Meet the Makers!
Here you can find out all about our members
at Craft Renaissance, and their work.
You can click on each name to reach their website or alternative links.
Keith Fenton
The love of wood that was fostered and nourished during Keith's school years has never diminished.
Keith prefers to work with timber from native grown trees; timber is selected carefully for its grain and unusual markings. The turnings are both utilitarian and artistic, occasionally combined. By turning, this felled timber is saved from becoming firewood and can provide eternal use or pleasure.
Keith is an AWGB approved tutor and demonstrator; a member of the Association of Woodturners of Great Britain; Heart of England Wood turners; Gloucestershire Association of Wood turners, and is Chairman of The Forest of Dean Wood Turners.
Deborah Edwards
Deborah, who lives and works in Kemeys Commander, has been designing and making jewellery in her own unique and contemporary style since completing a BA in Jewellery and Silversmithing at London Guildhall University in the mid 90’s .
Deborah creates elegant jewellery using silver , gold and gemstones . Her designs are often playful with movement and change being themes that she likes to explore. Deborah also works to commission, creating bespoke pieces .
'I am a teller of tall tales and tiny stories, a lover of books, birds, beaches, and tea. The very best sort of tea is that drunk from a flask while sitting on a beach reading a book. My little pewter people running around on driftwood were inspired by my sitting on a beach one summer evening at sunset, watching the shapes that the people and dogs and birds made against the sea and the sky and making up stories about them. My little people tell their own stories of family outings, sinister cats, stargazing lovers, and naughty dogs.'
Francesca is a poet and letterpress printer.
'Ideas grow from books. My handmade paper thistles celebrate reading and give new life to old discarded volumes.'
Available at the Gallery are Francesca's prints, poems, and paper art.
Blodau Arian - aka Jayne - designs and hand makes eco-friendly jewellery from her workshop in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. Her pieces are inspired by the natural beauty of the mountains, forests and coast. As a former senior lecturer in Environmental science, sustainability has always been at the heart of Jayne's work. She uses near 100% recycled silver and gold, and only recycled or ethically sourced stones; all her packaging is plastic free and recycled, as she aims to run a zero-waste business. Jayne feels it’s only right that her jewellery, which is inspired by nature, should help to preserve it.
Contemporary seascape and landscape paintings in oil and acrylic.
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.
I work with Welsh and native, responsibly sourced fleece. More recently, I have returned to creating abstract sculpture with clay, including slow, wood-smoked firing techniques. My studio at Craft Renaissance is home to my clay and kilns - my little home studio is now just for my fleece!
I love to combine traditional skills with contemporary designs; working with wool and clay allows me to explore my relationship with natural materials and the environment.
I am a qualified tutor and love to teach felt-making, running many workshops across Wales and the UK at various venues, locally and further afield, as well as festivals. You can also book a workshop at The Makers Studio by emailing me via my wensite,
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 have experienced 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 inspired by my surroundings, my rescue lurchers and 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, working under my business name, Melanie Made Mud.
Janet paints the landscapes and seas around south wales, showing her love for her adopted home through her colourful paintings which are full of contasts and atmosphere.
Her work is inspired by the fauves, impressionist and the colour field paintings of abstract expressionist.
She paints in a variety of scales and media and is more than happy to accept commissions.
Janet also works from the Craft Renaissance Studio, where she sketches and paints frequently.
Passionate about our wildlife and environment, I'm in my 15th year of recording resident and visiting wildlife in and around our black mountains garden - the more I look, the more there is to see...
I love bringing British nature into your everyday with form and function.
We can all create and nurture habitat - from a meadow to a tiny wildlife haven in a window box it, every scrap helps...
What do you see in your space?
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!
Linzi Whitting
I draw inspiration from my love of song writing, poetry, and surface pattern, the re-telling of stories weaving narratives through mixed media book form, moving image song drawings and ceramic sculptures. At the core of these multi mediums is a love of line: drawing, and this can be seen through the expressive surface pattern & sgraffito techniques that resonate across the works, be it in stitch, pencil, print or scratched in line filled with under glaze, these techniques, and the excitement of re-telling stories, is what inspires me and drives me to make and share my skills and work.
Local artisanal flower grower, growing bee friendly, seasonal flowers, freshly cut & arranged for all occasions.
Grown in our cutting garden, everlasting flowers are used to create buttonholes, bouquets and pressed flowers 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.
Chris Heneghan is a potter, living and working in Abergavenny.
His work is thrown table, kitchen and decorative wares with a range of glazes and finishes.
Chris is happy to take commissions, and if you see something you like but for example want a different finish, have a chat or drop him an email - he will make it if he can.
My work is inspired by nature - both my love of birds and trees.
Working with wire to create both indoor and outdoor pieces of art.
I use various types of wire, which I then manipulate into form and shape.
All pieces are unique - no two ever the same as each is made individually.
I run many workshops, for all abilities.
Beth Giles is a South Wales based artist and illustrator, working out of her studio in her own independent Art and Craft Gallery in Pontyclun, Rhondda Cynon Taff.
A commissioned artist, Beth create a mix of natural history and portraiture in watercolour and oils; her work aims to capture the nostalgia of nature and snapshot moments, precious moments personal to beth, and shared by many.
From an early age I’ve had an interest in flowers and Art. Growing up on Anglesey, my love of the sea, mountains, flora and fauna was created.
I am an Associate Member the Society of Botanical Art and also a member of the Society of Graphic Fine Art.
