ARTISTS TALKING

These profiles introduce textiles.

It includes Lisa Stickley whose textile design degree at Central St Martins lead onto a place on the RCA printed textiles MA, and Angela O'Kelly who studied design and applied arts jewellery to MA level at Edinburgh and whose work now melds jewellery and textiles.

Lisa Stickley

Since graduating I have maintained, and made professional contacts through press, direct marketing and self promotion including inviting my contacts and clients to a sample sale held in December 2002.

I was featured in the World Of Interiors magazine in June 2002, this leading to other press opportunities and contacts. I follow up all calls and regularly keep in touch with anyone who has shown interest in my work.

I send press releases and information about my work to relevant clients, magazines and outlets for whom I feel my work is appropriate. I have often found that one thing leads to another, and it's good to keep reminding people that you are out there. Although I haven't pursued other sources of support - such as grants and awards - I have registered on the Craft Council's National Register of Makers.

After leaving university I developed a slightly different approach to my work. It is a challenge to keep ideas strong and fresh and not to compromise the designs whilst producing commercially viable products.

It takes time to adjust from 'college creativity', where 90% of time is spent designing, to running a business where many other things take over, and designing time is much more precious).

I have spent time sourcing fabrics from Paris, USA and via the internet - a great source for vintage fabrics. I have researched various antique markets. I plan to take some time out in the next few months for some serious new research and experimentation, to give fresh input into forthcoming collections.

Alongside my business, I generate income working as a design consultant at Kjaer Global, a company producing trend magazines for fashion and interiors.

For the last few years I have been designer-in-residence at the John Newman School in Stevenage and teach part-time A-level and GNVQ students. It's hard work but challenging and enjoyable.

I have set up facilities to print, so have also been printing for various designers such as Russell Sage, Julian Smith, Noel Stewart Millenery and Roland Mouret. It is satisfying to be involved in this way with creative people alongside doing my own work.

I am now working in collaboration with a good friend of mine from the Royal College of Art on a label called Dot, producing a range of hand printed and knitted women's wear tops for sale through various outlets and on London's Portobello Market. My range of tablecloths for Harrods, London were launched in May 2003. and I have designed tablecloths and napkins for Burberry stores worldwide, including New York, Barcelona, Milan, and London.

There's been a great deal to learn since leaving college, from production, to networking and promoting yourself. I have had to deal with clients, and get to grips with the business side of things. However picking things up as you go along is an enjoyable and challenging process.

I think you just have to take it bit-by-bit and keep going.

Lisa Stickley did a BA (Hons) printed textile design - specialising in print, Central Saint Martins, College of Art and Design, London, 1999 and an MA printed textiles, Royal College of Art, London, 2002.

Angela O'Kelly

Since graduating I have maintained and made professional contacts and networks through exhibitions and shows such as the annual London Chelsea Craft Fair in London.

Through selling exhibitions, I get direct contact with customers and make many contacts within the trade. Every year I produce a new postcards and publicity to send out to a regularly updated mailing list of customers, galleries and others in the industry.

In my own creative practice, taking time out to develop new work can sometimes be difficult. I have to work faster and be more focused than at college. I constantly think of new ideas and develop them through drawing and experimentation with new materials.

My research everything from nature, museums and exhibitions to trends, colours, fabrics and shopping. I spend time analysing my products, from quality control of materials and finish, to the aesthetics of the finished piece.

I take any opportunity to generate different types of work. There is always an element of chance, luck, and word-of-mouth involved. In 2001 Dumfries and Galloway asked me to create a piece of work for the Princess Su Su project. Medway Council commissioned work for the High Tech Low Tech project, where I created artworks out of left over exhibition catalogues.

Exposure in exhibitions and shows helps promote a variety of job offers. As my work crosses boundaries between jewellery, sculpture and textiles I lecture in jewellery and textile departments, including at Edinburgh College of Art, National College of Art and Design and Ballyfermot College of Further Education in Dublin.

I have produced jewellery for catwalk shows and for photo shoots when working with fashion designers, designed scarves for a textile company and designing mass-produced lower end jewellery products.

My work has also been collected by the Crafts Council, American Craft Museum, Royal Museum of Scotland, Cleveland Crafts Centre and Bowes Museum.

I completed a business course with the Crafts Council of Ireland and Dublin City Enterprise Board that developed my administration and marketing skills.

I seek constantly to further my development as an artist through gaining new skills on specific short courses and by attending seminars, conferences, summer schools and evening classes.

I keep in contact with what's happening through talks, openings, courses, and by getting to know people locally working in design/crafts. I subscribe to Crafts, American Crafts, Metalsmith, and join associations such as the ACJ (Association of Contemporary Jewellery). Local artists' and designers' networks are a good way of keeping in touch.

Angela O'Kelly did a BA (Hons) Design and applied arts - jewellery, Edinburgh College of Art, 1997 and a Postgraduate Diploma, Design and applied arts - jewellery, Edinburgh College of Art, 1998.

The writers

Libby Anson is an independent professional, creative and personal development consultant, who also works as a freelance lecturer and writer.

Abigail Branagan is a freelance consultant and marketing director of the Applied Arts Agency - a retail and gallery space in Clerkenwell, London. Originally trained in fine art, she has been working in the creative sector for eight years and has undertaken projects for a range of organisations, including Mazorca Projects, London.

Mark Gubb is an artist based in Nottingham working in a range of disciplines from painting to installation to video. His installation and film commission for Grizedale Arts references classic British horror and its cross pollination with American culture. A lecturer at the University of Derby, South East Derbyshire College and a regular contributor to a-n's publications, he is also co-director of artist-led initiative Loadstar.

Wendy Mason is a designer-maker in Yorkshire who also works as an arts consultant and trainer.

Graham Parker is an artist, critic, curator and lecturer involved in artist-led initiatives in Manchester. His work has been commissioned by Henry Moore Institute and Tate Gallery, Liverpool (Artranspennine), Manchester City Art Gallery, Compton Verney, Foundation for Art and Creative Technology and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. He has shown extensively in the UK and internationally. He is Visual Arts Officer at Salford University and co-course leader of Tate Liverpool's University Network MA course module and artistic director (with Dave Beech) of floating ip project space Manchester.

Emma Safe is an artist and writer on the visual arts based in Birmingham.

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