News from the Creative Metal Workshop
It's been a while - apologies for the radio silence but, as I'm sure you'll all appreciate, these last few months have really ramped up since restrictions have lifted. I'm excited to let you know about things that are coming up this year, and projects I've got on the go:
We're all organised!
Last year we were thrilled to have put on three 'Kev Fests' that were supported by so many of you incredible people and so we're doing it again! And this time, we've set the dates of all of our festivals in a field; our markets in a meadow so that you can stick them in your diaries.
As well as our amazing band of trusted creative makers traders that you've come to expect at our events, we've got a whole host of exciting new stallholders pitching up with us throughout the year. Keep your eyes on our dedicated social media account @kevsfestivals on both Facebook and Insta to keep up to speed, or visit the website
RHS fun!
Another first for me last year was exhibiting at RHS flower shows - both Hampton Court Palace and Tatton Park were massively exciting. They were a great way for me to get my work in front of people from different parts of the country. I'm lucky enough to have customers all over the UK but to visit different places with my work; to venture outside of the county was great. And it goes without saying, trying to get lots of celeb pics was a goal too!
This year I'm going back to do the same thing all over again:
Hampton Court palace is 4th-9th July
Tatton Park is 20th-24th July
Click on the images below for ticket links - they're both incredible events with so much to see and do!
Golden Showstoppers!
In preparation for shows and events coming up this year, I'm busy creating lots of new stock - visit my shop to see what I've got on offer (Mother's Day's only about 5 weeks away/ Easter's around 8 ... just saying!): arches and obelisks are being updated and I've got lots of exciting ideas going round in my head for products that I'll develop in the next few months. I'm always keen to take an impressive showstopper with me for events and so here are a couple that I'm working on right now:
This one's huge - it's bigger than I planned. These things are never small and I should know by now that they'll be bigger than I envisaged! It's 10 feet long, (right to left!), 6.5 feet tall and 4 feet wide. I'm looking forward to this finding its new home and for someone to plant the central section up so that it settles in.
This second, three-legged canopy is also rather large, and is being designed with a bench to sit underneath it so that the new owners have somewhere shady to sit and enjoy their garden.
Here are a few sketches of the first canopy and the gold coating that I hope to achieve for the underside of both structures.
I'm working at the moment with gold powder (mother of pearl and powdered titanium) to coat the underside of both canopies - something new for me. However, working with a malfunctioning spray gun does make it look like I have the Midas touch!
In other news...
...here are a few commissioned projects that I've been working on lately: A huge set of gates featuring bulrushes and topped off with a mallard; A pond life gate; Some ironwork for clients that allow me to let my imagination run wild and an impressive entrance for The Milk Shed Scandinavian cafe just outside Ipswich. Don't hesitate to contact me if you've got an idea you'd like to discuss. However, crazy it seems, believe me, it won't be as mad as some of my own designs! And I'm always up for a challenge.
As always, I'm really looking forward to the next few months, kicking events off with my own Kev's Spring Fest on 7th/8th May and followed at the end of the month by Helmingham Hall's Spring Plant Fair and Artisan Market - an event that I always look forward to in my calendar. Speaking of which keep an eye on my events calendar and don't miss a thing this year!
I'm planning on writing one of these each month to keep you in the loop with what's going on in Kev World - subscribe by visiting my website and you'll receive new straight to your inbox.
If you're in the area and want to chat about a project, give me a bell - I'm in the process of creating a showroom so that surroundings are a little more salubrious when you visit (although I keep getting sidetracked with all of the ideas I keep having! And I've got a great neighbour now in the Fields Farm Shop and Cafe - they're open 7 days a week and even have a menu for your beloved pooch (if I ever lose Moose, I'll know where to look!)
Take care everyone - I look forward to seeing you all somewhere sometime soon
Kev
