Meet the Makers!
Here you can find out all about our members
in Abergavenny, and their work.
You can click on each name to reach their website or alternative links.
Emma Bevan - Woven Earth Studio
I am a Textiles Artist, specialising in needle-felted sculptures, landscapes and animal portraits.
I am also exploring working with clay. I grew up in the Black Mountains before attending the University of Arts in London, then returned to the Brecon Beacons
10 years later.
I am currently studing an MA in Contemporary Crafts in Hereford College of Arts.
I love running my workshops! I am passionate about using native fleece, and love knowing the connection between my sources, my processes, and my final pieces.
Amanda Rose
As an illustrator, words and images are frequently used together in a piece of work. A range of media including pen and ink, acrylic, printmaking and collage are combined to create thought provoking, often quirky art.
A summer house on the bank of the river Gwydderig is where you'll find the art studio. Quirky pots, prints, pens and inks, also poetry illustrator and college creator. Amanda's delightful pottery sits alongside her fabulous illustrations, creating a fabulous display.
"I work from a small garden studio in Aberdare – the town where I was born and to which I have returned (March 2018), drawn by a need to reconnect with my roots and memories.
I am a collector of oddities, especially if they strike a chord in my memory of childhood. These objects inspire my work, often taking me down a route which can be full of delights, discomfort and sometimes regret."
We are delighted to stock Karin's cards, full of character and Welsh culture!
I live in the western area of the Brecon Beacons and I run woodland projects focused on encouraging community engagement with nature by providing craft and conservation sessions.
It is great to work with a natural material and to incorporate other plants and found objects into the design. I love the variety of natural willow and its many colours and the way this changes as it ages. I also enjoy experimenting with different shapes and adding both leather and twisty branches as handles. Each basket has its own development and story.
“I like to add a little piece of wherever I am to what I make.”
I’m Jen All-Agog, a lampshade loon passionate about using some of the vast quantities of stuff heading for landfill.
All-Agog uses reclaimed frames to design and make unique one of a kind lampshades to light up your world.
A Gog from North Wales, I’m now found hiding in the trees with a pack of silly hounds just over the border in Herefordshire, playing with beautiful fabrics.
All-Agog creates traditional hand bound, hand sewn statement lampshades of all shapes and sizes using reclaimed frames.
I also creates mini fairy light lampshades made from repurposed used taster glasses, and textile accessories to ensure all of that valuable fabric is used up with no waste.
Colin Davies is a full time professional artist living in South Wales. He spent 32 years in education, finally retiring in 2019, fulfilling a lifelong dream to trade life as a headteacher for that of a professional painter. Colin's seascapes and landscapes are full of movement and atmosphere.
Annalise is a glass artist, focusing on local Welsh walks and landscapes on glass, on both panels and on lanterns.
"I’ve always loved the way that light moves through glass and throws colours throughout the room. One day whilst gazing out of my window, I stumbled upon the idea of putting pictures of my favourite local views onto glass."
I was previously a pottery tutor for 9 years for various Adult Learning services.
In 2021 I moved permanently to South Wales, fulfilling my dream of living here, my family are all from Blaenavon and I haveexperienced a lifelong pull to settle here, the word in Wales for this longing is 'hiraeth'.
I now live on Llanelly Hill, not far from Abergavenny and teach small classes of up to 4 people from my bright conservatory/studio. My work is inspiredmy surroundings by my rescue lurchers or love of humpback whales.
I exhibit and sell throughout the year at local fairs and in a few galleries, steadily establishing my small batch pottery Melanie Made Mud.
I am an artist living and working in stunning Wales. I love playing with contrasts of colour and textures. As well as my paintings, I sell slatework, cushions and mugs featuring my designs.
Graduating from Gwent College of Higher Education in Fine Art In the early 90s. I have worked as a Teacher of Art since, painting and creating when I could. I have always painted using colour as a language to express my thoughts and feelings. Exhibiting in Italy and showing my work in Wales and beyond, plus accepting commissions have given me the confidence to use media and colour, texture and scale.
However, it’s my recent body of work which has excited me the most.
I am a poet and letterpress printer.
Words and ideas, poetry and letterpress, walking and baking, haiku and horses - but not all at the same time!
Available at the Gallery are my prints, poems, cards and paper art.
I love making attractive and practical items that bring British wildlife into the home.
For 11 years, I’ve focused the majority of my photography on the wildlife within my garden, recording visiting and resident creatures of all kinds. The more I look, the more there is to see..
Celebrating the wildlife on my doorstep, I encourage others to imagine what visitors they might attract to their gardens…..It’s as easy as planting flowers for bees & butterflies or feeding the birds and hedgehogs…
I am lucky to live and work surrounded by birdsong but not many know how good for us it is. Birdsong is the number one sound that helps us recover from stress.
