Walford Mill Crafts

Meet our Maker of the Month

2010-03-10T10:08:00.008Z

Each month our shop features the work of an emerging or established maker, along with offering 10% off selected pieces of their work.

Our Maker of the Month for March is: KAREN ERLEBACH

How and why did you become a maker?

After working for over 15 years in an office ‘shuffling paperwork’ I had to escape! I had completed two correspondence textile courses through the Open College of the Arts and had started tapestry weaving. It was time to see where pursuing my passion for fabrics and textiles could take me.

Did you have an inspirational teacher or mentor?

I’m probably best described as being largely self-taught. After I started weaving tapestries I joined the Dorset Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers and then did a 2-day beginners course in how to warp up and weave on a 4-shaft loom. Reading lots of books and lots of experimenting (not always successfully!) followed. I definitely have a favourite books list and I’m grateful to all of them and friends at the DGWSD for sharing their knowledge. I bought a copy of Janet Phillips’ book on Fabric Design when I was in my late teens, I just loved the cover on it, and twenty years later I finally understood it!

How would you describe your work?

Tactile, textured and colourful. A few pieces are flat but they are still very patterned and full of colour. I hope that my textiles are fun and pleasurable to wear.

What type of material do you prefer to work with?

Most of the fibres I use are natural fibres: wool, silk and cotton. They have to be a high quality and have a luxurious feel when woven into a fabric.

What would you most like to make that you haven't so far?

Larger items of clothing, probably combining different weaving and dyeing techniques to make something that could be thought of as a ‘wearable piece of art’.

What are the benefits and disadvantages of being a maker?

Being a self-employed maker, and weaving all my own fabrics, means I have control of what I make and flexibility of arranging my work throughout the week.
However, any item that is woven is an investment of both yarns and my time, the risks and decisions involved in production lie with the maker. It is only when a design is sold that it is proven to be commercially viable. Finding appropriate sales outlets can also be challenging. There are far more fine art galleries, some of whom deal with sculpture, ceramics and jewellery, than there are craft galleries which feature textiles.

You can see and purchase Karen's work in the Walford Mill Crafts shop all through March.

On the BBC

2010-02-03T13:19:00.006Z

There are two programmes from the BBC that may interest readers of this blog. Coming soon to BBC Two is Mastercrafts, a new six-part series presented by Monty Don, exploring the way of life that comes with being a top craftsman.

"The original idea behind the series," he says, "was that I would try my hand at all the different skills, but that proved impractical because it would take far too long, so instead we introduced people who really wanted to try. It's my one regret that I had to film it rather than do it."

'Studying under some of the country's leading master craftsmen and women, three hopefuls in each programme spend six weeks learning the basics of their chosen skill, ready to compete for the chance to continue on a more formal basis their training in metal work, woodcraft, stone masonry, glass-making, thatching and weaving. Monty, meanwhile, examines the work that goes into each craft and its often forgotten history.'

Meanwhile, over on BBC Radio 4, Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum presents A History of the World in 100 Objects. The programmes will travel through two million years from the earliest object in the collection to retell the history of humanity through the objects we have made. Each week will be tied to a particular theme, such as 'after the ice age' or 'the beginning of science and literature', and the programmes will broadcast in three blocks, in January, May and August.

Valentine's Day at the Bistro at the Mill

2010-01-15T16:00:00.014Z

Valentine's Day 2010

This menu is available on the evening of Saturday 13th February as well as lunchtime and evening on Sunday 14th February. To book call 01202 842258 or email bistroatmill@yahoo.co.uk

Starters

Sweet potato and red pepper soup, served with home-made bread

Shellfish and saffron tartlet, served with seasonal leaf salad

Grilled aubergine salad

Main course

Sharing meat platter for 2*: ribeye steak, pork tenderloin, chicken goujons, locally-produced pork sausages and lamb cutlet, served with egg, mushrooms, tomato and fries

Sharing fish platter for 2*: grilled salmon steak, grilled tuna steak, fish goujons, whitebait, scampi, New Zealand green-lipped mussels and shell-on prawns, served with either fries or new potatoes

Savoury vegetable filo strudel, served with a port sauce and salad.

