#artyealing

The Fox Inn at Hanwell started hosting a craft market around eight years ago so that locals had somewhere to sell their makes. Since May 2016 the market has been organised by Victoria from Wilde and Sinclair as a combined artisan and vintage market allowing shoppers to enjoy the best of both worlds. 

The market has been renamed FoxMarketW7 and refocused as a showcase for local makers and independent traders selling handmade, artisan, antique, vintage and upcycled goods.

The market allows local makers, collectors and traders to sell directly to the public with low stall prices meaning that even the smallest micro businesses can afford a stall. FoxMarketW7 has a growing number of loyal shoppers and social media followers and attracts stallholders from across London while championing the need to support local indies.

In April 2017 the market held its first indoor fair at Hanwell Community Centre and there are exciting plans in the pipeline for 2018 involving the Pitshanger Village Traders Association.

Keep in touch with Fox Market W7 on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

Upcoming Christmas Markets

There are two markets coming soon to The Fox Inn, Green Lane, Hanwell, W7 2PJ... starting this Friday evening from 5-9pm with the night market, a lovely Christmassy market perfect for buying some Christmas treats and then next Saturday 9th December 1-5pm.

Stall Holder Profile - Sophia’s Illustration

This week I will be introducing you to three of the stall holders starting with Sophia’s Illustration. I love her painting and have recently treated myself to a couple of things from her Etsy store including a beautiful painted Christmas decoration and her fun tent badge, which reminds me of my little pop up tent I take to festivals. 

Hello Sophia! 

Tell us a bit about yourself

My name is Sophia and I am a freelance artist.  I started my business around three years ago upon returning from a few years of travelling and working abroad. I painted my first map of Wales upon returning to the UK.

I mostly I work in watercolour and gouache and I paint house and wedding portraits for customers and also sell a range of my paintings and maps as prints and greetings cards. 

What is your favourite piece?

My favourite piece has to be the 'English Country Garden' large painting I made this summer for an exhibition. It is larger than anything I have painted for a while and is full of colour. I was really happy with it! You can see the painting as a greetings card on my stall at the markets.

What is your most popular piece?

The best selling print is my illustrated map of Scotland. It is pretty popular and contains the beautiful landscapes of Scotland with some cultural highlights too. Lots of people seem to have a connection with Scotland.

What are your ties to Ealing?

We have not lived in Ealing all that long, but we really like it here. There are beautiful parks and lots of lovely inspiring places to see, sweet little independent bars and cafes and a nice arts scene. My partner works locally and we enjoy exploring Ealing and the surrounding areas on the weekends by bicycle. We live on a 42ft narrow boat on the canal, which is lovely and peaceful!

Where can people see and buy your work?

As well as markets, I sell online via Etsy and my website. I have really started to put a lot of energy into my online store this past year and have been reading and learning a lot about how to make it work. Computer work has never been something I enjoy, but I'm getting there! I also use Facebook and Instagram to post updates on my work and sometimes I run little competitions, so make sure you head over and say hi.

What do you like about the Fox Market?

The Fox Market is small and friendly and in a really eclectic setting. The Fox Inn is a beautiful pub and the quirky old building really adds to the environment of the market. It has a really nice vibe to it and I felt at home there straight away.

Which other makers do you admire?

One of the painters I really admire is Jane Askey. She travels quite a lot and paints stunning still life beach scenes full of energy, bright colour and pattern. I follow her on Instagram and am totally in love with her painting style.

What is the biggest challenge and the thing you love the most?

Working for myself as an artist was always a dream of mine and so now that I'm actually doing it I am so happy but sometimes it can be daunting. Some days it can be hard to find inspiration to paint or work on new designs or sort out some advertisement. There are a lot of different hats to wear as a creative and a lot to be thinking about, from planning for future exhibitions and markets, tax and admin and then creating new work.  So I think my biggest challenge is organisation and time planning! Keeping positive is key to being happy and enjoying the work.

When you aren’t working, what do you like to do?

When I'm not working I enjoy visiting local green spaces for long walks and bike rides with my partner. I am a total nature lover and love to be outdoors and am definitely happiest when out exploring and covered in mud!

Thanks so much Sophia. 

You can win one of Sophia’s pieces and LOTS more in our super competition... read on for details. 

Competition

We have one of our best prizes yet up for grabs – a hamper filled with goodies from some of the Fox Market makers including:

Wilde and Sinclair

Sophia's Illustration

Benjamin Finch

The Green Kitchen

Brand Posh

Peter Dunn Glass

Denalis Jewellery and Cards

Handmade in Ealing Chocolates

Gourmet Imports

Aqua Handmade Books

CraftyK21

It will be on display at the market on Saturday 9th December and we will announce the winner live at the end of the day!!

