South Tipperary Arts Centre Showcase Craftwork In Time For The Christmas Season

As part of an initiative to encourage people to support local artists and crafters this Christmas season, South Tipperary Arts Centre are displaying the work of ten local and regional craft businesses offering the opportunity to view their work and find the perfect handmade Christmas gift for friends or family members.  

For lovers of porcelain pieces Mandy Cheng’s designs are unique and one of a kind. The method used in the making of these pieces means that they can never be recreated. Inspired by elements of the natural world the unusual patterns she creates are a perfect gift for a table centerpiece or vase.  

CK53 Designs by Pat Murphy offer a range of wooden handmade gifts. These modern takes on traditional wooden products using sustainable wood include kitchen utensils, chopping boards and bespoke interior pieces. All wood used in producing these products is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, meaning the forests are managed to decrease the environmental impact on the flora and fauna that call the forests home.  

Influenced by her home county of Waterford, Ciara Connelly’s textile works are inspired by her memories and the landscapes she experienced growing up there. Her craft of stitching and repurposing fabric pays homage to women of the past who captured stories in bespoke tapestries.  

Those looking for the perfect pottery gift for a friend or loved one will be spoiled for choice at this showcase event. Sinead Fagan’s ceramic works show the beauty of unglazed natural clay which is coloured using other natural materials like wire and seaweed during firing. These pieces are evocative of the rugged Irish language using earth tones to show this.  

Caro Foley’s work combines both metal work and ceramics to create one-of-a-kind jewellery pieces inspired by nature and the natural world.  

Cillian Gibbons’ work is inspired by a unique population of plankton found at her home near Lough Hynne in Cork. This area is known for its marine bioluminescence created by the plankton that reside there. Cillian’s bone china pieces are decorated with copper oxide which creates a vibrant splash of colour like that of the plankton bioluminescence. Her work includes lighting features, nightlight holders and bowls.  

Eileen Singleton’s clay work emphasises the natural texture of clay and using underglazes and slips she enhances this texture to capture elements of the Irish landscape that she is inspired by.  

Bernadette Tuite exhibits her sculptural ceramic works both nationally and internationally. She takes her inspiration from hidden places of natural beauty which she has found during her kayaking excursions. Her works aim to highlight the importance of protecting Ireland’s coastal areas. Her sculptures are reminiscent of the fragility of our coastal landscapes and encourage people to think about our role in maintaining these environments for the future. 

Muireann O Connell from Mara Designs is passionate about her craft of jewellery making. She works with precious metals like Titanium, Silver, and Gold to create contemporary pieces of handmade jewellery. Inspired by the sea and marine environment she makes light jewellery using these metals as well as other materials such as pearls to produce durable items that can be passed down through generations to come.  

The final craftsperson whose work will be displayed is Anastasia Stepanova. Originally from Italy she uses traditional techniques and practices to make silver jewellery pieces. She uses recycled silver in much of her work and the innovative material silver metal clay. This material allows jewellery makers to create intricate pieces as though they are sculpting with clay, and it then hardens into pure silver when fired. She sells her products under her brand name 37 blackbirds.  

This showcasing event will be held in South Tipperary Arts Centre from Friday December 6th, 2024, until Saturday December 21st, 2024. This event is free to enter, and no booking is required.  

South Tipperary Arts Centre opens on the following days at the following times: