The Friday Five: Sibley Sparling
This week we catch up with Hereford-based designer / Maker, Ella, of Sibley Sparling. We first met Ella at Hereford Contemporary where we fell in love with the clean aesthetic, strong lines and bright colours of her products. She was also absolutely amazing with our kids who showed a keen interest in her magnetic photo holders!!!
You know the score — pour yourself a drink and take 5 to read our #FridayFive…
What do you do for a living?
I work part time at Hereford College of Arts, the local art college that is one of only 3 specialist art colleges left in the country. This works well alongside my own practice as it means I work alongside likeminded, creative people and working with students allows me to keep my practice fresh and on-trend.
My own practice: I am a designer maker with a passion for contemporary design and I strive to create modern pieces that consist of clean lines, quality materials and a splash of colour. Material and process drive my design process and I really enjoy combining materials to see how they interact with each other and the contrasts that can be formed in colour and texture. I believe that the items we surround ourselves with affect both our environment and mood and therefore I aim to create furniture and home ware pieces that enhance both.
What do you love about your job?
I love the creativity that it enables me to explore. The fact that it is just a continuation of me, I design my own house with the same style that I create my designs from. It allows me to live my passion which is contemporary design.
And there is nothing better than seeing a design that started as a vision in your head appear in front of you.
What do you do for fun?
I have a lot of fun designing and playing with shapes and materials so I get to have fun while I work but outside of that I enjoy …….
Meeting up with friends for good food and drink
Travelling/exploring places
Walking up hills
Watching films
Tell us a bit about why you are in Hereford / what bought you to Hereford?
I did my degree at Hereford College of Arts
Now both my partner and I have set up workshops locally. We also have family near by.
Best thing about Hereford?
The best thing about Hereford is how many hidden talented people there are about and the support that can be found for art and craft. Obviously the countryside is also idyllic.
Worst thing about Hereford?
The worst thing about Hereford is probably how tricky it can be to get to larger cities such as London where there is undoubtedly more opportunity for those who work in design. Being quite a small city it can sometimes be stuck in its ways and be quite inward looking.
What would winning City of Culture mean to you/your business?
I guess it would bring recognition to the city as a whole and in doing so hopefully bring trade for all local businesses. It may also entice a different clientele to the locality which I believe would be good for my business. It may modernise the city’s way of thinking (which I think is starting to happen) which could open up a whole world of new opportunities.
What do you find inspiring about Hereford?
Definitely the landscape; walking up a hill on a bright windy day feeling refreshed is one of the best and most inspiring things I think you can do, particularly if you are stuck in a creative rut!
To find out more about Ella and to ogle her beautiful products, catch her here:
www.sibleysparling.com
Instagram: sibleysparling
Twitter: @EMSibley
