Lost in the Wood

Evie looking regal (back view) Weekends in North Wales are stuffed full of interesting arty things to see/ visit at the moment as the annual Helfa Gelf (art trail) is in full swing across 5 counties. So far, me & Evie (see pic) have enjoyed our first time involvement in it. We've been very lucky to be sharing a lovely light & airy studio with two other colourful artists in Y iard (the yard), an idyllic old courtyard of restored workshops at Parc Glynllifon (near Caernarfon). Many artists are opening up their actual studios/barns/workshops/ spare rooms for the public to potter in but others, like us in Unit 9, are renting space for the month. There's definitely some advantage to this, a cluster of artists are presumably more likely to be visited especially when there's a cafe selling huge slices of tasty cakes in the grounds, the Black Cat Cafe . I recommend the ridiculously gooey beetroot & chocolate brownie (just not for a first date, bit too messy/...

Slate Teapot by Dave Stephen There's already lots of reasons to love little Caernarfon town but this week introduced a shiny new one. Just opened on Monday, Siop iard  https://www.facebook.com/iard is a lovely shop/ workshop /gallery at 7B Palace Street, Caernarfon. Artists Ann Catrin (metalwork sculpture & jewellery), Angela Evans (contemporary jewellery) and Dave Stephen (slate guru) are selling their work and you can have a peak soon at them creating in the workshop area as well. They are also very happy to chat about the current programme of crafty courses ( (held at Parc Glynllifon, c.15 mins drive away) and book you in to any you're tempted by. I  first discovered I loved making things by going to various iard courses a few years ago so I highly recommend trying one (or a few) for inspiration, fun or the start of a whole new creative career! http://iard.co.uk/ Slate Cake by Dave Stephen While, predictably I'm enjoying browsing the new jewellery,...