Welcome to the 2nd newsletter of 2012.
A Truly British Year
With so many things happening this year, I decided to delay the summer newsletter and send it out later. Well, what a year this has been.
Starting with The Queen's Diamond Jubilee, then the Olympics and Para Olympics it has been interspersed with numerous exhibitions of British design and manufacture with awards for some of the most innovative British ideas.
Locally, we had the 5th International Festival of Glass, which
celebrated 400 years of glassmaking in Stourbridge and included
the British Glass Biennale which is the UK's major exhibition
of contemporary glass. It also included the world's longest
glassblowing demonstration with British glass artists
demonstrating their skills.
Also included, was the unveiling of
the completed 2012 Portland vase and the other cameo items, which
I mentioned in the last newsletter. Such was the interest in the
event that it featured talks by renowned speakers, including Dr
Paul Roberts, Curator of Roman Art and Archaeology Department at
the British Museum who commented on the replica "It's
astounding-a masterpiece".
So for all the doubters, who say that Britain has lost it's innovation and skills, just remind them of 2012.
On with the newsletter.
Company Profile
To continue with our current theme on glass I have decided to
revisit Kevin Barry Crystal Ltd.
Kevin was featured in one of our early newsletters, a few
years after he started in his own workshop. He has since gone
from strength to strength and his work attracts interest from
around the world with many of his pieces exported to America
whilst recently he has supplied India with chandeliers.
Unfortunately, with the large number of registrations this year, I have only been able to show a small selection.
Special offers available through the directory - Please note that some of these are only available for a short time - so you need to be quick.
Kevin Barry began glass cutting at Royal Brierley in 1976,
following in the age old tradition of apprentice learning in one
of England's oldest manufacturing crafts. In the early
1980's Kevin moved to Stuart Crystal, where he spent twenty
years as a master cutler specialising in intaglio and sand
engraving, although additionally turning his hand to all the
traditional cutting methods. In this, Kevin followed in the
footsteps of earlier generations of craftsmen who were both
specialists and innovators, testing and trying out techniques
across a range of procedures in search of new and innovative
design.
In 2003 Kevin established his own Studio at the Ruskin Centre
where he developed and continues to develop his own designs on a
wide range of locally sourced crystal glass using every possible
cutting technique. His work demonstrates a range of styles simply
not encountered in factory showrooms: contemporary and
traditional, minimalism alongside high Victorian
extravaganza.
Kevin offers off the shelf pieces, a design service and
undertakes bespoke commissions. He will make an individual piece
for an individual customer, something that could never happen,
except by special command, with factory cut glass. A Kevin Barry
commission offers customers the chance to enter a design
partnership with a master craftsman, combining individual
requirements with dedicated craft skill. Kevin Barry's glass
is unique. His pieces are not anonymous objects produced to
conform to some distant designer's dictate of taste and
style, but genuinely hand crafted works that speak loudly of
satisfaction inherent in their creation.
Kevin Barry's studio is open Monday to Friday 9.00am to
5.00pm and Saturday 9.00am to 4.00pm.
Tel: 07951031993
Ruskin Glass Centre, Wollaston Road, Dudley, Stourbridge, West
Midlands DY8 4HE
If you would like your profile published here please email me:
Rudd Macnamara Ltd - Specialist
printers of metals and plastics, we work with aerospace,
automotive and breweries worldwide.
Rudd Macnamara Ltd
Jizaro Ltd - British-made
lighting, including table lamps, ceiling lights, wall lamps and
floor lamps all made by master craftsmen in the UK.
Jizaro Ltd
Rowlett Rutland Ltd - British
manufacturers of high quality electrical appliances for the
kitchen. We manufacture over 30 different models of
toasters.
Rowlett Rutland Ltd
Richard Rose Furniture & Kitchens
- we specialise in designing and making bespoke handbuilt
pieces of furniture from individual pieces to fully fitted
kitchens.
We also design and make bedroom furniture and lounge furniture.
Beds, wardrobes, cabinets, tables, bookcases and mirrors
Richard
Rose Furniture & Kitchens
Elixir Media Consultant is a
leading website Design, website Development, e-commerce and SEO
Company in city of london. It provides cost effective solutions
such as Website Design, Website Development, Ecommerce Website
Design Development, Affordable Website Design Development,
Professional Website Design Development, Logo Design, Flash
Animation, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and printing.
Elixir Media
Consultant
Joseph Dixon - established in
1843 and today is the finest leather working tool manufacture. We
are also the only company in the world to manufacture, in house,
a full range of press knifes for leather, packaging, gasket trade
etc.
Joseph Dixon
Robin Noel Glass Creations - A
Glass Artist/Designer that creates hand made glass products, Kiln
formed, Cast, fused & Slumped.
Robin Noel Glass
Creations
Sorry - These offers are no longer available.
Please see our Latest Offers page