Crafts for All

Craft Festival returns to Bovey Tracey from 9–11 June with 200 of the finest designer-makers

22 February 2023

This year’s Craft Festival brings together 200 professional designer-makers handpicked for their quality and originality. Visitors can meet and buy from the makers, plus enjoy watching a variety of craft demonstrations including pottery, printmaking, textiles, woodworking and willow sculpture.

There are over 20 workshops for visitors to take part in – such as jewellery making, bookbinding, basket weaving, woodcarving, or learning how to print. Places must be booked in advance. “Over 19 years, we’ve created a retail platform for the finest makers and a launch pad for new craft businesses in our StartUP showcase. The event also includes an educational programme for adults and children with workshops led by professional makers. The action-packed children’s programme aims to inspire younger people to get creative and try out a new craft skill,” explains Sarah James, Festival Director.

The event features Heritage Crafts, hosting makers drawn from the 2023 Red List of Endangered Crafts. Among the rare crafts that will be demonstrated are wallpaper making, marbling, willow furniture making and fairground painting.

Enjoy refreshments at the Feasting Arena with food from around the county and The Bar will host live music by artists from across Devon.

Tickets are online from £10 (concessions £9) and on the door from £12. Weekend tickets are also available. Children under 18 can enter for free with an adult ticket holder.

craftfestival.co.uk/bovey-tracey

Here is a selection of the Devon-based makers exhibiting at Craft Festival this June:

RAMP Ceramics from Silverton makes functional and studio ceramics in earthenware and porcelain. The team is a creative partnership between Alice (Al) Hartford and Rupert (Roop) Johnstone. Al’s focus is decoration and Roop specialises in throwing the pots. They produce collections and welcome bespoke commissions, and also host evening classes and courses in throwing and decoration at their workshop.

rampceramics.com

The Danni Bradford Studio, based in Swimbridge near Barnstaple, is a two-woman team of Dannie Bradford and Ellie Miller who are representing Heritage Craft at the festival. They specialise in verre-églomisé, the gilding of glass, and take a contemporary approach to this classic art form to produce striking original abstracts and wildlife studies. Each piece is created in reverse on toughened glass panels using layers of pigment, ink and mica dust, then gilded using fine metal leaf such as copper, silver and 24ct gold.

dannibradfordstudio.com

William Barsley from Dartington specialises in traditional, bespoke woodcarving and hosts courses at his workshop. He is demonstrating woodcarving at the Festival. His projects include heraldry, gilding and one-off handmade carved sculptures. He also works on the restoration of antiques and listed properties.

williambarsley.com

Helyne Jennings from Torrington is a multimedia artist who creates experimental abstract textile and paper wall pieces from her garden studio. She uses thread, stitch and paint to explore emotion through colour, shape and texture. Helyne is showing her textile wall art, prints and jewellery at the event.

helynejennings.com

Emmy Palmer Glass from Plymouth creates hand-blown glass inspired by her love of the sea and the moors. Her new Pips range of glass vessels is inspired by seaweed pips. She combines her love of knitting and glass to create beautiful, feminine blown-glass pieces.

emmypalmerglass.com

Crafts for All

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