Skip to main content

Gelert Design ~ Curry, Crafting & a GIVEAWAY!

I donned my reporter's hat recently and asked Dave of Folksy shop Gelert Design to answer a few probing questions. He willingly obliged plus answered the all important curry question. Dave then very generously offered a pair of his Coldcast Brass Earrings as a prize for a Giveaway!

Enjoy his interview then enter the Giveaway! Details at the bottom..................

Please introduce yourself. What type of craft do you specialise in?
Gelert Design, but you can call me Dave :-)
Born and raised on the edge of stunning Snowdonia, I've moved around a bit and finally settled in Bristol with my incredibly supportive and patient partner Eva.
I'm not sure I do specialise to be honest. Perhaps you could say that I'm primarily a sculptor? Certainly I don't wan't to just be known for making fridge magents!:)
I'm forever getting excited by new ideas or new applications for what I'm making. Apart from cards made from my paintings, everything else I do is resin based - for now at least!

Celtic Brooch/Badge

How long have you had a shop on Folksy and what's the story behind the name of your shop?
I started up on Folksy at the start of December 2009, a couple of weeks after I started putting my stuff up on ebay. So, a newbie really.
The name Gelert is somethng really important to me. It's a long story so do bear with me :-)
I grew up on the outskirts of Snowdonia in the 1970s. As a family we'd often go for Sunday drives into the mountains. This petulant child would always insist we stopped off in the lovely little village of Beddgelert (Gelert's Grave). I won't go into the legend of Gelert the faithful hound here, but as a kid it really struck a chord with me - fidelity, folklore, injustice, castles, swords, violence and giant wolves :-) Every Sunday we'd have to get out of the car and take the riverside path to Gelert's grave. There I would recount the story to everyone there and end up crying uncontollably! It's a very Romantic tale and a Romantic setting that has stayed with me all this time. I always thought that if I became self-employed I would call my company Gelert. So when I opened up my Folksy shop, Gelert was the obvious choice! I had to add "Design" as there is a company making tents and other outdoor equipment called Gelert already.

What inspires your work?
Everthing does in one way or another. Textures and the hidden colours in nature mainly. I do believe there is a massive differerence between looking and really seeing. Look long and hard at something and slowy the subtlest colours will jump out at you. I exaggerate this in my paintings but it's a little more difficult in sculpture! Therefore I try and produce items with an interesting finish or texture so the play of light will create its own colours. It's probably true to say that my heritage is a constant inspiration though.

Hot Orange Rose Brooch
What made you choose to work with resin?
I was carving one-off designs in plaster and papier mache pulp. Neither were very durable and as I was aiming at making copies, casting was the obvioius solution. I suffer from ME and was forced to give up work last year. As luck would have it, a member of my pub quiz team has some experience of working with resin. I picked his brains and realised that resin was the solution for me. I needed something I could do at home that wasn't too taxing so I began crafting and my Folksy shop is the result.

How long does it take you to produce a piece of work?
Of course, it varies. I carve my prototypes out of plaster of paris. A small intricate item can take half a day. A piece of wall sculpture can take two or three days. I then make silicone moulds of the carvings which can take up to 12 hours to cure. The resin that I cast in the finished moulds can take many hours to cure also, depending on a variety of factors. Then the casting needs hand finishing. Luckily this can simply be a quick rub down with wire wool which doesn't take to long. I should make use of the waiting time to promote, but I need to rest all the time. Poor me being forced to lie on the sofa watching tv with a cup of tea :)

Female Bust

You've recently started making coldcast brass earrings. Is this a different technique to how your other items are made? Are you planning to use any other metals in your earring designs?
The technique isn't different at all. Coldcasting is a method of suspeding metal powder in resin. When cured you cut back the surface resin with wire wool to reveal the metal. I currently coldcast in brass, bronze, copper and aluminium. Iron and nickel silver are available additives too. Coldcast metals can be treated just like solid metal. Over time they will oxidize, or you can chemically speed up the process. I'm coldcasting because I can't afford foundry prices just yet. I do hope to work with casting white metals later in the year though as very delicate resin is too brittle. I don't know if I'll be making lots of jewellery though. There are already more than enough talented makers around so I'll only make something if it's different from everything else I'm seeing. Luckily, most people are working with shop bought beads or embedding in commercially available moulds. As I make everything myself, it's sure to be a little different.

