Modern Makers Collective is delighted to announce the return of their annual Winter Market, taking place on 23 & 24 November in the Christmas-tree-growing village of Yattendon. The event will take place from 10am-4pm on both days. Whether you're looking for the perfect gift or a special treat for yourself, you'll find a diverse and vibrant selection of handmade treasures to choose from, including jewellery, ceramics, textiles, glass, printmaking, basket weaving, and much more.
The picturesque estate village of Yattendon, renowned for being largely owned by Lord and Lady Iliffe, is the perfect setting for the Winter Market, with its award-winning pubs and beautiful scenery, providing visitors with a lovely opportunity to enjoy a day of mindful shopping and delicious food.
The Winter Market will provide an eclectic mix of handcrafted goods, from gorgeous jewellery and ceramics to finely produced fabrics, glasswork, printing, and basket weaving. It will include the work of 24 brilliant artists, designers, and craftsmen. Many new participants are welcomed to the event this year, bringing a new spark of creativity to the more seasoned Collective members. Every work showcases the time, energy, and enthusiasm of the creators, giving guests the opportunity to delve into a world of handicrafts that combines age-old methods with cutting-edge design.
“We are thrilled to host an event that not only showcases the incredible talent of our collective but also encourages mindful purchasing," said Aimée Alice Payton (co-founder of Modern Makers Collective). “The popularity of our Winter Market reflects a growing appreciation for unique, high-quality products that tell a story, and reflect a commitment to thoughtful and sustainable purchases over mass-produced items.”
Modern Makers Collective is a curated group of skilled makers, designers, artists and craftspeople. We are committed to promoting high-quality craftsmanship, sustainability and community engagement through our annual Winter Market and programme of workshops in the local area.
The entree fee for the event is £3 for adults and free for children under 16 years of age. All the all proceeds support Yattendon Village School.
For more information about the Modern Makers Collective and the Winter Market, visit www.modernmakerscollective.co.uk.
EXHIBITOR BIOS:
Aimée Alice Payton
Upholsterer and Lampshade Maker, Wiltshire
Aimée Alice Payton is an upholsterer and lampshade maker who uses exquisite textiles to create bespoke items for beautiful interiors. Her handstitched and hand-rolled lampshades are full of colour, life and stories.
Albert Harvey
Textile Designer, Oxfordshire
Albert’s designs are inspired by the English countryside, especially Oxfordshire, where Albert has his studio. His designs combine floral, leaf motifs and seed heads contrasted with small-scale geometric shapes. Albert skilfully carves his designs onto lino to create large blocks ready for printing which he does himself by hand so that each print is unique. A restrained colour palette combined with his naturalistic designs gives Albert Harvey’s textiles a timeless, contemporary feel.
Albert’s designs are printed onto a 100% natural linen base cloth, which is suitable for curtaining, soft furnishings and upholstery. His fabrics are made up of a stunning collection of scatter cushions and lampshades and are also available to order by the metre.
Alexandra Emmeline
Textile Jeweller, Somerset
Alexandra Emmeline is a contemporary textile jeweller who graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a Jewellery and Silversmithing degree in 2022. She uses traditional embroidery and goldwork techniques to create her colourful and whimsical style, taking inspiration from the insect world and Eastern architecture.
Andrew Hazelden
Ceramicist, Berkshire
Andrew studied ceramics at the Epsom School of Art and Design and has worked with renowned ceramicists Mary Wondrausch and Alan Caiger-Smith. He learned the technique of tin glaze earthenware and reduction-fired lustre at the Aldermaston Pottery in Berkshire which he joined in 1984. Using a blend of Italian Duruta and Spencroft clay, Andrew hand-paints the oxides onto the tin glaze in the maiolica tradition. He is also producing reduction-fired lustreware. Using silver and copper paste this technique needs a reduction of oxygen during the firing to create the iridescent surface.
Anne Payton
Artist, Berkshire
Anne Payton is an artist who works mainly in oil paint. She trained in theatre design and worked at a range of renowned theatres from The Watermill to The National. Now working from a studio in Berkshire, her work transgresses many different subjects, from still lives and landscapes to thematic character paintings. She creates vividly textural and dynamic oil paintings and watercolours, inspired by a variety of elements. She also prints lithographs using an antique press and lithographic stones. Sculpture comes into Anne's work, in her immersive exploration of a theme.