To enter all you have to do is visit Ealing Insider on Facebook or Instagram (or BOTH to double your chance of winning!) and like one of the posts about the Fox Market and comment with your favourite Ealing stall holder / maker / artist / photographer. We would love it if you would follow Fox Market and Ealing Insider too!  

The competition will be open from Tuesday 28th November until 4.30pm on Saturday 9th December. The winner will be drawn from a ‘hat’ and announced at c 5pm.

I can’t wait to see you at the market on Saturday 9th December!

Love,

Ellie

The Ealing Insider

xoxox

Competition Terms and Conditions

To enter all you have to do is visit Ealing Insider on Facebook or Instagram, like one of the posts about the Fox Market and comment with your favourite Ealing stall holder / maker / artist / photographer. 

You may enter on both platforms so can have two entries. 

The competition is running from Tuesday 28th November to Saturday 9th December 2017.

All entrants names will be entered in to a ‘hat’ and the winner will be selected at random on Saturday 9th December, and announced live around 5pm from the Fox Market. 

The winner’s name will be published across the Ealing Insider platforms of Instagram and Facebook and we will contact them directly to arrange delivery of the prize within the Ealing area.

The competition is open to anyone who follows the guidelines above, except for Fox Market W7 and the Ealing Insider.

I am a big fan of Charlotte Berridge’s designs and have her ‘Ealing Queen of the Suburbs’ print at home. I am over the moon she agreed to feature on the blog. She is a real local favourite and lives in Northfields.

Read on to find out more about her and how you can win one of her fabulous Ealing Pubs prints.

When did you start designing?

I did a degree in Graphic Design and Illustration at Bath Spa university and worked in magazine publishing for many years. I had a highly successful career and won lots of industry awards working on many of the big magazine titles. My last full time role was Creative Director of Marie Claire UK. Just over four years ago I decided to take some time out to deal with some health issues. It was a difficult time for me so I decided take the bold and very scary step not to go back. I didn't really know what I'd do, but I knew my job wasn't making me happy anymore.

What happened next?

I always enjoyed drawing, so one day I sat down and started work on a set of illustrations. As they came together I started to wonder if other people might like them too so I booked a stall at the Northfields Christmas Night Market to see what people thought. It was a great deadline for me to pull together a collection and work out how best to present it all. It was a great success, my stall was buzzing with customers and I really couldn't believe how many compliments I received! 

That was in Christmas 2015. I had 10 products, since then I've added new prints every month and expanded my collections to include Hanwell, Chiswick, Acton, Richmond and Kew. 

I love the feedback I get from my customers and I can't quite believe how it's all come together. It's been a big learning curve running my own business. It's exhausting at times, it's harder to switch off than I ever realised and dealing with all the financial stuff doesn't come naturally to me. I've ploughed everything back into my business to produce more products so it's meant a big shift in our lifestyle but I'm loving it and my new pace of life. I've loved meeting new people and have forged some fabulous new friendships with fellow local business owners. Working for yourself can be very lonely but there is a great community of like-minded entrepreneurs in Ealing and we are all very supportive of each other. 

Who or what has inspired you most over the years?

I'm lucky to have come from a very creative family. As kids we always filled our time making & drawing. I find inspiration in the smallest things and can have a million ideas a day. Working out which ones to pursue is always a hard decision and not having time to do them all is really frustrating too! 

What useful advice you have been given?

Two things have been especially useful: 

1. If you don't try it, you'll never know! 

2. Concentrate on one thing. Creatives are able to come up with endless ideas but it’s best to be known for one thing, otherwise people find it hard to categorise and therefore remember you.

How long have you lived in Ealing?

I've lived in London ever since I left college and in Ealing for nearly eight years. It's not an area I knew until we moved here and I instantly fell in love with it. I clearly remember skipping down the road after my first visit to the Red Lion grinning from ear to ear, knowing we'd found the best place in the world to live! 

Where are your favourite places in Ealing?

Walpole and Lammas parks are my absolute favourite places. After I left my job every day I'd take a walk through the parks and they would boost my energy. I love watching the changing seasons and think we are so lucky to have such beautifully kept green spaces all around us.

My favourite cafes are Papillon, The Moon and Maybe, Paperback Coffee, Electric Coffee and Artisan ... if you ever see me in a Starbucks shoot me! For a non pub drink with a uniquely local vibe it has to be Abbotshill, the Owl and Pussycat or the Dodo Micropub.  

We have so many fabulous independent shops, cafes and restaurants on our doorstep. It's these local businesses that make our area unique. It may be easier to shop online and at supermarkets but supporting our local community is much more rewarding and essential to stop the homogenisation of our high streets. There is a fabulous campaign, the ‘Just a card' campaign that I love telling people about. justacard.org want to encourage people to buy from designers, makers, independent galleries and shops. All purchases, however small, even ‘just a card’ are vital to the prosperity and survival of small businesses.