You've recently started supplying merchandise for the band New Model Army. How did this come about?
I've been following this band for over 20 years now so I have an idea of what their fans like. When I started making small celtic fridge magnets I had an epiphany - their album artwork is crying out to be sculpted. They don't sell fridge magnets as part of their merchandise range, so....
I emailed their friendly online shop people and told them my ideas and asked if I could prototype some designs for them. Nothing to lose as far as they were concerned so they said ok. Band saw the prototypes and placed an order and they were on sale withing 2 days of delivery! Hopefully they'll sell well and I'll be asked to make more. Ever hopeful, I prototyped another 4 designs just in case, and I've been asked to send them on too!
In some ways you could compare New Model Army to the handmade revolution - they do everything for themselves and don't have much truck with the "business". 2010 is their 30th year of not compromising. You've got to respect that.

What do you do in your spare time? (if you have any!)
Spare time? I don't have much. Actually, I don't really like it! Making things is so exciting! However, I would never miss our weekly pub quiz! We tend to win as often as not and the winnings come in handy! M.E. makes me pretty useless at getting out and about too much, so if I'm not making or promoting I'm lying on the couch watching the History channel.

Rhos Quarry Lake Postcard
Do you sell anywhere else online or locally?
I tried most other online sites but without much luck. Promoting could become full-time work, so I'm just with Folksy for now. I haven't approached any "real-life" shops or galleries yet, although I've had one come to me. I do intend to get my work out there eventually because I need the security of wholesale orders. I don't have the strength to promote as much as I should and I'm certainly not proactive enough. I tend to rely on people coming to me which is far too hit and miss! However, and this may come to nothing, but there is one very well-known chain that I'm gearing up to approach within the next few days as well as 2 tourist meccas. Watch this space I guess :-)


What's your favourite curry and would you eat it for Christmas dinner if you could get away with it? (I would!)
The missus can't eat anything spicy as it gives her migraines so I can't have curry as often as I would like. If I've had a very bad or a very good day then I'm allowed a curry as a treat:-) I don't remember the name of a dish I tried at a restaurant once. Whatever it was, it was lovely! Haven't seen it before or since which is a shame. Currrently I'm a big fan of Lamb Rezala which is something I've just discovered. But really, I'm happy with a chicken madras/vindaloo/phaal, a rogan josh or a jalfreezi - as long as it's hot enough. Smoking has killed all my taste buds so it needs to be hot and very spicy if I'm to taste anything at all. Oh, and can I have an onion bahji and a naan too please? Yes, I would certainly eat it for Christmas dinner if I could. I even had a curry for breakfast once - but I wouldn't recommend that to everybody :-)

A big thank you to Dave for his interview.

And now for the Giveaway! 
You could win these Coldcast Brass Earrings


To enter the Giveaway all you have to do is visit Gelert Design, browse the shop then leave a comment saying which is your favourite item and what you would like to see more of! Simples! A winner will be chosen and announced to great fanfare next Saturday 27 February.

Comments

  1. Fab interview, really interesting! Love the earrings, I'm off for a nosey in Dave's shop and to leave my comments!

    Dottie x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Easy Peasy - Hot Orange Rose brooch is my favourite. Lets see more buttons. Jewellery sets would be great too, so brooch & earrings or necklace & earrings. Brilliant stuff, very unique! Impressed with the hot curry choices too :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Brilliant interview - really enjoyed reading it!

    Debs (another New Model Army fan) :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great interview and how cool is that supplying official merchandise to New Model Army!!

    i'm having trouble deciding what item to choose...em celtic brooch, oh wait i like the magpie rose brooch too and the colours of the 2010 brooch (charles rennie mackintosh is a fav of mine)....oh dear the busts are stunning too

    okay i'll go for the celtic brooch as fav and make more things for the garden, you mentioned objects for your garden in profile but i couldn't see any or maybe didn't read the right bit (sorry)

    marice x

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love the Mauve Rose brooch http://www.folksy.com/items/183258-Mauve-Rose-Brooch-Second-?shop=yes, it is purple so I was bound to!! The earrings are lovely so I think you should add a few more to the shop.

    When I first saw Gerlert as a name I thought of Gerlert's grave as I visited it as a child when on holiday in Wales. I did wonder if there was a connection.

    ReplyDelete
  6. @marice
    The busts and wall art are suitable for outdoor use as they're weatherproof. Infact, the veltic wall art is already adorning at least two customers' gardens
    :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Pink rose brooch - defo! And more buttons please! Fab interview and good idea, i'd never seen this shop before - now faved!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Such lovely items Davey, it's hard to chose a favourite but I think it has to be the Celtic wall art. It is stunning to look at and unusual, not the sort of thing you see every day.

