Artist Statement
Peak District Artisans have formed a group of 9 artists and makers at Beechenhill Farm, Ilam. PDA has a history of 30 years in working hard to promote all that is wonderful about the creative people living and working in the Peak District. Members are selected for their unique outlook and excellence in their practice.
*Louise Edwards is a printmaker specialising in lino . She uses her everyday life and locality to inform the images. Using her everyday life and locality to inform images usually relating but not limited to nature of the area. Her style is highly detailed and can range from a single colour to multiblock, hand-coloured or over monoprint.
*Judy Gilley has been painting the Peak District for many years. Her paintings are inspired by ‘special places’ which hold emotional charge and memories. Hartington, the River Dove and Ilam feature often.
*Tim Rose paints in oils and watercolours and his subjects range from architecture to landscape. He works directly from his subject where possible and seeks to capture the light and atmosphere of the scene in his chosen medium.
*Cheryl Wilbraham’s paintings are a response to her appreciation of natural history and the environment. Her aim is to produce watercolours which are representational, contemporary, and atmospheric. She paints in watercolour and other water based mediums and teaches watercolour both on line and from her studio in South Derbyshire.
*Rachel Evans makes a range of traditional and contemporary willow baskets from her home grown, organic willow. She experiments with other natural and wild materials foraged locally - bark, garden plants, rush and hazel. She believes in living lightly upon the earth using sustainable materials to create items that last.
*Sue Prince is a contemporary folk artist creating folk art paintings in traditional egg tempera (inspired by Swedish folk art) - it's like folk music only paint! Sue tells stories, responding to current events including the COVID-19 pandemic, celebrating rural life and commenting on our society. She has books, prints, originals.
*Thomas Petit (Blown) Glass is made without moulds, making each piece completely individual. Colours are applied before blowing starts, by rolling molten glass into chips and powders. Many pieces are sandblasted to achieve a matt finish. Thomas’s designs are inspired by land/seascapes.
*Giles Davies creates landscapes exclusively from magazine cuttings. Each fragment of photography lends a rich texture, particularly to rock and water. Step back and enjoy a vibrant landscape; take a closer look and find unexpected detail full of irony and wit. Giles appeared twice on BBC One with Nick Knowles.
*Karin Sheldon’s jewellery is often inspired by the flow of water in our local natural environment. She uses traditional hand making techniques and includes semi-precious, precious stones and small beads of gold which add to the ‘flow of water’ feeling. Karin works with clients to design commissions and often uses clients’ own gold.