Selection of home-made desserts

All for just £15.95 per person

(*Sharing dishes can also be made for one person)

Our New Exhibition Opens This Saturday

2010-01-08T13:11:00.014Z

Raw Talent, January 9^th – February 21^st 2010

‘Raw Talent’ will showcase the amazing collection of work by the Rawling Family, bringing together creativity and fun at Walford Mill Crafts in Wimborne, Dorset this January. Keith, Tiggy, and their sons Nic and William bring their great talents and years’ worth of experience together for the first time in a special family exhibition.

Keith Rawling trained at the Berkshire College of Art and began work in the advertising and publishing world. He went freelance in 1969 and specialised in book-jacket design. Using a variety of techniques, he began illustrating the books themselves. Keith worked on English Language Teaching books and won the award for Classroom Book of the Year. Keith was then ‘found’ by The Walt Disney Studios and recognised as having the talent to draw and illustrate in many different styles. He trained at both the Disney and Warner Bros. studios, and went on to illustrate many books and publications, along with character merchandising with all the characters from the classic films, such as Snow White, Jungle Book, Aladdin, and The Lion King. He continued illustrating, not only for Disney but many of the well-known characters that appear on TV. Since Toy Story, his skills with a pencil, brush and airbrush were not required as much, so he taught himself to do the same work on an Apple Mac. Currently he works for many major high-street brands as a designer, illustrator and photographer.

“I enjoy the challenge of a new discipline, and a moving target is more difficult to hit.”

Keith Rawling

Tiggy Rawling’s big break into arts and crafts came when she took the City and Guilds course at Walford Mill. This course released a hidden talent and great enthusiasm for textiles. Quilting is her passion, and she has now progressed on to dying and creating textiles to include in her work. Her love of colour and now famous love of India have been combined to produce some stunning work, which has a different dimension from traditional quilts. Her enthusiasm is evident in the workshops and talks she gives worldwide.

Nic Rawling trained at Shelley Park and got his fine art degree at Kent Institute of Art and Design. Always interested in sketching, he has filled countless books with observations. After university he worked in various jobs and then moved into his Dad’s studio, working alongside him for four years. Designing children’s products on computers wasn’t really “his thing” and he wanted to go his own way. It was then he started tinkering with the idea of real-time animation, out of which came the Paper Cinema. Using his own drawings Nic cuts out hundreds of images, which he projects onto a large screen. With the backing of live musicians, he creates stories that both intrigue and amuse. Success at Glastonbury and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals and Battersea Arts Centre has led to touring success around Europe, with more planned for the next year.

William Rawling is a natural designer, but being the youngest member of the family he saw everything that goes with being an artist and decided it wasn’t for him. He got his BSc at Bristol University where he trained with the UAS. He is now a pilot for British Airways. Not to be out-done though, he suggested that he might put forward some photos taken from his ‘studio’ at 37,000 feet.

The Rawling Family will show their remarkable works of arts and crafts at Walford Mill, Wimborne, Dorset, from January 9^th until February 21^st.

What is Craft?

2009-11-13T15:25:00.006Z

…today?

A search for the authentic experience, the one-of-a-kind and the unique has fed our interest in craft since the nineteenth century. The traces of the hand that remain in an object - its irregularity of surface, its imperfection, its spontaneity - contrast with industrially-produced objects. Today, innovative ideas, technologies, materials, and environments are challenging craftsmen to experiment with new forms of expression, blurring the boundaries traditionally thought to separate art, craft and design.

No longer defined as craft, art or design, these newcomers raise questions about what “handwork” or “handcraft” means today and what the role of the hand might be in the making of objects in the future. Many of the objects that challenge the definition of craft are still carefully handmade but used or set in new and surprising contexts.

…in education?

Craft fulfils different functions for different individuals. For some, it is therapeutic, for others, it is a vehicle for communication. For others still, a craft may be developed into a career or a window to the individual’s personal uniqueness. Craft is a valuable tool that opens doors, incites dreams and builds bridges. Craft is a vehicle for learning basic educational skills and identifying abilities.

Craft also serves an equal purpose in the total education of the whole individual. The power that is experienced when one creates can stretch boundaries and defy limitations.

…in general?

Craft emphasises five primary media – ceramics, glass, textiles, wood, metal - and how these materials are manipulated.

No single definition of the word satisfies the range of activities that craft includes; there is no other term to describe the way in which creative thought interacts with a knowledge of materials and techniques to create an object.

