I must have assembled hundreds of these gift boxes over the past few weeks.

These little heart dishes are flying out the door.

Andrews brooch’s are so beautiful, a timeless gift…

I have collaborated with Moth to a Flame candles and these candle bowls are the result,  we have Lavender and Christmas scents. My little Christmas bells are very festive.

We have a great selection of other bits a pieces. I particularly love these Nordic snow patterned hot water bottles.

As well as the usual shops we supply, this Christmas we are involved in two pop up shops, The Christmas Boutique in Ranelagh, Dublin which is open until this Sunday and the MADE in Kilkenny pop up shop, Rose Inn st. Kilkenny which is open until Christmas Eve, so if you cant make it to our shop in Castlecomer you might be able to find something special in one of the pop up shops.

]]> http://rosedurr.com/blog/2011/12/seasons-greetings/feed/ 0 http://rosedurr.com/blog/2011/08/craft-highlights-from-the-festival/ http://rosedurr.com/blog/2011/08/craft-highlights-from-the-festival/#comments Thu, 11 Aug 2011 21:38:26 +0000 admin http://rosedurr.com/blog/?p=1191 I want to share some of the Craft highlights form this years Kilkennys Arts Festival….

Andrew Ludick bowls in ‘A Makers Journey’

Mark Campden ‘A Makers Journey’

Gus Mabelson ‘A Makers Journey’

Andrew Ludick ‘Form a Line ‘ exhibition

Above are some of  the amazing paper pieces on show in the National Craft Gallery

and Lucy McKenna’s hauntingly beautiful ‘Darker Wood’ in the Castle Park.

here is a little insight into how I came up with the bowls that are in

A Makers Journey Exhibition

My journey began in the garden with a plant I love called ‘bells of Ireland’. I love the simple shape of the foliage. Next I did some sketches of the plant and played around with suggestions of form. Here is my story board…

Then I got stuck into the making proccess which took place in our polly tunnel at home ……….

because of this little guy I have very little time in the workshop right now….

and here are the finished pots in the exhibition. A series of porcelain bowls glazed in a transparent glaze.

So there you have it,  ’A makers Journey’ from ‘inspiration to creation’ now on show at Butler House, Kilkenny

This is MADE in kilkennys 3rd exhibition and it looks fantastic. If you are in Kilkenny for the Arts Festival make sure to pay Butler House a visit, we also have a pop up shop open for the week which has a great selection of Kilkenny craft.

The exhibition A Makers Journey demonstrates the craft persons individual creative process. From the inspiring object or image, through their personal process of design, it explores the different element taken into consideration to create a successful, well designed aesthetic piece of work.

The Exhibition opened last night and runs for the duration of the Kilkenny Arts Festival until Sun 14th.

The Year of Craft is well underway with lots going on and hopefully people are becoming more aware of the word craft and what it means in 2011. To mark the National Ceramics Month there was a lovely photo and 3 page article in the Irish Times magazine two weeks ago on some Irish Ceramic makers(I’m way behind on this one as we were in the States for a while) it featured Andrew (third from left on the sofa)  the promotion continues in the Kilkenny shop in Dublin if your up that way take a look at the exhibition of work in the windows.

Andrew and I both have work in the Irish Design Shop which is popping up in the National Gallery of Ireland this month. Also in Dublin is the super exhibition ’transFORM‘ organised by Ceramics Ireland as part of the Year of Craft Program, this is taking place in Farmleigh. This features some amazing work by Irish ceramic artist based here and living abroad including some of Andrews work.

I am sorry for the lack of posts this past couple of months but this little man has been keeping me on my toes and blogging has been low down on my agenda….the gorgeous photos above are courtesy of  the wedding and potrait studio , they were taken of Abraham at two weeks old.

Meanwhile its business as usual in Rosemare Durr Pottery shop. New spring and Easter stock has arrived including some of these lovely Easter trees, more photos to follow.

Lastly I just wanted to share a couple photos of the wood anemies that we sowed last autumn, they have been looking beautiful for the past few weeks with the bluebells close behind…..

