As you may be aware I have a black cat called Jet. A black cat is my artists makers mark and is evident in every one of my paintings. A black cat also forms part of the andrewrobinsonart registered trademark.
I really like things that are handmade as they’re often totally unique and radiate skill and charm. I have quite a lot of antiquities which would have been handmade, but I’ve obviously not personally known the maker.
I’ve just taken ownership of my first contemporary handmade commission. My friend Brigette who lives in the same village is a very talented sculptor/modeller/artist etc and we have done a “Art Swap”.
Buying something from a local maker that you know also guarantees the pieces authenticity. Unfortunately, too many people are tapping into the ‘added value’ associated with handmade items which is arguably detrimental to the genuine handmade crafters. It’s almost commonplace to see products misdescribed as handmade, which have only been hand assembled or hand finished. There are numerous online selling platforms which trade on the niche of being selling sites for artisans/ creators to retail their arts and crafts, but they allow sellers to flog mass manufactured tat or at best misuse the handmade categorisation.
I’m absolutely thrilled with the result. Although I’ve seen lots of Brigette’s previous work this has surpassed all expectations. I’d wanted a piece of locally made decorative art that’s been designed and made by someone I know as I think it just means more. It’s a notch up from handmade. Brigette has even incorporated a piece of real Jet gemstone into the design. Fabulous!