The Winter Edition of Werifesteria Press!

It’s that time of year again – Christmas music is floating on the breeze, your nose is twitching with the smell of mulled wine and mince pies which are in frequent supply, and you can finally watch Christmas films on repeat, guilt-free! All we need now is some cold, crisp weather and we’ll be shaping up for a perfect Christmas. 

This is just one of the best times of year, and one of the best things about the festive period is having the chance to curl up with a good book in front of the fire, with a cup of something warming and a plate of cinnamon-y treats within arm’s reach.

On that note, we are delighted and very excited to announce the winter edition of Werifesteria Press!

Following on from the autumnal volume, ‘Flight’, we have been hard at work putting together a visual feast. Motivated by our own love of Christmas, this issue is called ‘Yule’, and is inspired by some lesser-known (but no less lesser-deserving) Christmas traditions and stories. We also share our own family traditions!

We have filled its pages with little nuggets about mistletoe and the mighty oak tree, together with a story about one little girl’s Christmas wish. There is also a tiny reappearance of the little Ivy fairy we met in Yuletide Tale - see if you can find her…

'Yule' will be available at £9.50 from Saturday at the h.Art Christmas Open Weekend, details below. If you don't yet have your copy of 'Flight', both volumes will be available together for £18. Hope to see you there!

Guest post by Alice Brunt

Christmas Events and Gift Guide

It's that time of year when the Smith women are in full Christmas prep mode! Mince pies have been baked and much mulled wine consumed in the planning of Christmas art events.

Here are some festive dates for your diary in the run up to the big event. Read on for my Christmas gift guide too!

You can find me in many places this Christmas!

CHRISTMAS h.ART WEEKEND
On the 5th and 6th of December, Mum and I will be having an open studio weekend at Goose Farm, Lulsley, WR6 5QW.
We are open from 11am to 5pm on the Saturday and Sunday.
Join us for handmade Christmas gifts, decorations and cards and why not indulge in a mince pie and glass of mulled wine?! The event was a great success last year and we had lots of feedback that we had put people in the festive spirit in time for Christmas!

HEREFORD ARTS MARKET
I will also be at the Hereford Art Market in High Town, Hereford on the 12th and 13th December.
9am-5pm on the Saturday and 10am-4pm on the Sunday with more prints, gifts and stocking filler presents.

You can also find my work at THE ARTER in Stratford Upon Avon
http://www.thearter.co.uk

As well as through Louisa Wyatt at THE MEWS INTERIOR DESIGN COMPANY
http://www.mewsinteriordesign.co.uk/home

Christmas Gift Guide Here are a few gift ideas for you this Christmas.These will be available at all art events as long as stocks last. You can also order from me directly by replying to this email or using my Etsy shop. CHRISTMAS CARDS I have three new Christmas card designs available this year. Which is your favourite?

SPECIAL GIFTS My archival quality fine art prints are mounted and signed ready to be framed in standard sized frames. They come in both small and large sizes in all Woodland animal designs.

STOCKING FILLERS I have a new range of pocket mirrors with gift bags that make a perfect small gift for someone.  My recycled notebook packs are also still available.

NEW COLLECTABLE QUARTERLY ANTHOLOGY 'Werifesteria Press Volume Two: Yule' will be launched during the h.Art open weekend. This volume is based on a festive theme and features on mistletoe, the yule log and Christmas tomtes all feature to name but a few! Keep an eye out on my blog for more pictures once these arrive from the printers.

I very much hope to be able to wish you all a very happy and healthy Christmas in person over the next few weeks. Love Kate x

A New Publication: Werifesteria Press

Alice and I have been working on our next publication and we were very excited that it has officially gone to print this week!

Our previous book, ‘A Yuletide Tale’, is an artisan handmade book featuring archival quality fine art prints and was of a limited print run of 50. The book was a great success but was very much a time and cost intensive labour of love.

We both decided that we wanted to expand our range of books with something a little more accessible to all for our next publication and came upon the idea of a quarterly anthology. Something for younger readers to purchase with their pocket money and for readers of ‘A Yuletide Tale’ to add to their collection.

During our Bologna trip we received positive feedback across the board for our independent approach to bookmaking and  we were told that the English folklore theme which so fascinates us both is definitely the direction for us to go in. With this in mind, we decided to name our small press ‘Werifesteria Press’.

Werifesteria, pronounced ‘were-i-fest-ear-ia’, is an Old English word meaning ‘to wander longingly through the forest in search of mystery’. We decided that this was the perfect name for us. In a world of e-books and websites requiring little attention and time, our publications are books to be held and treasured. We are enthralled by traditional tales, myths and legends and want to share this love of storytelling.

Our quarterly anthology features illustrated short stories, poems, letters, pages from our sketchbooks and notebooks all inspired by English nature and folklore. The publication has a colour cover and features blank and white dip pen and ink illustrations throughout.

Werifesteria Press Volume One, entitled ‘Flight’, will be available from the 12^th September at £9.50 each. I will have stock with me at the Hereford Art Market in High Town on that day, and will also have copies at the open studio event during h.Art (for details please see previous post). You can also order your copy directly from Alice or myself.

Treefest

Over the Bank Holiday weekend, we visited Treefest at Westonbirt Arboretum. This is a fantastic festival filled with woodworking demonstrations, tools, delicious food, music and various arts and crafts. There is plenty to appeal to arty shoppers and eager woodworkers alike and I thoroughly recommend a visit next year if you are able to go.

Here are a few pictures from the day. Thank you to Sam for being photographer!

Ralph Curtis aka 'The Mushroom Man' of the Yew Turn company was definitely the most charismatic demonstrator at the festival, entertaining all ages with his mushroom making!

Shepherd huts seem to to be very on trend this year and we enjoyed pottering around in a few.

Whisky Barrel Rockers of Scotland had a very eye catching stand featuring their beautiful garden furniture made from recycled whisky barrels.

The Tintern Woodland Studio also had a lovely stand with lots of sculptures of The Green Man and some beautiful jewellery too!

One of my favourites from a previous visit was World Fossils. This is a real treasure trove of fossils and unique pieces of jewellery.

There were so many amazing sculpures and pieces of furniture for sale as well as plenty of demonstrations to see how the pieces were made. I particularly liked the chainsaw sculptors!

h.Art- it's that time of year again!

This year really seems to have whizzed by and we're already getting set for Herefordshire Arts Week again!

Last year's signs going up. Look out for Venue 62 this year!

If you've never heard of h.Art before it's a fantastic 9 day event where over 150 artists from across Herefordshire (and a little bit of Worcestershire) open up their studios to the public. You can meet the artist, chat to them about their work and even make a purchase directly from them. My Mum (Ceramic artist Lit Smith) and I take part in the event together and this will be our second year. 

This year h.Art is on from the 12th to 20th September

11am-5pm

Follow the pink signs for Venue 62

I bake a cake every day for our visitors!

Every year a guide is produced with all of the venues featured plus a little information about them. This year we are venue 62. The guides are free and will be popping up in shops and galleries around the area over the next few weeks but you can find more information on the website here . You can also contact us if you would like a copy of the guide.

Here are a few pictures from last year to whet your appetite. We hope to see you there!