Whilst exhibiting, I was occasionally told by people who loved my work that they wished they had the space for a large painting but as they didn’t, they would love to own something smaller created by me and reflecting my colourful style.
As I have always loved fabrics and my roots were in Textile design, I sought out the best quality fabric printers I could find. I came across one based in London called Contrado. Their custom-made fabrics aren’t cheap but the quality is fantastic. I started by making cushions in 2017, I initially tried out several fabrics before choosing a Soft Velvet as it feels sooo scrumptious.
The cushions were a hit, so I decided to try out other products and over the next year I added Placemats and Coasters, these are made by SmithTaylor a Worcestershire manufacturer who produce custom printed tableware from Artist’s images. The quality of their products is very high with a thick Melamine top and a cork bottom, – it is amazing how many I found which didn’t have the quality cork bottom!!
I added Lampshades in 2019 was which have proved to be the most popular of all and I make all the lampshades and cushions myself in my home studio in Yorkshire. I had been rather apprehensive about making Lampshades but surprisingly I LOVE IT!!
I had always wanted to produce good quality prints on canvas, I’d tried several companies, but was never satisfied with either the quality of the printing, the nylon type finish, the wooden frame not being substantial enough – or they were way too expensive for the sizes I required to make them saleable. In 2021, I eventually found a company in Wales, which achieved everything I was looking for and at price affordable enough to sell the prints. They also ship directly to my customers and arrive well packaged.
