Mark Herald-Art and Illustration

I have just visited the wonderfully refurbished York Art Gallery which now featured the very talented and more than a little eccentric Mark Herald as the artist in residence. Mark has also curated The Lumber Room: Unimagined Treasures, a room full of miscellaneous stored objects and artifacts from the stores of the Yorkshire Museum and York Castle Museum as well as the York Art Gallery. His choices include textiles, costume, oil paintings, and works on paper, furniture, and taxidermy, many items of which have not been on public display before, this quirky collection is well worth a visit.

Mark Herald studied illustration at Glasgow College of Art and then completed an MA in Natural History Illustration at the Royal College of Art. Taking his inspiration from the flora and fauna of the British countryside, Mark works across a number of mediums, producing limited edition lithographic and linocut prints, unique paintings, collages and hand-painted ceramics. Just wonderful as an unusual gift.

Mark has recently completed commissions for Faber & Faber and Tate Museums. A children's book illustrated by a series of Mark's unique collages was published by Walker Books in 2012.

There is something very contemporary about Mark’s work but also at the same time I feel that it reflects a different time, nostalgic and very British. I love the distinctive images, wonderful colour’s and the fact it always puts a smile on my face.  Great fun!

Mark’s work is available through many Museum shops nationwide or via the website below:

 www.stjudesprints.co.uk

SANTA MARIA NOVELLA- Body and Home

Beautiful fragrance for the body and home can lift your spirits and enhance your well-being. One of oldest artisan makers still makes wonderful perfumes favoured by the rich and famous and stylish, worldwide.

Officinal Profumo – Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella is one of the world's oldest pharmacies. It was founded in Florence in 1221 by the Dominican Friars; they started making herbal remedies and potions to use in the monastery. Soon their reputation became world renowned and sponsored by the Grand Duke of Tuscany, the pharmacy opened to the public in 1612.

Many of Santa Maria Novella’s wonderful products have become a part of history. The first “Eau de Cologne” was created in the 1500’s for Catherine de Medici. This was called “Water of the Queen” and featured citrus and bergamot scented water. Its popularity in France lasted into the 18th century.

Giovanni Feminis, took it with him to Cologne and began to make it there, renaming it Acqua di Cologne or Eau de Cologne as a tribute to the city where it was produced. Today the same formula is still used and is called Santa Maria Novella. It is the signature fragrance and the most sought after of all of their scents.

Many of the oldest products from Santa Maria Novella are still popular. The Almond Paste is an excellent rich cream made from almond butter. The Rose Water can be used on the face for washing and removing make-up. The Pot-Pourri is still hand-made and left to ferment in large terracotta jars. The Milky Soaps, scented with their own fragrances are made with whole milk to protect and soften skin. Scents use: Honeysuckle, Rose, Iris, Patchouli, Jasmine, Violet and Lily of the Valley.

The Pharmacy is run by Eugenio Alfandery, who has kept the tradition and legacy of the brand whilst updating the old methods and procedures. All new products keep to the Santa Maria Novella philosophy of quality and precision, mixing old world formulations and expertise with modern mastery of current technology. Local ingredients are used whenever possible and the products are never tested on animals. Each batch is hand-made in Florence and supervised according to age old recipes and artisanal methods.

 For details view www.santamarianovellausa.com  

 

Sara x

Serena Partridge- Small But Perfect

As always, I am on the look-out for bespoke items and gifted artisans.  Serena Partridge makes miniature fashion accessories and garments inspired by a passion for European costume, dating back some six hundred years. Her particular interest is for the flamboyant fashions paraded by the wealthy élite. Such as platforms rising to heights of twenty inches or the superfluous coiffures supported by Marie Antoinette. Although her works contain strong references to the past, Serena is not concerned with producing historically accurate replicas. In her work, scale and proportion are distorted to create curios that send up the frivolity and futility of life à la mode.

Though the work involves endless hours of hand stitching, it is not really embroidery; Serena is more of a mixed media artist who leans towards textiles. She mixes antique fabrics and trimmings with materials that will achieve desired effect. Kid gloves are reborn as elongated shoes and a fragmented wedding veil becomes the filling of a six-tier gateau; while heels are carved in wood and coiffures are fashioned from strands of fine silk.

These miniature accessories are crafted from fine papers, with tiny hand-stitching up the back of the stockings and 25 carefully cut pieces of card, stacked and sanded to create the shaped heels of the mules. The embellishments are hand-made with silk ribbons, antique lace and cut-steel beads.

 If you are looking for something a little different, the shoes and stockings are perfect unique gifts for special occasions and followers of fashion. They can be personalised with a message printed inside a tiny card or on a miniature label.

 

For more information view www.serenapartridge.co.uk