Fergal Bonner and Joan Cavanagh had had a bad experience with their B & B accommodation during Showcase, the annual trade fair for craft, fashion and design held in Dublin last week, but when they were awarded a Forbairt New Product award for their glassware, things seemed a lot brighter. This year was the Curious Glass Company's first visit to Showcase and the company's stand formed part of the Donegal County Enterprise Board's exhibition. Based in the village of Burt, the company - run by partners in life as well as business - has been up and running for just one year.
"We started in a shed at the back of our house and the kiln took up so much space that we had to stand outside. It's a luxury to have a workshop space now," explains Cavanagh whose background in illustration nicely complements Bonner's training in cabinetmaking.
Their work is made from laminating metal between layers of glass at very high temperatures. The finished product has a frosted glass appearance with delicately shaped blackened metal embedded between the sheets of glass.
Large fruit bowls, plates and paperweights made up a large part of their range, however, recent forays into five-foot high screens, tall chairs and coffee tables - all with glass panel features - demonstrate their ability to diversify.
Their work can be seen at Designyard and Whichcraft in Dublin, Design Concourse in Gal- way and Copper Moon in Belfast.
Juliet Cadogan reckons she is the only person in Ireland making ceramic sundials. Combining an interest in science and gardening, she set about creating these outdoor timepieces after studying sculpture and ceramics at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin. Ranging in height from two to three feet, the freestanding sundials are painted in gold, black and cream.
Fired at very high temperatures, Cadogan says that although ceramic, these outdoor ornaments won't crack in the frost. Sundials which can be hung on south-facing walls, ornamental ceramic birds, planters and large conservatory lamps are also part of the range of Cadogan Ceramics.
Juliet Cadogan's work can be seen at Designyard in Dublin, the Kilkenny Design Centre, Kilkenny, The Waterfront, Westport, Co Mayo and Keane on Ceramics, Kinsale, Co Cork.
Jacqueline Conley's Fat Fairies have a sort of irresistable bawdiness about them that you just have to admire. "They are based on myself. I thought there were too many skinny figurines about and it was time for a change," says Conley, a newcomer to Showcase this year.
Following her degree in Fine Craft Design (specialising in ceramics), Conley began creating these character-filled ceramic bookends, candlestick holders, ornaments and mirrors in her studio at the Brookfield Mill, Crumlin Road, Belfast. Although reminiscent of Beryl Cooke's paintings, Conley says there is no direct creative influence there.
"I get asked why I don't do men but if you think about it, not many men want to be called a Fat Fairy," she laughs. "But, if somebody wanted me to immortalise someone they know as a Fat Fairy, I'd go for it."
The Fat Fairies can be seen at Copper Moon, Belfast, Shaker Maker, Dunmurray, and at the Kilkenny Design Centre, Kilkenny (from Easter onwards).
The children's range of bowls, plates and mugs from Bond and Cuffe pottery was also very appealing. In subtle shades of orange, blue and turquoise, with simple squiggly faces, they are the ultimate in simple yet stylish designer tableware for the under 10s.
Check them out in Cotters Yard, Schull, Co Cork and The Design Lodge, Lahinch, Co Clare or directly at the Bond and Cuffe studio, 4 Aspen Park, Kinsealy Court, Kinsealy, Co Dublin. Tel: 01-8405545 (appointment necessary).