Saltburn Arts Fair

Today my friend  Bev (fellow alumni of CCAD) and I took ourselves off for a sunny Sunday morning trip to the Victorian sea-side town of Saltburn to visit their inaugural Saltburn Arts Fair. Firstly we called in at The Salburn School which has been saved from developers as a community venue by Saltburn Community & Arts Association and was being used as a gallery to display local artists work. We then walked a little further into the centre where there was a real buzz as people browsed the outdoor stalls bulging with paintings, pottery and textiles created by North East artists.

A crazy peddle powered mobile tea room blasting
out tunes helped set a carnival atmosphere

Colleen, Bev and Lauren

The first person we met was Lauren, also from CCAD, who was visiting from that other Yorshire beauty spot of Bridlington, and together we went off to find the stalls of two other ex-CCAD students who were exhibiting.

Colleen's Stall

Colleen had brought lots of work that we recognised from college plus a host of new products that she had been very busy screen printing from her home studio. These included cushions, lampshades and some retro chairs that she had upholstered herself. Check out her web site Created toDesign.

Helen's Stall

Helen Stevens was also a former student and part-time lecturer at CCAD but is now the creative genius behind an interiors company called Surfacephelia as well as the organiser of Designers' Marketplace. She had brought her recently launched range of cushions along with her matching crockery and gift card ranges.

One of Sarah's beautiful sreen prints

A very nice surprise was to see Sarah Heseltine from college, who graduated a few years ahead of Bev, Colleen and I. She too has set up a studio at her parents' farm and is producing some stunning gift products.You can see her work here

And what better way to round it all off than with coffee and cake in a vintage inspired cafe in Station Precinct called The Sitting Room.