I have been potting since 1997. I started with night classes then later took a City and Guilds course in Ceramic Design. While I now have my own studio in the garden (with both an electric and Raku kiln) I still attend an art group which is invaluable for improving my design and decorative ideas.
My current passion is garden pots - built of crank or stoneware clay, these combine slab and coiling techniques. These are then fired to stoneware temperatures (>1200 Celsius) and stored outside to ensure that they are frost proof. Stoneware glazes, terra sigillata and slips are used to decorate.
My raku pieces are much smaller - mainly sculptures of animals or vehicles.

When I was at school my favorite lesson was always Art. I even used to do other peoples homework as well as my own.

As I have got older, the urge to create has never faded. I still love it!

I spent many years as a hairdresser, it appealed to the Artist in me.

I loved all the creation's that being involved in Weddings and Competitions afforded me. I have appeared at the Royal Albert hall in London as a finalist for my hair creations! I have always loved creating things, and did my Art exams in embroidery.

Now I am a mixed media artist and like to keep busy trying out all the new materials available. I never want to stop learning. I use Acrylics, Foils, Metallic Paint, anything shiny and new makes me want to try it!

Julie Gardner is a lino print artist who works from her garden studio in Maidenhead, Berkshire. Inspiration for her prints often comes from fashion shots and patterned, colourful fabrics, but she also loves drawing flowers. All her artwork starts as an original pencil drawing which is then traced onto traditional grey lino. Then the fun begins! Her favourite part of the process is the first roll of ink, it's like Christmas! She has exhibited her lino prints at Bankside Gallery in London and teaches lino printing workshops from her studio.

Hello, I’m Julie, a self-taught artist painting in oils since 2020. After Art GCSE I preferred essay subjects, so pursued History and English at university. I was a History teacher for a decade, but left to make a bit more space for life. At that point, I found painting again and, encouraged by some exhibition selections, I’m now a full-time artist.

My paintings often feature solitary figures and still life in intimate communal interiors, most notably pubs. My work views people as transitory compared to the paraphernalia of everyday life that tends to surround them. I capture atmospheric light in my work, resulting in quiet, dark and muted corners, that contrast with the illuminated materials of glass, metal, wood and clay. I find light reveals these possessions as honest, tangible and timeless.

My paintings are a pregnant pause. Each piece should make you want to pull up a chair, want to pick up an object, or even just want to keep watching, to see what will unfold. My work removes contemporary references so that these glimpses might sit in a scene a hundred years ago. My paintings invite you to explore what it means to be solitary, and especially when we’re surrounded by places and objects that can remain long after we’ve gone.

Julie is inspired by the works of Edward Hopper, Anna Ancher and Donald Jurney. Julie’s work has been selected to exhibit in the 2023 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and the 2024 Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition.

I have always enjoyed making and building in wood. A number of years ago I watched a woodturner using an old lathe in a barn making large bowls and thought "I'd like to have a go one day". I started woodturning in 2016 as an absolute beginner. I joined the Berkshire Woodturning Association and have now progressed to the Master Class and have won Woodturner of the year a couple of times. There was a 2 year period where I didn't turn anything due to a house move and building a workshop in my garden.

I turn many different forms often inspired by a club competition theme. One of my favourite themes are lamps which incorporate vintage style bulbs and unusual pieces of wood. I have also developed a love of turning 'Torus' shapes which can be very challenging.

I also like to introduce colour and texture into my finished items and often incorporate resin to highlight areas within a piece.