Five to find
Five North East creatives turning unusual materials into proper work
Recycled silver, rolled paper, clay, bones and reclaimed bits of a theatre store. Five makers who start with the stuff most of us would walk past.
I've got a soft spot for makers who look at something everyone else has written off and see the start of something.
A bit of scrap silver.
A pile of coloured paper.
Something a magpie left in the garden haha.
Most of us would chuck it, or not notice it in the first place.
These five pick it up and make something you'd want to keep.
There's a reason I find that stuff so interesting.
The material already has a story before they touch it, and the good ones let you see a bit of that story in the finished piece.
This isn't some definitive list of the best makers in the North East.
It's five people from the Network whose work made me stop scrolling. Have a neb, follow them, and remember their names when the right thing comes up.
01 / Creative
Amanda Mulholland / Tittle the Brick
Newcastle
A jeweller making one-of-a-kind pieces from recycled silver using traditional silversmithing methods.
Amanda makes one-of-a-kind jewellery from recycled silver, using traditional silversmithing methods.
I love that combo.
Old-school technique, material that's already had a life.
Every piece is a one-off too, so you're not getting the same ring as half of Northumberland Street.
Absolutely lush work.
Find Amanda at tittlethebrick.co.uk and on Instagram at @tittle_the_brick.
02 / Creative
Melanie Heaps
Choppington Northumberland
Leggy Bird Creative makes neuroaffirming art, including long-legged bird sculptures formed from brightly coloured rolled paper.
Melanie makes long-legged bird sculptures out of brightly coloured rolled paper.
She describes her work as neuroaffirming art, and you can feel that in it.
I also heard Melanie describe the birds as "emotional support birds" on a video somewhere and I loved that.
It's playful and bright and proper joyful.
Rolled paper sounds simple until you see what she does with it.
Each bird has its own little personality.
Find Melanie at leggybirdcreative.com and on Instagram at @leggy_bird_creative.
03 / Creative
Varie Freyne
North Shields
A ceramicist making one-off, hand-built pieces in a variety of clays.
Varie is a ceramicist making one-off, hand-built pieces in a variety of clays.
Clay isn't exactly an unusual material, I know.
But hand-building means no wheel and no mould, just Varie's hands shaping every piece.
Nothing comes out the same twice, and I think that's the point.
True creativity.
You can find Varie on Instagram at @CraftyVarie.
04 / Artist
Brittania Douglas
North Shields
A jewellery maker celebrating nature and the past through dried botanicals, ethically sourced insects and naturally scavenged bones.
Brittania makes jewellery that celebrates nature and the past, using dried botanicals, ethically sourced insects and naturally scavenged bones.
It's a bit witchy, a bit museum cabinet, and I mean that as a massive compliment.
If you've ever picked up a bird skull on a walk and thought "that's actually beautiful", her stuff is for you.
My Granda used to carve walking sticks out of old tree branches and embellish them with stuff like this, one of those memories that are just burnt into your mind.
This stuff made me think of that which was an instant connection.
Shop Brittania's work on Etsy at Myth and Moon Relics and follow her at @myth_and_moon_relics.
05 / Creative
Lucy Minta Reeves
Newcastle, North & South Tyneside, Gateshead, Northumberland
Costume, prop and set designer, maker and supervisor based in Newcastle upon Tyne, specialising in construction, woodworking and scenic painting, with 18 years' experience and a practice centred on sustainable upcycling and community workshops.
Lucy is a costume, prop and set designer, maker and supervisor with 18 years behind her.
She works across construction, woodworking, scenic painting, garment making and pattern cutting.
The bit that put her in this list is how she works.
Sustainable upcycling and reclaimed materials are central to her practice, and she runs community workshops too.
So she's not only making the thing, she's showing other people how to do it.
Proper pleasure to have you in our network, Lucy!
Find Lucy at lucymintareeves.co.uk and on Instagram at @lucymintareevesdesign.
Why I wanted to share these five
All five of these could easily sit in a little bubble of people who already know about them.
That's kind of why the Network exists.
Good work up here deserves more people seeing it than the same few mates and regulars.
If one of them makes something you love, buy it, share it, tag them, tell a mate.
That stuff matters more than you'd think for an independent maker.
And if you're making something out of materials other people overlook, join the NAMI Creative Network.
It's free, and I'm always on the lookout for the next five.