Charlotte Berry
Jeweller, Oxfordshire
Charlotte Berry is an award-winning jeweller with over 14 years of experience in hand-making jewellery. She creates exquisite fine and heirloom jewellery from her workshop based in South Oxfordshire using traditional techniques and the finest materials. A Fair Trade Foundation registered goldsmith; Charlotte specialises in helping couples create their dream one-of-a-kind ethical wedding jewellery to cherish for a lifetime.
Emmy Palmer
Glass Artist, Devon
Whilst at college in 2006 Emmy won a scholarship award with Teign Valley Glass studio in Bovey Tracey and she has continued a working relationship with them ever since. She graduated in Applied Arts in 2007 specialising in glass. It was during her degree that she started to combine knitting with glass in different ways. She was really taken by combining knitted metals with blown glass and has been refining the technique ever since. As well as her unique combination of knitted metal and glass, her blown glass pieces are a celebration of colour and form.
Eric Michell
Interiors + Lighting Creator, Oxfordshire
Eric Michell makes wonderful unique creations, incorporating beautifully crafted elements that reflect leading design movements of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Eric’s work has been chosen for cottages and castles, both subtle and statement to compliment the homes of his growing list of clients and his TV audience alike. Eric is a principal contributor to the recent international hit TV series Restoration Workshop.
Freya Barton
Artist, Berkshire
Freya Barton is a mixed media painter who believes art does not have to just remain on the canvas. Freya decorates interior pieces as well as works in mixed media on board. A trained textile print designer, Freya's work brings elements of 20th-century patterns and is always full of colour.
Harriet Coleridge
Ceramicist, Oxfordshire
Harriet Coleridge has been a practising potter for nearly forty years, having started, after a fortuitous visit to Aldermaston Pottery in 1984, as an apprentice to Alan Caiger Smith. Working with stoneware and porcelain, Harriet uses four different firing methods to achieve her rich, textural pots. Exploring different glazes and the finish achieved through the different kilns are characteristic of her work, from everyday pots to large sculptural pieces.
Jane Body
Natural Wreath Maker, Berkshire
With a background in art and photography, Jane Body combines her expert eye for design with her love of the natural world. Much of Jane's foliage comes from her own abundant garden which is delicately arranged with luxurious decorative elements. With a range of bespoke wreaths on offer, Jane also runs workshops and provides kits to be made at home.
Kate Hipkiss
Paper Artist, Oxfordshire
Kate is a paper artist based in Oxford, UK. She has worked with paper for over 15 years and uses a scalpel to cut images inspired by the natural world and the built environment. Depth and perspective are created by numerous layers of paper assembled together in careful compositions.
Kate's work explores the possibilities of working with paper as a material; how it changes as it is cut into intricate patterns and how the play of light on the surface and cut edges creates shadows. Working with such a ubiquitous material challenges our innate understanding of paper and its uses.
Kate Wilkinson
Jeweller, Buckinghamshire
Kate Wilkinson's jewellery is based around textured silver units that have developed through experimentation; gathering ideas at the workbench and observing details in nature and urban decay which influence the surface of a piece. These units are combined with semi-precious beads, climbing cord and cork to add colour and create the mood. By altering the scale and pattern formation she creates simple earrings to elaborate multi-unit one-off necklaces. Kate studied Jewellery and Silversmithing at Loughborough College of Art and Design followed by an MA in Jewellery at the Royal College of Art.
Leigh Pottery
Ceramicist, Oxfordshire
Leigh Pottery is an Oxfordshire-based ceramics studio producing contemporary, quietly muted, simple, decorative and functional ceramics that are designed to become part of your daily life. Making both wheel-thrown and handbuilt functional and decorative ceramic pieces, Leighan of Leigh Pottery is inspired by the beauty and texture of the clays that she works with and strives to show this off in her pieces. All Leighan’s products are handmade in small batches in her garden studio. Form comes from those shapes found in nature. Exploring shape and texture, Leigh Pottery creates items that are easy to live with and a pleasure to own.
Lino Lord
Printmaker, Oxfordshire
Founded in 2019 by Mark Lord, a professional photographer whose 22-year career behind the camera led to a passion for capturing the essence of the natural world and the iconic character of fascinating, retro-chic objects. Lino Lord's prints and products lean into the rich history of craft from Cornwall, embracing timeless techniques to capture fascinating natural and iconic imagery. From the naive folk art of rural England to the St Ives school of artists, retro-chic contemporary objects, and simple Scandinavian design, Lino Lord’s work embodies a natural, distinctive style.