    I think you should add some more jewellery to the shop, after all a girl can never have enough jewellery :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. For me it's the mauve rose brooch - http://www.folksy.com/items/183258-Mauve-Rose-Brooch-Second-?shop=yes - I guess I'm still in my 'when I grow old I shall wear purple' phase, if it's purple I love it! I also love the 'cnicht' card - http://www.folksy.com/items/248513--Cnicht-Greeting-Card?shop=yes.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Forgot to say the pink rose brooch is my favourite!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Fab interview, what great designs. My fave item is the blue rose brooch, love the design and colour.
    twiggy x

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great interview, I'm in love with these earings the most, kind of simple yet I love the texture, like raw gold (?!) chunks.
    Kx

    ReplyDelete
  13. I own a brooch and wall art.My aim is to own a brooch in every colour!!! LOVE IT ALL.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Very difficult to choose - I have favourited Gelert Designs for some time now... I love the paintings actually - a very talented artist!
    But I have to say these new earrings are something I am wanting very, very much!!! / Jane x

    ReplyDelete
  15. love the Macintosh brooch design maybe you could make into a 3D object like a vase, personally I think I'd like to see more of Dave. E xxx

    ReplyDelete
  16. I really love the celtic brooch, but then I'm a sucker for all things with celtic knots! I think I would like to see more wall art, the pieces that are there are absolutely stunning!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love the Celtic wall art, but I agree with FairlyGirly that more earrings would be fab. Such vibrant colours, and lovely pieces. I have added your shop to my favourites!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I do like all the things in your shop especially the Celtic wall art but my favourite is the Rhos Quarry postcard/painting. I think it's stunning.

    The thing I'd like to see more of is Art Nouveau (wall plaques and jewellery) because the organic swirliness of it would suit your style/methods so well.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great interview! I've seen Gelert Design's lovely items pop up many times on Folksy and always liked them. It's nice to meet the maker behind the made! Funny that I instinctively knew Gelert Design was a 'he' the first time I saw his celtic items. I don't know why?! It's also interesting that like me, he has also been forced to quit work due to illness.

    My favourite item is definitely the female bust http://www.folksy.com/items/158002-Female-Bust?shop=yes but I also like the colourful 'Art Nouveau' style brooches - I don't really wear brooches but I'd love to have a set of those as fridge magnets! I'd have a very stylish fridge!

    Em ♥

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi great article, its good to get to know the person behind the shop and to have a bit of insight into what makes them tick!

    I really like the 2010 Rose Brooch, it looks really well made, i love the design and the colours are really subtle. Mi Mi x

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Your comments and questions are very welcome!
If you would prefer to contact me directly please use the contact form on my "get in touch" page.

Popular posts from this blog

Combining Soldering And Enamel

The need to make cute, brightly coloured enamel studs propelled me into the world of combining soldering with enamel a couple of years ago. I knew from reading up on it that it was possible to enamel and solder on the same piece but wasn't too confident I was able to do it back then. It was a slightly embarrassing occurance that made me just get on with - I'd made some enamel studs with glued on stud posts. I'd used 2 part epoxy resin which was a job in itself as it set hard after 5 minutes so I had to keep mixing more up. The finished studs looked ok but that little voice in my head kept asking "are you sure you want to use glue?" I wasn't but didn't think I had any other way to do it so I used glue. I sold my first pair and merrily sent them on their way to Canada. A couple of week later the buyer got in touch to say the stud post had come off one of the earrings and the other was hanging off. I was mortified, apologized profusely and refunded her m

Etching Silver Using Nail Art Stamps

So my love/hate relationship with etching sterling silver continues. I've tried a few times now and always end up with different results most of them not that great to be honest. I've tried connecting the silver and a piece of copper to a 9v battery and also heating the ferric nitrate. Sometimes the results are good sometimes not so good. I currently have an etched piece of silver sheet waiting to be reticulated and rid it of the mess that is the etched "pattern".  I now know that using stamps and Stayz On ink just doesn't work with silver - the time needed to etch using ferric nitrate is much longer than etching copper and the ink starts to wear away after about an hour. This results in the pattern being patchy as the resist is eaten away and the silver ends up quite lumpy and course looking. I have yet to try using pnp paper. I don't know why but it all seems a bit of a faff to do. I don't have a laser printer so would need to find somewhere or

Embossing Metal With My Sizzix Bigshot

I must admit up until a few weeks ago I was vaguely familiar with the name Sizzix but as to what you actually did with a "Sizzix" I was completely in the dark! That was until I stumbled across a video from Vintaj showing how you could use their embossing folders with a Bigshot to create designs on metal ("metal" - my favourite word after chocolate!) I was really impressed and itching to have a go, I just needed a Bigshot........ I waited a few weeks then when the urge to possess one overcame me I went out debit card at the ready..............and the shop had sold out! So I trundled off to The Range on the off chance and came home clutching my own surprisingly heavy pink and black wonder machine. It sat on the dining room table for a couple of days while I waited for the embossing folders I'd ordered online to arrive then the time came to start playing! I started with some pre-cut 24g copper hearts and the Wildflower Vines and the Butterfly Swirls Deco