Craft is a flexible term, shifting from a verb that describes action to modify or transform a material to a noun that describes a class of objects.

Craft has something important to say about “how things are made”, a respect for the skills, tools, and techniques that are used to transform ideas and materials into objects of use, meaning and beauty.

…in history?

Craft is a word that has adapted over time, responding to changes in the cultural, social, technological and economic environment.

Throughout the history of human culture, objects have been conceived and created to meet many different goals. Some have been made for practical and utilitarian purposes such as clothing, vessels and furnishings. Others have been made for symbolic purposes and serve to communicate religious, political, social and economic ideas.

One quality shared by both is their ability to express themselves aesthetically through an attractive design, the beauty of materials used, their uniqueness, or through their workmanship.

Used with kind permission of the Houston Centre for Contemporary Craft

www.crafthouston.org

Another Step Forward

2009-11-12T14:20:00.007Z

2009 has been an exciting year at the Mill as we gained the planning permission on March 31st for our new building this has meant another step forward to our goal of creating our vision on our site. All we need now is to raise the money to build it!

A key objective for Walford Mill Education Trust is to develop its’ pre-eminence as a Centre for the dissemination and direct experience of Craft and Making. We will provide purpose-designed workspace studios for more on-site makers. This will be accessible for all visitors and strengthen the link between material displayed in the shop and gallery and the process of design and making. We will also have a covered outside demonstration area and another education space. A new purpose built gallery area will be located on the first floor and the proposed new shop area will be at the new main entrance to the building. The Bistro will be an integral part of the new plan. A lift will serve all floors and from the courtyard there will be direct level access; once completed our building will have complete accessibility on every level.

Initially we are looking to raise the funds to kick-start this project by building our new entrance bridge from the car park to the Mill through the thick greenery of trees and waters-edge plants, alongside the millstream and millpond. This route will reinforce the experience of the extraordinary setting of our beautiful listed C19th Mill building. It will enhance the visitor’s understanding of our unique setting by linking ecology with craft.

We have so far managed to weather the economic storm and have a full and exciting exhibition and education programme organised for 2010. Watch this space for more news and updates on fund raising!

Christine Lawry, Chief Executive

Christmas Celebrations

2009-11-10T12:45:00.007Z

The 'Christmas Celebrations' Exhibition opened on Saturday 31st October to a very welcoming group of visitors. The Mayor of Wimborne, along with many visitors and makers alike, all viewed with great interest the pieces on display from about fifty new makers in the Phillip Goulden Gallery. The till was ringing loudly because of the depth of variety and brilliant quality of work on show, and many customers were treating themselves as well as their loved ones. Christmas lists were rapidly being marked off as customers walked away loaded down with goodies galore! Appreciative comments from visitors included "one of the most attractively displayed exhibitions they had seen at the Mill" and "such a wonderful variety of excellent quality pieces to choose from".

And choose they did, as this year's exhibition has proven to be the most successful to date - so far! Long may it continue, especially as new work will continue to be delivered by makers throughout the run of the exhibition, re-enlivening the range on display and filling any spaces left by the works being taken once they have been purchased.

We hope to see more and more visitors to Walford Mill Crafts as we are open every day up to the big day itself, as well as a special late night opening on Thursday 3rd December until 8pm.

Simon Meanwell-Ralph, Shop Manager

Welcome to Walford Mill Crafts

2009-11-06T10:28:00.013Z

Welcome to the Walford Mill Crafts blog.

We'll be using the blog to keep you up-to-date with everything that's new and interesting at Dorset's leading contemporary craft venue. This will include information on our current and future exhibitions, what's happening in our Education programme, and news from our shop, on-site workshops, and Bistro. We also hope to have guest blogs from some of the many makers we feature here.

For those of you who don't already know us, Walford Mill Crafts is based in an 18th Century former mill located in Wimborne Minster, Dorset. We are dedicated to promoting quality contemporary crafts, and offer a programme of exhibitions, along with both adult and children’s workshops. The shop displays a wide range of work, and on-site makers offer their expertise in creating new designs and commissions. Visitors can also enjoy the licensed, riverside Bistro. Car parking is available nearby, and the gallery, shop and Bistro all have disabled access.

Please make sure to follow this blog for regular updates. You can also find us on Twitter, become a fan of Walford Mill Crafts on Facebook, and of course please visit our website.