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Monday, April 22, 2019

Commission an artist: 'Home is where the Art Is' (Episodes 6-10)

This is about the artists with a name in the end credits of Home Is Where the Art Is (Episodes 6-10). It follows on from my previous two posts
I've worked out what the credits in the end credits of each programme are about. They all seem to relate to all the OTHER professional artists whose artwork is on the walls of the homes of the buyer!

Ironic or what?

I'm actually quite getting into it as a programme - in part because it offers a real insight into the reasons why people commission artwork.

However I'm not getting any better at guessing which artists the client will pick.  Nor working out why they love artwork which I think is awful!

That said there is some excellent artwork on last week's programmes - but not all of it ended up in the clients' homes.


Commission an Artist (Episodes 6-10)


This is how the BBC describes the programme.
"Home Is Where The Art Is" is inspired by the real world trend of commissioning artwork. Rather than spending money on ‘off the shelf’ pieces from the high street this series will show how accessible and easy it is to commission local artists to create beautiful, bespoke art for the home.
As last week, links to websites and key social media are provided.
  • If the website has a commissions page this is included.
  • Contact links are embedded in the name

WEEK TWO


Episode 6


Location: Oxfordshire
Commission: an uplifting legacy piece celebrating the joy of life (for a couple where the husband had a terminal diagnosis) - and nothing muted
Budget: up to £1,000
Locations: identified throughout the home
Media represented: metal sculpture, painting, textile art
Outcome: both works made by the metal sculptor and textile artist were purchased

The Artists in Episode 6 were:

  • Christopher Townsend (Winner) -  a full time sculptor with a studio in Asthall near Burford in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds creating large sculptural pieces as wall art or free standing sculpture suitable for the home, garden, office or park from one or more of with mild steel, stainless steel, found metal objects, stone and wood.
  • Sarah Cross (Winner) - teacher and textile artist based in Marlborough, Wiltshire. Specialises in multimedia pieces, predominantly using textile techniques. She has a degree in Fashion Textiles from Plymouth University and some impressive clients and used to be a television presenter.
  • Adelle Gough -  (brand name: Green Bow Tie Works) painter
Hearing the news that the client will take both pieces!

Episode 7 


Location: South Manchester Manchester suburbs - clean, smart, "urban cool"
Commission: fill a space on one of their living room walls which has been empty for three years - love bright bold colours and texture and do not like shiny or landscapes
Budget: up to £1,000
Media represented: papercasting; digital multimedia art/collages, illustration
Outcome: Purchased A paper cast of a low-relief model of the front of the Red Fort in Jaipur, with coloured hand-made paper inserts.

The Artists in Episode 7 were:
Celia Burbush wins Episode 7



Episode 8 


A frequent reason for a commission is to provide a permanent memory of a loved on who has been lost.

Location: Timperley, Cheshire (it's actually the southern suburbs of Greater Manchester)
Commission: the mystery buyers would like a work of art to reflect a beloved dad who they lost in 2011 - and his personality and music
Budget: up to £600
Media represented: painting, mosaics, mixed media
Outcome: Bought a painting with an uneven edge which contained two boxes to communicate with the deceased

The Artists in Episode 8 were:
  • Amy Coney - describes herself as a 'Professional Artist, Illustrator & Crafty Person' - creates bespoke murals and oil paintings
  • David O'Brien - Mosaic maker. Started making mosaics after a visit to Barcelona and seeing Gaudi's work. Born in Liverpool and now living in Bickerstaffe in rural Lancashire. Creates 'unique' mosaics ( as in derivative? I think I've seen his 'Love' sign before)
    • website: ? (seems to sell through various galleries
    • commissions: ?
    • Twitter | 
  • Fanny Gogh (WINNER) - . Fanny Gogh is a pseudo name for the Manchester based artist Sian Elizabeth
Fanny Gogh and Amy Coney with their two artworks

Episode 9 


Interestingly one of the the artists credited on the iPlayer site is an artist who dropped out. When they substituted a name they then omitted one of the artists who continued!

I was really surprised they didn't go for the resin artist given the man of the house was a geologist.

Location: Llandudno, North Wales
Commission: a statement piece for a new 'forever' home; celebrating love of their home and love for the local area
Budget: up to £500
Media represented:
Outcome:  Purchased the felt art landscape of North Wales from the substitute artist

The Artists in Episode 9 were:
Why have boring when you can have bespoke?


  • Andrea Hunter (Winner) - a felt artist for 19 years - who was a standy artist who joined the episode 3 days before the pitch. She mixes different coloured wool in the same way you would mix paint. However she is based in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales and didn't have time to visit North Wales so had to work from footage of the home and photos of the local landscape
Andrea Hunter wins Episode 9

Episode 10


Location: south Manchester
Commission: artwork to mark the end of a difficult journey (he lost most of his possessions in a house fire)
Budget: up to £1,000
Media represented: metal sculptor, wood carver, mosaic maker
Outcome: Purchased both pieces by wood carver and metal sculptor

The Artists in Episode 10 were:

Both artists won in Episode 10

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