Eleven days ago Abraham was born…..everyday he changes, gets fatter and smiles more. This Valentin’s our house is filled with flowers for the our new little man, thanks to all our friends, family and customers who have wished us well and smothered Abraham with gifts………..Happy Valentin’s Day.

Some of Andys beautiful vases…..

Stacks of my plates and bowls look great in this beautiful dresser from Eclectic Interiors….

More of Andys ceramic fish and vases..

What a nice way to start the new year….TV chef Neven Maguire is using my pots in his new series which goes out on Thursday nights, 8.30pm on RTE 1. Its is great to see them on the telly and Neven makes good use of my little bowls, ramekins and jugs….keep an eye out or click here to view reruns. A big thanks to the very talented Sharon Hearne -Smith who is responsable for the beautiful food styling on set.

We are enjoying being home for a few days and hope all our readers/customers & friends are enjoying the same.

 The shop will be open from 12pm to 4pm Wed to Fri this week . Closed Sat and Sunday.

Just drop me an email or give me a call if you need to get something outside these hours.

‘Andrew Ludick’s lively ceramics steal this Christmas show with their hand-formed shapes and strong patterns, driven by thin black lines and a rich use of limited colour. The Pineapple Vessels in the window are a favourite, but his bowls are equally covetable.’

These vases are available from the gorgeous Lavit Gallery, Rosemarie Durr Pottery, theMADE in kilkenny pop up shop, Kilkenny and The Irish Design Shop, Dublin

Craft stick puppet kit.

Fairy Making Kit

Make your own bugs kit

It has been a long week….with temperatures not rising above freezing by day and as low as -16 C at night we had a hard time just keeping things moving, but we did. The shop is open for business and looking very beautiful…

These shaker style bird feeders arrived just in time, our poor feathered friends need all the help they can get.

Speaking of feathered friends….here is a felted one that is staying in doors with his wooden pig friends. Christmas decorations that you can love all year long.

Andrews work is featured in today’s Irish Times magazine, click here to read……and our friend Ann Barber owner of  one of the most gorgeous shops in kilkenny the Butterslip was featured in today’s Irish Independent Weekend magazine. Blanaid Hennessy writes about Ann’s beautiful house featuring some of her lovely collection of things which includes lots of our creations over the years…….thanks Ann for your great taste.

Its hard to see from my poor photograph but the table top below is an Andrew Ludick creation, its very beautiful and completely one off..

Yesterday we transformed the reception area of the Discovery Park into a Harvest wonderland……this was to mark the end of the fantastic Savour Kilkenny Food Festival.  Interior stylist Eleanor Harpur put together local craft and food to create a beautiful atmosphere for the throngs of people who came through……….

The Castlecomer Discovery Park and Craft Yard is where to go this bank holiday Monday, as part of the Savour Kilkenny festival you can see some beautifully styled tables by one of Ireland’s leading interior stylists incorporating the best of local food and craft. Be inspired with imaginative ideas for a Harvest table, a Halloween children’s table and a Christmas table. Enjoy the fruits of Samhain with a seasonal display of harvest-time fruit and vegetables and get creative (and sustainable!) for Christmas with a display of seasonal gift ideas mixing local craft and artisan food. A selection of exciting dishes will also be created in the award-winning Jarrow Café using local seasonal ingredients.

In the Discovery Park all the family can celebrate Samhain (the end of Summer) which is the second biggest festival in the Western world. It marks the turning of the Celtic Year and we are celebrating it in full. Children can look forward to face painting, storytelling and a fancy dress competition, with some surprises in store throughout the day.  The theme for the storytelling will be the traditions of Halloween relating to food including customs such as the ancient thanksgiving to the gods for the harvest after all the crops had been stored, ’souling’ much like the modern day ‘trick-or-treating’, hollowing out turnips to make the ‘Jack-o-Lanterns’, barm brack, and much much more.For information call Castlecomer Discovery Park, The Estate Yard, Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny, Tel 056 4440707. All events are free.

MADE in kilkenny are getting into the Savour mood by having an exhibition of tabletop craft in the National Craft Gallery. The show will run for Saturday and Sunday. You will be able to get ideas on how to mix a collection of local craft to create an unique feel to your dining table, not to be missed. For more details check out www.madeinkilkenny.ie