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The Royal Suite is opening very soon!
If you follow me on any of my social media, you may have seen that there has been lots of work going on down at Shed 2 Studios for a while.
Last year, I took over extra space at the communal studios, which has undergone somewhat of transformation. For the last few months, my wonderful brother and sister-in-law, Ian & Allyson, have been working really hard turning this:
Into this:
Yes, the carpet still needs cleaning! But we’re very, very, nearly there. And I am very, VERY, excited!
What will the new space be?
It’s going to be multi-purpose. If ever you’ve been down to Shed 2 Studios, you will know that it’s wonderful, open space that I share with three other maker-businesses. It’s a wonderful space and atmosphere, but I share with woodworkers, which means lots of dust. It also has a high open apex roof, and single glazed skylights. This means the light can be fabulous, but the space can be really cold, especially in winter. It can be very hard to keep warm. Also, as it’s open, I don’t have a lot of wall space, and what I do have is covered with glass, tools and equipment. It is very much a working artist’s studio, and not a gallery space.
The ‘Royal Suite’ has walls, a ceiling and a door. This means it will be easier to keep clean, to keep warm and to have work out on display.
Workshops can be held in the new space, at any time of year, not affected by the winter chill. There will be art work out on display to inspire students.
Or larger groups, for example hen parties, could have their session in the main space, and we can take a break for a drink and snack in the suite.
I struggle with the physicality of selling events; I am going to also open up as a sort of ‘pop-up shop’ sometimes. I will leave out on display in the new room. If nobody comes to visit, I can be getting on with work in my main space, which will be unaffected.
Last year, I talked about doing memorial glass ; pieces with ashes in from dearly departed loved ones, or pets that have passed over the rainbow bridge. I want a quiet, calm, respectful space to do this when I am making. I also want to offer people the chance to make their own piece, or sit with me whilst I create some special, memorial artwork for them. Again, this needs to be quiet; but also a little more private than my main studio, as it may be an emotional journey.
It’s quieter, and kind of tucked out the way. It will also be an ideal teaching space for people with sensory issues, who might not appreciate the hustle and bustle of the main studio.
And of course, it will be an office space for me. I do most of my admin at home, and will continue to do some of that; but I can do a lot more at the studio going forward, as I have a desk that won’t be covered in bits of glass!
Why ‘The Royal Suite’?
A few birthdays ago, a wonderful friend got me this for a birthday gift:
When talking to my brother about various options we kept saying ‘the new space’. Ian said it needed a proper name. This was going to be installed, and so he dubbed the new space ‘The Royal Suite’ – and it stuck.
Exciting times ahead!
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Trail Blazing!
Well, if the last few days are anything to go by, it will be!
So, what am I blethering on about, you ask? This weekend, 27th & 28th June, I’ll be taking part in the very lovely Six Streets Arts Trail . (click highlighted text to go to the website)
I have been part of this event for the last four or five times now (it’s on every other year), and it’s a fabulous event. It is spread across a few streets in the Kedleston Road area of Derby. Visiting homes and venues to see a range of art, craft, sculpture and culture!
I do love a good arts trail – always a nice event to do, they’re a different vibe to an arts & crafts fair. They’re more social, I guess. As well as a chance to display work in lovely locations, it’s a chance to chat to folk having a leisurely walk round the neighbourhood, maybe a bit of networking. (I’ve picked up quite a few workshops from doing arts trails)
This year, I am back at 69 Wheeldon Avenue, with hostMary Johnson Ceramics, and Helen of Snazzy Linings. I am usually in the conservatory at the back of Mary’s, we’ll see whether I cook like a rotisserie!
This is one of the new pieces I’ve made recently that will be coming with me.
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New Year, New Workshops
Happy New Year – Almost!
Just a quick update to say that I’ve started to add dates to the 2026 calendar – here’s the post I did earlier, over on FB.
Are you hoping to do something fun, creative, or mindful, in the new year? Got something to celebrate? A birthday, a hen-party, or just want to spend some quality time with family and friends?I’ve updated the workshop calendar for 2026, and if you book in the next few weeks, you’ll beat the imminent price increase.So far, I’ve only planned in Taster group workshops – I’ll be adding some full day sessions in the next few days, but if there’s a a least three of you, it’s worth looking at the Private Taster workshop – it works out cheaper per person, and you get to choose the date, rather than waiting for availability.This year, I will also be doing some special workshops, where there will be specific themes, or we might look at different techniques such as textures & kiln carving, or specific makes such as framed pictures.I’ve talked about it before, but now the new space is taking shape, and I have more storage and organisation, this is the year that I hope to finally introduce those multi-session courses (but there’s no point in doing this until the space is actually ready)All the photos are previous student makes.
Here are the links, these will take you off site to my booking portal at Craft Courses.What are you looking forward to in the New Year?
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Studio Update
I’ve been at Shed 2 Studios fifteen years this October!
When I first moved in, I shared my space with my lovely friend Nic, who I met at university.
It was really more a place to keep all my glass, tools and equipment. This was ever growing, and taking over the house. But I quickly loved to be in the space, and started to make more use of it. I got asked to run workshops, so I would do these on weekends when Nic wasn’t in her side, to give students a bit of room.
It was a fairy natural progression when Nic decided to move on, that I would take over the whole space. Loadsa room, right? Wrong!
More room meant I could buy more tools, equipment and of course glass (being able to buy bigger sheets, saving money). It also meant I could run classes more often. It didn’t take long before I was making full use of it all, and a few years ago, began to spill out in to the communal areas – much to the chagrin of other studio members, sorry guys! So when a space came up, I decided to take a leap of faith and jump in. It’s right next to my own studio, but on the other side of a stud wall. Whether I will eventually take that wall down, I don’t know yet.
The plan for now, is to get a roof on as soon as possible. Shed 2 Studios is an old Victorian factory building. It has an open, high apex roof; a lot of heat goes up! And sharing with three woodworkers, a lot of dust comes down, too!
The new area is going to be the main teaching space for taster and shorter workshops. It is going to have large storeroom/cupboard. As it’s more out of the way of the communal area, I am going to use it as a consulting space. When someone wants to discuss a commission, for example.
The bit I am most excited about though, is that it is also going to be used a mini gallery space. I finally will have the chance to put my work on display, rather than hiding in boxes. This will inspire students, and give them lots of ideas.
I also plan to open the studio as a pop up shop once or twice a month, so that people can come along and see my glass art ‘in the flesh’. It also affords me the opportunity to design new and experimental pieces; having this creative freedom fills me with joy!
But first, operation tidy up, paint, put up shelves, and the small matter of a roof…. wish me luck!
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