I am a textile artist living on the side of a mountain in South Wales, UK.
My art is about capturing a moment, a certain something that can evoke memories and feelings that connect with the viewer. I tend to work with (often pre-loved) fibre, fabric, threads, paint, hand and machine stitch, and text to recreate something heartfelt and special.
My work is mainly inspired by life experiences. From the everyday things around me such as nature, landscapes, seascape, and family, to sitting in a field watching the sunset whilst having a glass of wine. There is always something to inspire my work.
Local artisanal flower grower, growing bee friendly, seasonal flowers, freshly cut & arranged for all occasions.
In my garden I grow and sell seasonal, fragrant, romantic, vibrant blooms. I create natural wreaths and bouquets, using plants and flowers form my garden and foraged in the hedgerows. I also run workshops for wreath-making.
I took up pottery in 2010, when I retired. I soon bought my own equipment and went solo, thus beginning the voyage of exploration that so many potters before me have taken. It continues to fascinate.
I make thrown kitchen and table ware, and decorative pieces. I work in stoneware and porcelain. Each piece is unique, decorated with coloured glazes, oxides or stains. My latest direction is into Crystal Glazes. I am happy to take commissions.
I'm Miriam, founder and creator of Minnie La La Designs.
I am passionate about painting beautiful oil paintings that lift peoples mood instantly, making them feel happier.
It's not clever, it's not political, it is what it is, bright, colourful, sumptuous and joyous art.
Food for your soul.Art and cards inspired by nature and made with love. Daring to dream and being a stay at home mum!
I'm a designer, maker, creative soul, living and working by the sea in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, UK. Starting many years ago as a fashion designer & textile artist my journey eventually took me into the world of graphic design and digital story telling so I have a diverse set of design skills and knowledge. I believe that my work is all about connections, connecting threads, threads of ideas, threads of inspiration, threads of yarn...pulling a thread of an idea into shape to make or produce something unique.
Claire Scawn
Visual artist and maker living near Abergavenny. I play with themes and concepts to create jewellery, worn art objects that interact with the wearer and the environment. Inspiration is often drawn from ephemeral qualities woven within the environment and human condition.
All my work is unique, I play with variations so the pieces choose their own arrangements as they evolve.
I originally studied Design Crafts and Design Metals at Plymouth College of Art and later went on to study a BA Honours Degree in Ceramics at University Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC) where I graduated in 2006 with a First-Class Honours Degree. I am currently studying MA Ceramics & Maker at Cardiff Metropolitan University (CSAD).
Artist and crafter - working mainly in wool, acrylics and paper mache, with forays into ink, pencils and markers.
My family of quirky needle felted creatures is
always growing!
Everything we make is hand-made, hand-cut, hand-sewn & hand-finished. No laser cutting. No machine sewing. Our only concession is that sometimes we might use a Dremel tool for sanding & polishing.Wherever possible we try to repurpose & reuse beautifully aged leather, end of line pieces and remnants to create original & exclusive bags, hats & accessories – leather from old horse tack makes fabulous straps & handles that compliment our commissioned pieces well. We don’t make it all unduly fanciful; we don’t add shiny bits & pieces to make it all look expensive. First & foremost, we make things that fit their purpose in the best design possible.
Ceri studied Wildlife Illustration, including photography, at Carmarthenshire College of Art, and went on to work in design management and conservation. She now takes photographs of the landscapes and natural history in the Brecon Beacons, where she is based.
Ceri produces original photographs, prints and cards, as well as her new book, Life on the Floodplain, also available at the Gallery.
Edward Woolley
My artwork takes inspiration from the dramatic landscape close to where I live. I run Nordic walking classes which give me the opportunity to photograph local scenes. I do this throughout the seasons and weather conditions. This provides a challenge for me to convert to canvas. I like to use oil paints for their vibrancy.
I use free-motion embroidery to create art work inspired by nature and the natural form. I love to include poems or song lyrics in my work.
Kimmi Davies is a trained archaeological object conservator and has worked at the Museum of Archaeology in Stavanger, Norway, and the National Museum in Dublin. After moving from Norway to Wales, now with two daughters, she started making jewellery of broken plates in 2013. Both her mother and sister run tearooms so she has an endless supply of broken cups and plates. Only plates which are already broken or chipped are used.
All her jewellery is handmade in Abergavenny, Wales. The shards are shaped by hand and fine and sterling silver is added. The silver fittings are custom made for each shard and are hallmarked in Edinburgh.
My art and designs are inspired by the natural world and Celtic and Pagan mythology. At my home studio I weave folkloric symbolism with native flora and fauna in my creations, which include paintings, prints, stationery and home accessories.
