A Wee Bit More About Us...

Belfast-born Paula Batt is a self-taught artist-maker based in Bangor, Co.Down, where she works from her home studio.

After a traumatic start in life, Paula was fostered by her maternal grandmother, Alice, at the age of five. She moved to a beautiful village in the heart of the Sperrin Mountains. It was here that her innate artistic ability was recognised, nurtured, and encouraged. She was influenced by her great-aunt Rhoda, a keen advocate of "Make Do & Mend."

Paula could always be found creating doll clothes from leftover scraps of fabric on her aunt's Singer sewing machine. It was during these times that the trajectory for a lifetime of making was set. 

No matter what, art was a form of escapism, creating had that magical ability to transport her mind to another place, like medicine for the soul.

Using materials resourcefully and seeing potential in things that would otherwise be discarded remain constants in Paula's approach to her work.

In 2012, Paula was selected for an artist's residency for Project 24 (Art Pods). Here, she flourished and loved being part of an artists' community.

Paula continued to develop her papercutting skills and took part in numerous exhibitions, both locally and internationally. A highlight was being selected for the Royal Ulster Academy's annual exhibition at the Ulster Museum in 2018, where Arts Council Northern Ireland bought her submission for its permanent collection. Paula has pieces in private collections worldwide.

Paula is also an art facilitator and has a passion for sharing her creative knowledge with others, in the hope that they, too, can discover their own magic.

 

Hazel Cordingley, née Nicholls, grew up surrounded by cross-stitch samplers adorned with positive messages of love and hope. 

Raised by her mother and nanny after her dad died by suicide when she was seven, these two women and their immense hard-working attitude would shape Hazel's interests in the importance of craft and 'a woman's work'; these themes, along with loss and belonging, have always featured in her work.

After studying Interior Design at Millfield College, Belfast, Hazel set her sights on Camberwell College of Arts, London. She completed a Foundation course, three years of a Graphic design degree and then graduated with a degree in Illustration.

Alongside her studies, she worked for the artist Rob Ryan. Hazel was with Rob for seven years - learning all she could about screen printing, paper cutting and commercial art. She was also an Art & Craft facilitator for children at an Adventure Playground. 

A highlight from her years in London was taking part in 'The Big Egg Hunt' by Fabergé and seeing her piece on display outside Liberty of London. She has exhibited and sold her artwork worldwide and designed a licensed range for giftware legends Wild & Wolf. More recently, Hazel has had the honour of producing illustrations for the Eve Appeal and the Fruitfly Collective.

She moved back to Northern Ireland five years ago and now lives in the beautiful town of Donaghadee with her husband and three children.

 Hazel continues to explore the importance of words in her art; she makes work in the hope of reminding people of how connected we are and of the beauty and magic of the everyday.