Back by popular demand and with new colourways, a couple of gorgeous limited edition Tessuti print cotton macs have arrived in store.  The macs are size medium, with concealed pockets on the front, and half linings inside. Choose between patterned natural and patterned black. Both completely individual and original, featuring Tessuti's signature print designs.

New puppy in the shop! There's been a new arrival at Concrete Wardrobe, in the form of Domino, the French Bulldog pup. Lighter than air and softer than butter, Domino has stolen all our hearts here at Concrete Wardrobe. Even Treacle, who was a bit unsure to begin with, has taken rather a shine to him (in small doses.) 

Friends at last

It's all too much for them after that!

 Domino's cute velvet face

British Birds and Porcelain Vessels

This August, two makers come together at Concrete Wardrobe for a joint Maker of the Month Exhibition.

Kittie Jones is an Edinburgh based printmaker who specialises in creating vivid prints of British birds. Susan Kemp is an East Lothian based ceramicist working in porcelain to create functional pieces, hand painted in floral designs.

Jones’ inspiration comes from British nature. Her practice begins out in the field making drawings from life. These drawings are then transformed into prints, drawings and paintings. A large part of Jones’ work takes the form of screen prints and monotypes. Her exhibition forms part of the British Birds series she has been developing over the past three years. These prints are square format and small scale. The aim of the British Birds series is to celebrate and highlight the diversity of bird life in the UK.

Susan Kemp moved to Fife to start her ceramics business over four years ago. After experimenting with a range of clays, Kemp has settled on porcelain as her medium of choice. Having used transfer patterns in the past, she has recently moved into hand painted designs, inspired by the green-blue colours and floral patterns of early Islamic ceramics. Kemp’s range to debut at Concrete Wardrobe includes tall and squat linear forms, contrasting with floral designs and a mix of blue and green-blue hand painted decoration. She explains, “Whilst the pieces are functional the forms are pushed just beyond that. They refer to function without being limited by it.”

Alongside her prints, drawings and paintings, Kittie Jones is exhibiting a range of greetings cards and tea towels. Of her exhibition at Concrete Wardrobe she says, “my work will be shown amongst some fantastic examples of contemporary Scottish craft, and to be on sale in August with so many visitors to the city, is very exciting. Who knows where my work will end up?”

Kittie Jones and Susan Kemp will be on display at Concrete Wardrobe from 1^st to 31^st August 2013.

Concrete Wardrobe is open Monday to Saturday 11am to 7pm. (Sunday 12 - 5pm.)

Concrete Wardrobe 50a Broughton Street, Edinburgh EH1 3SA

ENDS

PR: Katherine Emtage. Co-Owners: James Donald & Fiona McIntosh. 

New work is in this week by Edinburgh based Jenni Douglas. A self taught printmaker who has lived in Edinburgh's Old Town her whole life, Douglas is fascinated by the minutiae and detail in Old Town architecture. She brings this detail to her limited edition screen prints.

More Blair Sorley stock has arrived today, so pop down to Concrete Wardrobe as soon as possible, to get the full colour range. Hot pink, red and mustard yellow have been added. And they look and feel amazing.

The Joys of Line and Form

This summer, the ceramics of Lara Scobie and the precious jewellery of Joanne Garner come together for Concrete Wardrobe’s July Makers of the Month exhibition.

Scobie’s work combines decoration with functionality, and includes a range of small vessels, tall jugs and bowls.

Garner uses precious metals and textiles to create striking mixed media jewellery. Inspired by the bold colours and repetitive patterns found in nature, she creates fluidity and freedom within her beautiful designs.

Scobie’s work is predominantly concerned with the dynamic interplay between form and pattern. This is explored through drawing, surface mark making and volume. Surface patterns and details observed in botanical life have enabled Scobie to explore her love of colour and abstract design. Her simple, considered forms are constructed from soft slabs of clay, with delicate rims and edges. The off-centre ellipses of the individual pieces echo the line drawings and ornamentation of the painted surfaces.

Garner’s use of textiles alongside precious metals infuses her jewellery with colour, and the contrast between soft and hard materials produces tactile pieces with an organic feel. The intricate shapes and linear forms created through the use of fine wire enables the jewellery to move fluidly with the wearer, generating a flow of movement and energy within each piece.

The making process plays an integral part in the development of Garner’s designs, and she works instinctively with tools and materials to create her work. “I enjoy the challenge of working with non-traditional jewellery materials, and find the different techniques allow more freedom within my designs.“

Scobie has exhibited widely and her work is on display in public collections internationally. She has also gained awards for her work, and has recently been selected  (alongside only one other Scottish maker) for the British Ceramics Biennial in Stoke.

Concrete Wardrobe brings together the work of two highly trained Scottish based makers, both intrigued by natural forms and their organic interplay, in very different mediums.

Lara Scobie and Joanne Garner’s work will be on display at Concrete Wardrobe from 1^st to 31^st July 2013.

Concrete Wardrobe is open Monday to Saturday 11am to 7pm. (Sunday 12 - 5pm.)

Concrete Wardrobe 50a Broughton Street, Edinburgh EH1 3SA

ENDS

PR: Katherine Emtage. Co-Owners: James Donald & Fiona McIntosh.