I've not been able to spend much time in the workshops at the University of Derby for the past couple of weeks as I've been moving studio and getting used to my new surroundings.
I had a studio at Banks Mill, run by the University as Creative Business Incubation spaces but after 4.5 years I was just about ready to 'fledge!
I've moved to a space owned and run by Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust, Hopkinson's House is a 1631 stone building with very distinctive gables, a former lead-trader's residence.
I have a ground floor space (important when you are lugging chairs about) and it has an amazing stone-mullioned window looking out onto the street. I'm hoping it attracts people in to see what I am up to and I've set up the front of the studio as a display space while the back is my workshop area. I'm finding it very motivating creatively to have display space for my work and as I now have space, I'm just buying a bit of cheap photography back-drop kit to explore how I can photograph my work, experimenting with it as 'product' and as 'art object', I think there is definitely a difference - do you??
As I settle in more, I'm hoping to display other artist's work as well as my own, with a focus on art furniture and fine art textiles - watch this space!!
