Two talented Galway-based craft artists were among the 76 makers from Design & Crafts Council Ireland Made Local campaign who took part in the recent contemporary craft fair, Gifted, at the RDS in Dublin.

Ceramic artist Rachel Webb – based in Galway city – and Louise Browne, of Living Ginger Designs based in Rusheeney, outside Oughterard were among the many local champions to use this national platform to display their talents.

Louise Browne established Living Ginger Designs back at the start of 2010, but her story goes back before that – because it was at the age of 17 years that she discovered pottery and was hooked.

Completing a BA Hons Degree in 3D Design Ceramics from the Kent Institute of Art and Design, Louise began working with Porcelain and her smocked fabrics for her final years work.

Graduating in 2000, she moved to west to Connemara in 2007 to pursue her dreams.  Here she continued to develop her Porcelain ranges and was increasingly inspired by her natural environment and began working with impressed floral details.

It was in Spring 2010 that living Ginger Designs – at Meadow View, Rusheeney, outside Oughterard – was born, where her Smocked and Flora ranges happily sit side by side and are now recognized as her signature pieces.

The name Living Ginger Designs was adopted from Louise’s late mother’s pottery name, originally inspired by that of Jack B Yeats where ‘Art should seek continuity, impetuosity and exuberance aiming at the living ginger if life’.

Rachel Webb is a graduate of Fine Art in Ceramics, and she applies her knowledge & skill to create unique, contemporary pieces and sculptures.

The native of Castlerea, Co Roscommon, she has made Galway her home since studying fine art in the former GMIT – and her elegant work is hand-built and crafted in her studio in Galway City.  She loves the nature of porcelain with its fragility and permanence, and ability to capture moments in time.

From her Connemara Raindrop photo holders, delicate tea light holders and impactful sculptural vases, to her seasonal Christmas ornaments, her work represents and reflects a respect for the material and a unique sense of design and craftsmanship.

Both of them enjoyed a spectacular few days at Gifted – as did the other participants, according to Mary Blanchfield, Interim CEO at Design & Crafts Council Ireland.

“This year, Design & Crafts Council Ireland’s had over 90 DCCI members involved at the show, with 78 makers from our Made Local campaign,” she said.

“At the Design & Crafts Council Ireland, we are committed to supporting the growth and recognition of Irish craft, and Gifted plays a key role in this mission. This fair is a great opportunity to connect designers and craftspeople with new customers and get the Made Local message out to a new audience,” she added.

Pictured: Louise Browne, at her Living Ginger Designs studio in Rusheeney, Oughterard.