Alison Purdy - Glass & Mirror Designs

Throwback to around 2004ish, and the opening event for my shop at the MC Glass LTD showroom in Little Common. 💜

It's interesting to look back at how different my designs were back then - not many coastal themes, nothing on reclaimed wood or for the garden, and I was still making fused glass pictures and jewellery, vases and photo frames.

Also...how on earth can this be TWENTY YEARS AGO?!!!!!!! 😳😂😳

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In the words of Coldplay.......and they were all yellow! 💛

I'd been waiting for the perfect place to take a photo of this yellow Flower Pops mirror.

I think I found it!!!

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A few more photos of the Gulls Gulls Gulls exhibition at the Cake Room in Robertson Street. ❤️

This week it's open from tomorrow until Sunday, 10am-4pm, and I'm sure they'll have loads of delicious cakes and refreshments to enjoy while you peruse the seagull themed artwork on display.

The one time you can sit back and enjoy your food while surrounded by gulls without the danger of having it whisked away in a greedy orange beak!!! 😂

Also a gentle reminder that it's now the school summer holidays, and although I'm doing my best to get all the current commissions, designs, invoicing, messaging etc completed in a timely manner, my young apprentice also needs entertaining so things may take a bit longer than usual! So please bear with me and do give me a nudge if you need your item for a particular date!

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Thankyou so much to everyone who came along to the Artist Showcase in the Garden yesterday, it was a wonderful day! ❤️

I'm delighted to say that we raised a fantastic £250 for St Michael's Hospice from profits on plant and refreshment sales.

A big thankyou to everyone who put in a lot of hard work to make this event such a success. We're planning on doing it again next year!

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We've had an unexpected visitor to the private view of Gulls Gulls Gulls! He's eyeing up the canapés!

Ironically, earlier another gull stole the remains of my dinner straight out of my hands. I'm sure they know what we're up to and want a piece of the action!

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A few more photos of the Gulls Gulls Gulls! exhibition which opens THIS EVENING!!! 🩷

For the first time I'll be joined by my husband in his debut exhibition, he'll be showing his seagull photography.

All seven artists will be there - from all along the coast from Brighton to Folkestone so there may be some you haven't seen before.

Everyone is welcome to come along, it's at the Cake Room, Robertson Street, Hastings (between Hanushka and Rustico, opposite Trinity church), 6-8pm. Then it's on for the next few weeks whenever the cafe is open.

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A work in progress - extra pebbles!!!

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All set up for the Gulls Gulls Gulls exhibition at the Cake Room! 🩷

I'd forgotten how much fun it is to put on an exhibition with a whole bunch of other people, and so much quicker to set up - 3 hours instead of all day or longer!

Because our work is tied together by a theme (seagulls) rather than technique, it makes for a really interesting collection of different pieces that somehow work really well together.

The 'Meet the Artists' event is this friday 6-8pm, everyone is welcome to come along. I won't share too many photos yet as I don't want to spoil the surprise, but here is a small taster....

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A large and extremely colourful stairway window commission! ❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜

This is a variation on a traditional sunburst theme, and lets a whole spectrum of beautifully coloured light flood the room, changing according to the time of day and the weather.

For privacy, the double glazed unit was backed with a textured glass called Taffeta which gives a rippled effect without losing any of the light.

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The less glamorous side of the wall mirrors!! 💚

Mirror fixings are not the most exciting topic, but I'm always looking for ways to improve the way the mirrors are hung, to make things more robust, long lasting and easier for customers.

Some mirrors are permanent fixed to walls with adhesive, some hang on cord, some have edge clips and some have hook plates as pictured.

I've used these type of hook plates on the medium sized mirrors for a long time. They come from a well respected trade supplier from the glazing industry and are designed specifically for hanging frameless mirrors. (The load capacity is 6kg if you want to get in to the technical detail!!)

To provide extra security against outside factors that could potentially affect the adhesive over the years (moving or knocking the mirror, heat from a radiator etc) I now add mirror safety backing film or foil - I promise they are proper industrial products despite looking like sellotape and bacofoil!!!

They may not look pretty, but you won't see them tucked behind the mirror, they do the job and give extra peace of mind.

