Made By Hands Of Britain

We are very proud to introduce you to a very inspiring lady!

 Working tirelessly to showcase and promote Artisans and Craft Makers from Great Britain.

Gillian Montegrande

"Gillian Montegrande" Former Garden Designer and Founder of Made by Hands of Britain" tells us how it all started and where she gets her inspiration from.

I have been on the Made by Hands of Britain journey for some time now and what a journey it has been! It is a cliché, but it really does feel as if my whole life has been leading to this point.

From being a young girl, I have always had a fascination for handcrafted things and have, throughout my life, tried with mixed success, to put my own hand to making anything from wooden toys for my children or wooden utensils for the kitchen, pottery to print making, mosaics, clothes and food of all descriptions; wine, beer, bread, pasta, salami.

Even if I have not attained the proficiency in most of those skills to any great degree myself, there is still that desire in me to have a go; my home is testament to that. Let’s just say it has a very individual look!

I think any maker, however skilful, will tell you that there is nothing more satisfying than toiling and tussling with a particular medium or material to create an item that is useful, beautiful or both. There is a definite relationship that builds up over a period of time between a maker and his chosen material and just like any relationship, there is a period of struggle where one, will attempt to enforce their will and nature upon the other, until a compromise and understanding is achieved, at which point something beautiful and almost irresistible emerges, for the maker and the eventual owner.

Having been a Garden Designer in a previous life, I was fortunate enough to work with many skilled craftsmen and women. I am in awe of the skill, care and passion that such makers, dedicate to their craft to produce beautifully made products, art and produce, be they purely functional, aesthetic or more often than not both and have gained nothing but utter respect for them.

Controversial as it may be to some but for me there are no such people as artists or craftsmen, there are only makers. All that is made, without exception, has been conceived, designed and fashioned from the makers, chosen material to serve an aesthetic and functional use, whether that be spiritual or practical, whether if feeds the mind, the soul or indeed the stomach!

You will never be able to purchase (or make) something with more honesty, authenticity, integrity and meaning than that which has been made by hand with those same sentiments woven into the very fabric of the work. You will never be saying or learning more about yourself as an individual, than when choosing to buy (or make), surround yourself and fill your home with items that have been made by hand. You will never be more connected to your fellow human beings (or yourself) than when purchasing (or making) something that has been conceived, designed and created by another human being (or yourself). You will never be able to grow to love your possessions more than when they have been made by hand.

Given this foundation and following a conversation with Monty (my husband), on a sunny afternoon in the garden, back in 2008, about the merits and relevance of quality products, antique and contemporary (almost always handmade), Made by Hands of Britain was conceived. It was shortly after that, having watched the BBC Victorian Farm Programme, that the ball really got rolling. The programme made viewers aware of tragedy that certain handmaking talents, skills and most important part of our heritage were in danger of dying out due to a lack of devotees. Thoughts were then concentrated towards the development of a website, promoting handmade producers and artists within the British Isles, with an aim to preserving or reviving those skills and industries. This would go some way to addressing this serious issue as well as creating an effective commercial platform for those whose work we all covet, traditional or contemporary, simply because it is handmade.

In these troubled times you will not make a better purchase than to

"buy something once and buy it well, make something once and make it well!"

I hope, while you wonder around the site, that you too will see and marvel at the Handmade Producers and Service Providers and consider, having at least one of these things grace your home, or indeed be encouraged to put your own hand to making something yourself and that as a result your life will somehow be richer for it.

            www.madebyhandsofbritain.com 

Thank you so much to Sculptor, "Jennifer Tetlow" for nominating Gillian as someone who has greatly inspired and supported her.