A4 Studios Maker’s Market

We’ll be selling handmade art at the A4 Studios Christmas Makers Market in Altrincham from November 12-13. This will include my Polaroid emulsion lifts of Manchester and botanical prints made from locally sourced natural plant dies; John will be selling some beautiful gum bichromate prints. We are looking forward to it. Hope to see you there! Christmas Makers MarketSAT 12TH […]

National Heritage Weekend Wet Plate Event

To celebrate National Heritage Weekend, John Brewer and I will be taking wet plate portraits for this two-day event on Saturday September 13th and Sunday September 14th organised by Michele Selway in Todmorden Unitarian Church. The church is a fantastic venue, “full of quirky features and secret places, managing to be both grand and imposing, and warm and welcoming at the same time.”     National […]

Chorlton Arts Festival

As part of Chorlton Arts Festival, John Brewer and I will be taking wet plate portraits for this two-day event on Saturday May 24th and Sunday May 25th organised by Michele Selway in a pop-up shop on Chorlton High Road. Chorlton Arts Festival is one of the UK’s leading multi-arts festivals. Now in its 14th year, the festival showcases local and national talent in music, comedy, […]

Puppets and Portraits

I had a great day last Thursday making ambrotypes with artist Vineta Gailite. Vineta’s hand-made dolls, sculptures and recent shadow puppet theatre work, Imaginary Islands, are beautiful, eery and full of atmosphere. I love the way each of her pieces tells a story or draws on one. I’ve commissioned Vineta to make a special doll for the youngest member of our family, Violet (age 5), and what she’s […]

Wet Plate Portrait Event

John Brewer and I will be taking wet plate portraits for this all-day event on Saturday April 12th organised by Michele Selway in an empty shop on Chorlton High Road. All profits go to the final year students’ Contemporary Photography Final Degree Show at Stockport College in June. Wet Plate Collodion Fundraiser Saturday, 12th April 2014 at 10am – 5pm 486 Wilbraham […]

The Mask Series

Recently, I participated in an international wet plate series called The Mask Series.  The project was coordinated by Shane Balkowitsch who assembled 150 alternative photographers from over 25 countries, making the series the largest international wet plate collaboration since Frederick Scott Archer first invented the process in 1848.  The goal is to raise awareness for the technique and also create a […]

Wetplate Photography Event at Lancaster

21st June 2013 12:30 pm 5:00 pm Lecture Theatre 3, Furness College, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YG Discover the 19th century art of wetplate collodion photography, in which images are taken on tin and glass. See the process in action and have your portrait taken on tin with a Victorian camera! 12.30 pm onwards, Furness: Tea, coffee and soft drinks served. 1pm – 1:30 pm, […]

Review of Vanitas Exhibition

Many thanks to Melissa Tricoire for this lovely review of John Brewer’s and my exhibition at the Double Negative Darkroom, Hackney! Here’s an extract – “Magic emanates from Brewer’s still lifes, creating a theatre of curiosities with human skulls, candles, medical instruments, tarot cards and other memento mori. The photographer’s series of acrylotype plates entitled Fragmented Dolls is remarkable for its artistry and […]

Vanitas Exhibition

An exhibition of unique photographic plates by John Brewer & Kate Horsley 8th December 2012  – 12th January 2013 at the Double Negative Darkroom 78a Glyn Road, Hackney, London E5 0JE; Launch event 8th December 2012 Growing out of the memento mori tradition of Renaissance Europe, vanitas is a genre of art that contemplates the transient nature of life.  Common symbols include skulls, […]

Wet Plate Collodion

Today, Sam and I completed the first day of John‘s excellent course in wet plate collodion at his studio. His studio is filled with a cornucopia of curious objects, large format cameras  and Victorian lenses. During the course, we made images on tin, glass and plastic. Wet plate collodion is fantastic fun as well as being a beautiful artistic medium. I can really recommend […]