Based in my garden situated in the beautiful Monmouthshire countryside, you can find my studio five miles from Abergavenny in the foothills of Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons) and eight miles from the picturesque village of Usk.
Beca Beeby is a blacksmith and sculptor turned small-scale: making
organically formed jewellery & sculptural ceramics inspired by microscopic and macro exploration of the natural world.
Using traditional casting & forging techniques, Beca makes in her solar powered workshop in the Wye valley, where only natural and non toxic treatments are used (such as citric acid for pickling & cleaning), and her edible garden provides much of the inspiration and starting point of her work, particularly her honeybees, which provide the starting point for the Wild honeycomb collection.
My home studio is on a lovely south facing hillside in a small Radnorshire village ten minutes East of Builth Wells, enjoying picturesque and far reaching views of the surrounding hills. I work with lots of different glass, antique, modern and recycled, in a wide variety of ways creating pieces of stained glass, kiln fired fused glass and mosaic work both on a small scale and in large commission pieces. I love to create all things glassy - from traditional stained glass panels to quirky fused glass sculptures and many things in between.
Studio pottery made to be used, glazed by hand in traditional and beautiful colours.
Being a Potter has been a dream for many years. My biggest stress is which dungarees to wear and how high my pots should be!
I love the freedom of clay and the complexity and precision of making glazes.
I feel like an alchemist every time I fire up my kiln.
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.
Catherine Marks
Hi, I’m Catherine, the artist behind CM Creative. I’m inspired by nature and have a passion for wildlife which is reflected in my work. I love to use coloured pencils and my drawings are highly detailed, capturing the beauty and vibrancy of the wildlife around us. As well as wildlife drawings I also specialise in pet portraits, where coloured pencils enable me to capture the personality of a much-loved pet.
I hope you like my work and that it inspires you to get out and explore the nature on your doorstep – why not visit The Makers gallery at the same time!
Antidote Yarns and Designs: Luxury hand dyed yarn with a focus on mental wellbeing. Crafts including knitting and crochet are known to be beneficial to our mental wellbeing - Yarn is the Remedy! Highest quality, ethically and sustainably sourced yarns are dyed in uplifting and soothing cheerful colours to enhance the yarn crafting experience. As an Abergavenny based ceramicist as well a yarnsmith, Claire also makes ceramic yarn bowls, buttons and other knitting notions.
Andrea Wojcikowski
Handmade individual ceramics inspired by the Welsh coast and countryside.
I make all my ceramics by hand from start to finish without the use of moulds to give individuality to each piece.
For the botanical inspired ceramics, I use live plants from my garden imprinted into the wet clay to create one off pieces for wall display or household use.
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.
I produce original wildlife and landscape paintings in a variety of media.
This includes water-colour, acrylic, oils, mixed media and free motion embroidery and paint on textiles.
I produce prints and cards from some of these images. I like to focus on atmosphere, colour and the unexpected.
Wyldwood Willow began in 1999 when I found a passion for basketmaking.
This has developed into a thriving business today, and I create bespoke willow baskets for home and garden.
Alongside the baskets, I also weave willow coffins,decorative fencing and create willow sculptures.
I can often be found at Usk Castle Chase where I run a wide range of willow weaving workshops from baskets to coffinweaving.
Please contact me via my website for course dates.
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!
I am Hong Kong Chinese, and have lived and worked in UK for decades.
I paint in my own style developed from traditional Chinese techniques. I write in English.
My books are mainly of my own paintings accompanied by quotes from classical Chinese writings in my own translation: some have been published abroad and translated into 14 languages.
I offer original paintings, limited edition fine art prints, books and greeting cards.
(Painting title: Castell Coch)
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 has on display here, her fantastic book, Life on the Floodplain.
Researched, deveoped and created during the pandemic, Lavender & Lemon is a boutique range of true eco-friendly, cruelty-free, artisan products, made by hand by Morgan,.
'Lavender & Lemon is on a mission to transform household cleaning products.
Say goodbye to brightly coloured, toxic ingredients in single-use plastic bottles hidden away in cupboards. Instead, say hello to cleaning products with a purpose: eco-friendly, non-toxic, ethically-sourced ingredients in beautiful, refillable aluminium bottles that will take pride of place on any counter and can be reused infinitely.'
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.
Smokey dog forge was founded in 2020 by Dan after realizing that some of the more conventional career paths really weren’t the kind of thing he could see himself doing for the rest of his life.
Since taking the plunge and starting up solo it’s been all about learning as much as possible, whilst creating some cool stuff and loving every second of it.
Throughout all my work I aim to create unique and interesting items that are both decorative and functional whilst progressing the art to create the best pieces I possibly can.
(I use recyclable packaging in all my products)
I am a printmaker and illustrator based in South Wales. I create my illustrations using a handcrafted Linocut printmaking method, specifically a reduction Linocut Print Method. This method of Linocut printing uses only one block, carving away parts of the image each time, and layering the print over and over until the image is complete.
I carefully research each animal before creating my linocut prints, ensuring each animal is anatomically correct. The base of my design is realistic, then I allow my printmaking style to shine through and sometimes add a bit of playfulness on top. I have a keen eye for detail, each part I carve away with the linocut tool is important in helping me add texture and detail to my image.
Debbie Hortop
Having fallen in love with natural soap making after a course 8 years ago, I am now delighted to have taken the plunge and am an artisan soap maker myself, making cold process soaps, as "All about the Soap"!
(I use recyclable packaging in all my products)