Coincidences at the DIY Art Market

Every month or so in the centre of Dalston, London, over 60 artists gather to promote and sell their work in the DIY Art Market. Acting as a celebration of London's independent publishers and emerging artists, the market boasts a huge variety of unique and handmade items for sale, from art prints, zines and independent publications, and illustrations to ceramics, jewellery, and screen prints t-shirts. It's an amazing little arts community that's great for discovering and meeting new artists and designers.

As the market happens so irregularly it was difficult to find a weekend when my timetable would allow me to be in London at the right time. When I finally got the opportunity to go, every creative that I met was more than happy to talk with me about their work and their processes, and my work and interests. One artist that I was particularly interested in was Alex Sickling, a printer, ceramicist and illustrator based in Newcastle - already I was interested in her work, as I am also from Newcastle and Northern artists are something I am always interested in. She describes her work as 'often wonky, lo-fi, and naively made' and we talked briefly about her ceramic pieces, namely her ceramic pots inspired by famous artists. I love her illustration style and the humorous touches to her images make for a collection of highly unique and collectible pieces.

As it turned out, she graduated from Leeds College of Art in 2012, and we discussed the college and our practices and what kind of work we were both interested in - it was such a coincidence but such a great opportunity to talk to someone who had been through the college and come out of the other side with an amazing practice. Going to this art market proved to me, once again, how important it is to just go out and see things, and to meet people and talk to them, because you never know what kind of communities you'll find or what connections you might make.