Well, here we are in 2023 - a Happy New Year to all of you! Here's hoping you all had a great seasonal break and are sailing into 2023 on calm seas with bright plans on the horizon.
We've got some great plans this year, and they kick off just as soon as we've taken a short break to catch up on all of that festive rest that we heard most people had! This week, the NaviStitch shop is open on Friday and Saturday, with the Sail Loft being cleared of the amazing work that our artists and makers brought to you in our Christmas pop-up, and then we're closed until Saturday 21st January. It'll be strange not opening up each morning for a couple of weeks (but I'm sure that me and Mr NaviStitch will manage!)
Coming soon...
Our Sail Loft won't be empty for long: from 25th January to 11th February we're hosting a Pre-loved Art Sale - a chance for you to either buy or sell pieces of artwork. Here's how it works:
If you've got an original, or numbered, limited edition piece of art (in fact, up to 5 pieces), and you no longer have room for it, have fallen out of love with it, or just wish to pass it on, you can submit it/them to us to be included in our sale. Register your pieces here and, once accepted, you bring them in on Saturday 21st for us to display.
If you're a buyer, this is your chance to find something unusual, something rare or to bag yourself a bargain! Get the dates in your diary and don't miss out.
And then...
We're delighted to have the amazing Anne Plummer holding an exhibition in our creative space straight after our pre-loved sale. Anne is a local artist whose work is very much influenced by the coast - her paintings are usually marine focussed. Her work with painting marbles is incredibly photo-realistic and she's bringing an exhibition of this work to us from 15th to 18th February - it truly does need to be seen to be believed.
Opportunities...
For the final week in February and then from March to October we're excited to offer our Sail Loft to you if you're an artist, or a maker, or if you have an idea for a pop-up event. Take a look at our Sail Loft calendar for dates that we have free and then get in touch with any ideas that you may have.
We have two rooms and lots of display equipment; you can man the exhibition yourself, or we can do that for you. We're really keen to encourage first-time exhibitors and students to get involved and, if you'd like to be a part of a collaborative / joint exhibition, we can put you in touch with other artists too. Take a look at the way it works here and and get in touch if you'd like to chat about ideas.
In other NaviStitch news...
I've been enjoying making some of you cry over Christmas! Just to explain, pieces of nautical stitched art that I'm commissioned to create often provoke such strong memories for people, and I've been working on many leading up to the festive season. It's one of the highest compliments that an artist can receive when a piece of work gets such an emotional reaction - and you know you've given the perfect gift. It's a privilege to hear the stories and reasons behind some of the commissions.
One commission was particular poignant as a tiny anchor marked the spot where a father's ashes had been scattered - take a look at the last image in this gallery of my most recent work...
If you want to give someone a personalised gift, why not consider a piece of nautical stitched art? For anyone with a nautical bent, with coastal memories, or just a love of the sea, sailing or a place that they hold dear, I can find a chart from my extensive collection and we can take it from there - take a look at how easy it is.
We look forward to seeing old friends and new over the coming weeks. Until next time, I wish you calm waters and plain sailing
Sam