map gift shop: It's beginning to feel a lot like.....Spring

Monday 18 March 2013

It's beginning to feel a lot like.....Spring

Rob Ryan's designs are delightfully spring like, full of joy and optimism. Wistful and whimsical, he freely admits his pictures and stories are unashamedly sentimental.

I really love his reinterpretation of the classic antique Staffordshire pairs which were exhibited last year at Charleston - the bohemian home of the Bloomsbury group. Rob Ryan was inspired by the work of the Omega workshops as a student in the early eighties - the influence of their subtle palette and spontaneous use of pattern, as well as their broad approach to the decorative arts is reflected in his own work and philosophies.

“What I saw with my own eyes was all I needed to know. Amongst that (quite crudely) painted and decorated furniture, screens and ceramics was a joy in making that I just didn’t see in the contemporary art of the eighties that surrounded me.”

He has collaborated with many different artists & designers as diverse as Lulu Guiness and Paul Smith. At map gift shop we are delighted to stock his range developed with Wild & Wolf and his card range by Roger La Borde!

The "Four Seasons" Set of 4 Plates makes a great gift - especially for weddings or spring birthdays. Each plate depicts the season through the cycle of a tree- with words typically sentimental quotations, and packaged in a stylish branded box.