My first big event of the year is fast approaching. RHS Malvern starts the gardening season and is always a hugely popular show, with show gardens, floral marquee, trade stands, food halls, theatre stages where you can meet your favourite TV gardening and food celebrities, antiques and plants galore. The jewel in the crown is, of course, the Contemporary Craft hall, where you’ll find 100+ designer makers from the three regions Guilds – Herefordshire, Cotswolds and Worcestershire.

I’ll be there in Wye Hall 2 with the Worcestershire Guild Contemporary Craft at the far corner of the hall, near the rear doors.

Wye Hall 2, RHS Malvern Spring Festival, Three Counties Showground, Malvern WR13 6NW. Thursday 8 – Sunday 11 May, 9am till 6pm each day.

Tickets are available via the Three Counties Showground.

I’ve been working on new lampshade designs for the show, the seed of which began on a creative break with two arty friends earlier this month. On one of the pages of my concertina sketchbook I used a collaged piece of an old linocut (bird’s wing) and from there I created some lively abstract shapes that I’ve had fun re-arranging into new compositions.

Here are a couple of the finished lamps and some panels still drying.

I’ve since gone on to create a new repeat pattern collection available for licensing for use on others’ products, I think some of the designs would be perfect on bedding, napkins, tea towels and wallpaper. What do you think?