If you have an older mirror (30x40cm or bigger, not Tiddlers) with this type of hook and would like to add extra protection, please let me know and I'll send you some film or foil free of charge.

I also always advise additional safety clips should be used if a mirror is hung above a seating or sleeping area or places with high traffic such as hallways where they could get frequently knocked.

Checking your hooks (whichever type) from time to time to make sure they're still strong and in good condition is a good idea, to make sure they'll continue to hang securely for years to come.

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Looking through all my photos of previous work while filling in an application for an art fair, I came across this piece that I made around eight or so years ago. 🤎

It was created for a photography exhibition in the crypt of the now sadly closed St Mary in the Castle. Gorgeous sandstone walls and vaulted ceilings. A very atmospheric and slightly spooky venue, being just metres away from coffins and their long-deceased occupants!

The 8 part mirror is an abstracted version of Hastings, and has lots of visual photographic elements hidden within.

It did eventually find a lovely home, and I made another set along the same lines as a commission, but it's always a worry when making larger items with a greater time and material investment that they may end up just cluttering up the studio!!!

I'd love to make some more grouped pieces, both for indoors like this one, and a really vibrant garden feature - I just need somewhere to display them once they're finished!!

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I'm loving the enthusiasm of the other artists for the Gulls Gulls Gulls exhibition! ❤️

Here are some of the fantastic posters they have produced.

Would anyone like to come along to the Private View and meet the artists next friday (19th) 6-8pm drop in? If so please comment below or send me a message - everyone is welcome but we'd like an idea of numbers!

It's at the Cake Room, Robertson Street Hastings. It's going to be such fun!!

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An abundance of colour on the workbench today! ❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜

Some tall skinny garden mirrors and some little ones which will be perfect to bring a pop of colour to smaller spaces, courtyards and balconies.

With just over a week to go until the Gulls Gulls Gulls exhibition at Cake Room Hastings, I thought I'd better get some Steven Seagull mirrors ready to display!

This one is created from a repurposed porthole mirror.

I can't wait to see all the seagull themed pieces the other artists are busy making!

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❤️ Bargain Alert!!! ❤️

Two large prototype vase mirrors looking for good homes!

These mirrors were intended to be samples of a range of vase mirrors that I developed a few years ago. I ended up going in a different direction with the idea, so these are now surplus to requirements.

They're each 60x80cm, made with extra strong mirror, and the detatchable circular vase displays flowers of your choice, with the mirror effectively doubling the number of blooms so you only need to buy half as many!

They need a bit of jiggery pokery to ensure secure fixing to the wall, but they'll make colourful, unique and exciting features in any room.

With so much work and specialist materials involved, the original price would have been over £240, but I need the space in the studio to create new designs so they're now reduced to just £75 each (or nearest offer). Collection only, they can't be posted. Flowers not included, they died long ago!!! 😂

Anyone interested?

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Throwback to the very first garden mirrors I made! 💛

It was Spring 2020, we had just begun the first Covid lockdown, and everything had stopped. Fairs and events cancelled, shops shut, trade customers on furlough, commission work postponed.

I looked around my studio and saw some scaffold boards leaning against the wall, one of those 'might come in handy one day' items that never seem to get used.

With unexpected time on my hands, a seed of an idea that had been hanging around my head and my sketchbooks for years, finally had the opportunity to be explored.

And so the garden mirrors came into existence!

The garden may be a little more verdant (or maybe unkempt) now that I don't have so much time for horticultural projects, but those first two mirrors are still there, just as colourful as when I first created them.

I keep them as my test pieces. They're basic softwood scaffold boards, less robust than most of the wood I use now, and I don't oil them as much as I advise others to do! This way I figure if mine still look good, then hopefully all of yours do too!

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The Steven Seagull pill/jewellery travel boxes were a hit - I've sold out! 🧡

Thanks to everyone who bought them and have taken your Stevens on exciting journeys to exotic locations!

If I get some more made, what designs would you like to see? 🤔

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Don't forget to vote today folks - whichever colour you support!!! 🗳

But please, before you put your cross in the box, take some time to read at least a summary of the different manifestos, or some impartial expert analysis, and choose the party you feel best fits your hopes and aspirations for the future of our country.

