gallery, which finds temporary sites in empty shops, in which to display the work of local artists. It's next appearance will be as part of the annual Crystal Palace Overground Festival, this summer. Elsewhere her work will be on show at the Affordable Art Fair in Bristol this weekend, or nearer to home, at the Portico Gallery in West Norwood on the first sunday of each month, and at the Dulwich Open House event in May.

Work in progress

Oxford's dreaming spires

Angelique wearing her art

Angelique Hartigan

Tine & Lene Bladbjerg

I've just realised, this is now my fourth post from Cooper's Yard. Perhaps the title of the blog needs to change to reflect this. The Triangle is full of interesting people, but this is a definite hotspot! Upstairs from Allbone & Trimit in the Overspill, is the studio of two Danish sisters, Tine & Lene Bladbjerg. They have been ploughing their own creative furrows there since 2004; Tine in jewellery, and Lene in Graphic Art. Their space is a simple loft divided roughly in two by the staircase coming up from below, with easels on one side and metal tools on the other. However, the spatial divisions are only for practicalities. You get the sense that they  thrive on being in each other's company to the benefit of their work. Lene recalls how she hated working on her own at home, and Tine was equally disaffected by her daily commute from Southeast London to a studio in Clerkenwell.

Tine (on the left) & Lene

Although originally from Denmark, the sisters had grown up mostly in Belgium, so when Tine decided to study jewellery, it seemed just as logical to come and study in the UK as it would have been to return to Denmark. Also, there was just a better choice of art college here, added to the fact that in Denmark you are required to do years of apprenticeship in addition to studying. Tine began her studies in Rochester, and was soon followed by Lene, who came over to do a graphics course at London College of Printing in Elephant & Castle. Their choice of art colleges was to be a major reason for them both settling in SE postcodes, first in Forest Hill, and now, both with partners, in Crystal Palace, where they feel very at home, and enjoy life in such an artistic community.
Tine's work with precious metals and stones, steers a path between classic and modern. Rather than producing a fixed range, the designs are constantly evolving, with new designs produced for every craft fair or exhibition she is involved in. A busy month lies ahead preparing for a crop of shows in November in Great Missenden, Teddington, and Bury St. Edmunds, not to mention their very own open studios weekend of 2nd/3rd/4th November. In addition, Tine also offers courses in jewellery making for beginners or people with more experience, for which vouchers will be available at their open studios event.

A solid grounding in graphics is clearly apparent in Lene's work. Wordplay, calligraphy and repetition of form are all themes she plays with to great effect. From large canvases to tea towels and cards, the images are both humorous and striking. Recycling is another recurring theme. I particularly like the giant swirl of discarded scalpel blades, but Lene will use anything from paper clips to cigar bands. So not only being creative, but keeping Crystal Palace tidy too! Lene also shows at art and craft fairs, including Spitalfields Arts Market and Urban Art Brixton, while also selling through the Catherine Miller Gallery, and online via Etsy.

During the Open Studios weekend, the work of creative friends is also on show. There are the lovely decorative fish by Sara Drake, who used to live locally but now lives slightly further south. Australia to be precise.

Also exhibiting is Justine Smith who makes a range of bags, and who is based in not quite so distant Dorset.

Curtains, blinds and upholstery by Clare Dunne will also be on display.

Finally, although the girls don't come from a particularly artistic background, their father took up painting in retirement, and now produces a Crystal Palace calendar every year, of shopfronts and buildings on the Triangle. 2013 will be available from the studios during their open weekend, and will also be on sale at Bookseller Crow.

Tine & Lene Bladbjerg
The Overspill
4 Coopers Yard
020 8670 6639