Izzy McFarlane is a ceramic artist based in Margate. Having studied printed textiles at Leeds Arts University, she bought a kick wheel in August 2020 and has been making ceramics ever since. She takes a lot of inspiration from architecture and mid century design, which is what drew us to her brilliant work. Izzy very kindly gifted a set of 4 mugs for our latest giveaway and we caught up with her to find more about her work, why she settled in Margate, and her proudest eBay bargain… Let's start from the beginning. What’s your background and how did you get to where you are today? My creative journey really began at UCA Canterbury on their amazing foundation course. This...
What led you to start Cope Studio? I’d been working as the lead on production for a London brand for a few years already before going to work alongside a heritage factory outside Stockport. Unfortunately the factory was closed down due to unmanageable overheads and I could see that many of the customers there would be cut adrift without a UK-based manufacturer. I knew that many brands like yours find the Made in England stamp really important, so I knew that I could set up a small studio to fulfil that need without the huge overheads that had crippled others. From a personal point of view I love to make things with my hands, and engineer a problem. I love...
Margo McDaid is an artist whose simple, graphic paintings and drawings are inspired by colour, vintage shirts, children book illustrations, folk art and outsider art. She draws every day and particularly enjoys hearing “that looks like me!” when people view her work. Margo’s art reflects her love of all things bright and optimistic, as well as her life by the sea which “makes the colour even more powerful”. She thinks art should bring us daily joy, which her vivid and expressive prints and paintings surely do. Margo has very kindly gifted an original artwork for our latest giveaway and we caught up with her to find out what inspires her work, why she draws every day and her top tip for...