The parties today are very different from how they were even just a few years ago, so don't just blindly vote for who you've always voted for, or who your parents/family/friends choose, or base your decision on sensationalist headlines or memes and adverts on social media. The choice is yours, and every vote is important!

Right, that's enough politics, back to making mirrors!!! 😂

A final planning meeting today for the Artist Showcase in the Garden - this one is a must for anyone who loves plants....or locally made art and craft.....or tea and cake!!! 🩷

It's being held in a private garden in St Leonards, originally part of the Westerleigh estate and not usually open to the public, which has been lovingly cultivated over the past few years and now looks absolutely stunning.

As well as enjoying the garden, on display will be fused glass, silver jewellery, paintings and of course my mirrors (it's the perfect place to show my garden range). There will also be information about Tai Chi and art classes, a plant stall, and refreshments will be available with profits going to St Michael's Hospice (please bring cash if possible).

Here are a few photos of the beautiful garden today, looking like something from one of those glossy lifestyle magazines!

The Showcase is on Sunday 21st July 11am-3pm, at Woodland Cottage, 15 Hollington Park Road, St Leonards TN38 0SE. Free entry. Everyone welcome, please tell your friends and family! More info below 👇

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https://facebook.com/events/s/artist-showcase-in-the-garden/1513742765905947/

A sneaky peek of a floral door panel - a current work in progress. 💜

I've never created anything featuring this particular variety of plant before - can anyone guess which flower it is? 🤔

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I'm very excited to announce my next event - a seagull themed group exhibition! ❤️

It's a celebration of our favourite beady eyed, squawking, chip-stealing feathery seaside friends, and brings together seven talented artists who feature gulls in their creations in very different ways.

Bill Greenhead Bill Greenhead Art
Alison Purdy
Bobby Dazzler
Kate Ogilvie
Craig Nowlan Craig Nowlan
Adam Wood
Catherine Brockhurst (PearlyCat) PearlyCat Design

19th July until 11th August, Thursdays - Sundays 10-4. The Private View is 19th July 6-8pm where you can meet the artists - everyone welcome!

The venue is the Cake Room in Robertson Street, Hastings. Steven Seagull, all his crew and a room full of cake - what could possibly go wrong!!! 🤣😂

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I'm now in the second term of my MA equivalent Fine Art course at Hastings Art School, and you may remember I told you we do a sort of 'round robin' thing each week where we swap small artworks, take them away and do something creative with them, then bring them back, swap with someone else and so on until the term ends.

This is what has happened to mine!! 😂😂😂

I brought in a Hastings Pier Tiddler mirror that had unfortunately been damaged. It has been transformed into a quirky and slightly alarming cloakroom scene. I love the googly eyes and miniature toilet roll! It even has a waste outlet pipe! 🤣

This is more proof that the art world is just utterly bonkers, which makes an interesting contrast from the more practical, function and budget focused genre of the designer/maker!

I almost want to give them a name!!

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Not many garden mirrors have found their way overseas, and certainly not to a garden as lush and exotic looking as this one! 💚

These lucky mirrors are now languishing among banana plants, yukkas, palms and even a srtipy model zebra! 🦓

I hope they'll be very happy in sunny Guernsey!

Thanks for sending the photos!

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I have kindly been given permission to share with you these very special memorial garden mirrors for a young man who tragically lost his life. 💔

His family have created the most beautiful garden in his memory, a peaceful place to sit and remember him.

The mirrors are made from high quality new oak, as we felt a more pristine finish was more appropriate, and they contain lots of elements and references from his life - football, his car, his faith and some carefully pressed flowers from his funeral display.

It is always an honour to be asked and trusted to create something so meaningful, and I hope in some small way they bring some peace to his family.

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Back at Rye Harbour again! ❤️

It astounds me just how quickly the tide comes in and out here. These photos were taken just two hours apart, and now the river is twice as wide and much deeper!

I'm told that there are seals in this bit of river. I haven't seen one yet but I'll report back if I do!

The Makers Market is open until 4pm, with loads of gorgeous locally made goodies to see, there's a fab cafe and dogs are very welcome!

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