You have some many lovely designs – which are your favourites?

Thank you, I'm so glad you like them! My Walpole and Lammas park illustrated map prints will always be my favourite. I created limited edition prints of these for my first ever stall and when they sold out last year I was both elated and a little sad at the same time. I launched a new set of screen prints earlier this year and I love them just as much.  

What has been the most popular?

My most popular designs are my pub prints. Everyone has a story to tell of a great night spent in each pub. It's funny how people are a little embarrassed at first to say they've been to them all, but I remind them how lucky we are to have such a great choice of different places to go. It takes some pretty extensive (ahem) 'research' to ensure I'm happy with the pubs I choose to draw so that always makes them fun to illustrate too! We are surrounded by fabulous architecture and historic buildings in West London, I love being able to celebrate that and make people feel proud of our little corner of London.

Keep reading to find out how you can win one of Charlotte’s Ealing pub prints...

Where can people see (and buy!) your work?

My full collection is in All Original (20 Ealing Green, W5 5DA) It's a wonderful independent shop where a collection of designers and makers rent shelf space alongside the owner Jane's carefully chosen ever changing original gifts. It's such a great concept for a shop and brimming with fabulous ideas.

Some of my prints are also available in Mooch. It's round the corner from my house on Northfield Avenue (and also coming to Pitshanger Lane soon!) Sandra and Ev launched their shop just over a year ago and it scooped a well-deserved trophy for 'best newcomer' at the prestigious independent retailers awards earlier this year. I was really happy to work with them to design their distinctive logo.  

You can also buy my work via my website and find me and my stall at various local craft fairs and events. 

September will be a very busy month for Charlotte. You will find her at:

Crafted W5, outside Ealing Town Hall - Saturday 2nd September

Brentford Festival, Blondin Park - Sunday 3rd September

BEAT (Borough of Ealing Art Trail) - Friday 15th to Sunday 17th September

Ealing Half Marathon race village, Lammas Park - Sunday 24th September

Instagram competition!

To win one of Charlotte’s beautiful Ealing Pub prints, pictured below, visit the EalingInsider on Instagram and comment on one of the competition photos to let us know which is your favourite Ealing pub and why?

A winner will be drawn at random on Tuesday 5th September 2017 and announced on Instagram.

We are looking forward to hearing your favourites!

Follow Charlotte on:

Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

Thanks Charlotte :-)

Love,

The Ealing Insider

xoxox

The competition small print:

·        To enter, you must comment on any of the competition posts on the Ealing Insider’s Instagram with your favourite Ealing pub and why.

·        The competition is running from Tuesday 29th August to Monday 4th September 2017.

·        All entrants’ names will be entered in to a ‘hat’ and the winner will be selected at random on Tuesday 5th September 2017.

·        The winner’s name will be published across on the Ealing Insider’s Instagram the evening of Tuesday 5th September and we will contact them directly to arrange delivery of the Ealing Pubs print.

·        The competition is open to anyone who follows the guidelines above, except Charlotte Berridge and the Ealing Insider.

·        The favourite pubs in Ealing will be collated from the entries and shared in a later blog post.

I am pleased you have been enjoying my weekly Monday Motivation Instagram quotes painted by the talented Now Then Sunshine and this week you have chance to win the stunning original art work for ‘Be-YOU-tiful’ pictured here.

The picture is unframed, on watercolour paper size 35cm x 25cm, with the circle measuring approx 24cm x 24cm.

How to enter

Simply comment on the competition photo (the same as pictured above) on the Ealing Insider Instagram account with your favourite Ealing happy place. 

The competition will run from Tuesday 22nd August to Saturday 26th August. A winner will be drawn at random on Sunday 27th August 2017 and announced on Instagram.

We are looking forward to hearing your favourite places you love in Ealing and may feature some of them in future posts.

Good luck!

Love,

The Ealing Insider

xoxox

The small print

·        To enter, you must comment on the competition post on the Ealing Insider’s Instagram with your favourite Ealing happy place.

·        The competition is running from Tuesday 22nd August to Saturday 26th August 2017.

·        All entrants’ names will be entered in to a ‘hat’ and the winner will be selected at random on Sunday 27th August 2017. 

·        The winner’s name will be published across on the Ealing Insider’s Instagram the evening of Sunday 27th August 2017 and we will contact them directly to arrange delivery of the painting.

·        The competition is open to anyone who follows the guidelines above, except Now Then Sunshine and the Ealing Insider.

·        Some of the quotes may be used in future blog posts or across the Ealing Insider platforms of Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.