I am located in the South Wales Valleys, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The scenery is diverse and beautiful throughout all of the seasons. I enjoy walking the hills and coastline of Wales and it is here that I find my inspiration. I am immersing myself in the landscape, referring to Welsh mythology and trying to gain a deeper understanding of my homeland. I take elements from paintings and drawings made on location and in the studio to design the products you find here.
My background has always been in art and design. I originally studied landscape architecture.
After a rewarding career I moved to Abergavenny to pursue my interests in
fine art and photography.
My work is inspired by the Beacons and Black Mountains where I look to convey relationships between the natural and manmade world and to explore where place and identity meet.
In painting I find this approach is best suited to ink and watercolour studies with the
aim of capturing something of the drama and character of this part of Wales.
Photography allows me to portray both landscape and townscape in greater detail
using tonal contrast to give the work greater definition and depth. By placing the
work in a geographical setting I hope to provide time for reflection and memory.
Ether, Silver & Home has grown in the last 4 years, bringing a love of wood, textiles and design to you. Bouncing off classic design and current trends, creating unique pieces to build a beautiful home!
A key business focus is sustainably sourced materials such as local and reclaimed woods or reclaimed textiles, my aim as a maker is to create products that will add to your home and last for the next generation.
Coming from a woodturning background I grew up with beautiful handmade pieces and homeware. The variation of different woods is abundant. I have yet to meet any one who is not drawn to the tactile quality wood has, the warmth it can bring to a home and the connection it brings back to our environment is something I hope is evident in my work.
Combining new materials such as metal, resin or textiles I try to produce pieces that work with the ever changing trends but also as stand alone pieces.
I truly believe that everyone can have a beautifully designed home that doesn't have to cost the earth.
Sarah Lamb is a semi-abstract landscape artist.
She creates work inspired by nature & infused with magick. Primarily working in acrylic & on a circular base, Sarah captures representations of dramatic scenes through vivid colour, organic shapes, & sweeping textural paintwork.
Self-taught, having grown up on the moors of England & by the wild sea of the Jurassic coast, Sarah now paints from her studio in the forests of Wales. She aims to represent the profound connection that exists between humanity & the natural world.
Creativity has always been a part of me. I was lucky enough to work in a school whilst my children were growing up. I designed fun interactive displays, created large roleplay areas and made props for the classrooms as a part of my job.
I moved to Wales almost 6 years ago and rediscovered a love for macrame. This was the start of 'Knots of String' and my macrame journey.
I work with natural fibres to create 3D wall art, flowers and models out of string.
I love the versatility of macrame and its endless possibilities.
I enjoy making furniture from a variety of different wood species.
I aspire to create crisp accurate and neat joinery in my furniture, designing elegant organic pieces at a fair price.
I love to make furniture as it keeps my mind focused and present, and I think of my furniture as an extension of my minds creativity.
Furniture making to me is a source of enjoyment as I can put my thoughts feelings and mental images into a tactile and user friendly product.
A piece which is enjoyed by the user on a practical note, and also as a sculptural art form.
I also like the continuity of trees felled, sawn, and then kiln dried locally with a story behind them or “provenance” (the place of origin or earliest known history of something).
Originally trained in traditional style at Welsh Academy of Art, in Cwmdu, where I trained in painting still life,landscape and portraiture, in oils and charcoal.
I enjoy exhibiting in Crickhowell Open Art.
Recently my work has evolved into a free and more abstract style using acrylic and mixed media.
I am a surface pattern designer and illustrator based in Monmouthshire. I founded my business Emily Hacker Textiles in 2022 after completing my degree in BA Textiles. Inspired by nature and life experiences, I enjoy painting and experimenting with a range of mediums including watercolour, gouache and coloured pencil. I combine these mediums with digital techniques to create elegant patterns/illustrations designed and applied to vibrant and beautiful products, whilst maintaining an ethos of sustainability.
Being at the start of my creative journey, I am excited to see what comes next!
Having over 10 years experience making candles, the birth of my daughter prompted me to set up my own business so I could devote time to her by working from home. So in the winter of 2022, I decided to set up A.dore candles from my home workshop in Abbeydore (where our name comes from!)
I started out just selling to friends and family and over time, as we began to grow, I started to build more of an online presence. At the start of 2023, I decided it was time to launch my shop online! Now I spend my days doing what I love, surrounded by the gorgeous Herefordshire countryside as I bring up my daughter.
At a.dore I use only the highest quality luxury scents that will fragrance your home beautifully. There is currently a choice of 5 scents, all that offer a different atmosphere to your space, so there is something for everyone.
Our quality wax ensures for a long candle life, an even burn and a highly potent fragrance that will fill the room!