Loopy Ewes
Knitwear Designer-Maker and Farmer, Wiltshire
Katie is a knitwear designer-maker based in Wiltshire. As well as handcrafting a collection of garments, accessories and homewares, she is also a farmer – looking after a flock of rare breed sheep to produce all the raw fibre for her work. Her design aesthetic is contemporary with bold patterns, and colour is integral to her design process. This year she started cultivating dye plants on the farm to grow her own colour, as well as fibre. Her work tells the story of how textiles can be produced in harmony with the rhythms of nature. It connects customers to the rituals of making and heals the disconnect with the reality that so much of what we use and take for granted, comes from the land.
Lorna McCurdy
Bookbinder, Berkshire
Lorna McCurdy is a bookbinder specialising in unique handmade books. She focuses on combining beauty and structural strength in books that are made to last a lifetime. Each book is carefully handstitched and covered, and a variety of beautiful materials are used.
Louise Arthur
Willow Basket Weaver, Hampshire
Louise makes and teaches under the name Rough Around the Hedges. Her basketmaking activities follow the seasons and varied landscape of Hampshire in the South Downs National Park, UK. Winter lends itself to carving, forming and setting frames from coppice woods and repair work, while Spring completes the annual willow harvest and prompts the weaving of nests, feeders and plant supports. Summer provides plenty of festival and course opportunities to share basketry skills and techniques with others, while Autumn invites hedgerow and garden harvests, foraging of weaving fibres and gift giving.
Rhian Wyman
Handwoven Textile Designer, Gloucestershire
A handwoven throw made by Rhian Wyman Design is more than just a throw. It is a work of art. Each wool product is designed and handwoven by Rhian in her studio in the Royal Forest of Dean. The contemporary designs and colour placements seen throughout her work are influenced by Rhian’s interpretation of her surrounding environments which she finds inspiring. Each product is made to a high standard as she sources the finest quality yarn from a Mill in Yorkshire. Rhian finds it important to stress that no two throws are the same, although part of a collection each throw is unique so make sure you look carefully when selecting your new heirloom.
Stephen Hickman
Cabinetmaker, Oxfordshire
Stephen Hickman is a meticulous craftsman whose furniture designs embody a dialogue between traditional and contemporary forms. His creative approach is inspired by the American studio furniture movement, along with contemporary British furniture designer-makers such as John Makepeace and Marc Fish. Hickman seamlessly integrates modernist design principles with the fluidity of freeform sculptural elements, unfolding narratives celebrating the beauty of native hardwoods making heirloom furniture for the contemporary home. Each individual piece of fine furniture emphasises three aspects: clean modern design; a celebration of beautiful timber; and fine craftsmanship.
Thornton Smith
Furniture Maker, Wiltshire
Thorn Smith is a furniture maker who focuses on the natural movement and grain of the tree in his work. Using mainly English oak, he creates beautiful bespoke pieces of furniture for the home.
Victoria Baker
Leather Handbag Maker, Berkshire
Victoria Baker Handmade. Victoria Baker creates beautifully constructed, bespoke handbags. Each design is carefully considered. Hand-stitched with specially selected linings in suede, also available in a range of exciting colours, which can be chosen to either harmonise or contrast with the exterior leather colour.
Von W Jewellery
Jeweller, Oxfordshire
Alexandra Cardinal von Widdern designs and creates heirloom jewels in a blazing celebration of human imperfection. Forged in the raw and inclusive clubs of post-Cold War 1990s Berlin, her deconstructed style as well as her design approach are uncompromising.
Her jewellery is handmade from recycled precious metal to become the canvas of your life story. By embracing the marks of everyday wear over time, these textured one-of-a-kind treasures will increase their complexity and become precious objects of reflection and your own storytelling. When you bequeath your piece to the next generation, it will layer and enmesh their story with yours and on through the ages.
Yvette Phillips
Textile and Embroidery Artist, Oxfordshire
Yvette works with vintage textiles, combining them with machine and hand embroidery to create bold, evocative collages in a rich palette of colours, patterns, and textures. She also creates small hand embroideries on vintage fabric that capture the beauty of her subjects - most often birds and small mammals - imbuing them with life and individual character, colour combinations that sing, and a sense of atmosphere.
