Soma Christmas Gift Guide

To help you out a little this Christmas we have compiled a gift guide from a few of our most popular and new items.



For Her

Clockwise from top left
Long super soft lambswool mittens by Donna Wilson available in 3 colouways £38
Cleopatra silk scarf by Cleo Ferin Mercury £65
Au Revoir silkscreen printed tote by by Gemma Correll and exclusive to Soma £10
Other Planets by Rob Ryan silkscreen print in mint green and raspberry £294 




For Him

Clockwise from top left
Ghost cufflinks by Tatty Devine £30
Work Hard letterpressed poster by Anthony Burrill £40
2012 Year Planner by Crispin Finn £12
Dead Wrestler silkscreen print on wood by Tom Frost £65




For Children

Clockwise from top left
Make Your Own Monster kit by Donna Wilson £15
Solar System lithographic poster by Ben Newman £12
Welcome to the Circus notebooks in two colours by Gemma Correll & Noodoll £11.50
Tropical Fish lithographic poster by Peskimo £10




Stocking Fillers

Wake Me Up enamel pin badge by Gemma Correll £4
How to Make Jewellery with Tatty Devine book £12.99
They Went That Way screenprinted hanging sign by Andy Smith £10
Letterpressed Coasters by Ryan Todd and New Found Original £8

Last Posting Dates for Christmas

To ensure you get your parcels before Christmas we have compiled a list of the last dates to place an order.

UK
Standard delivery before 9am Tuesday 20th December
Express delivery before 9am Thursday 22nd December

Europe
Western Europe before 9am Monday 12th December
Eastern Europe before 9am Friday 9th December

Rest of the World
USA and Canada before 9am Friday 9th December
Everywhere else before 9am Monday 5th December

You can view Royal Mail's posting dates here. But don't forget, we need time to pack your orders!

Please be aware that these dates are just a guide and we cannot be held responsible if your parcel does not arrive before Christmas. To avoid this, please place your orders as soon as possible!

Please feel free to contact us if you have any queries about Christmas posting.

Tatty Devine Workshop & Book Signing

On Saturday 12th November, a lovely sunny day, Rosie and Harriet from Tatty Devine came to Soma to host a jewellery making workshop and book signing.



It was really busy and loads of people came wearing their Tatty Devine jewellery!

People making their rosettes.







A happy customer with her finished rosette!



Lahloo Tea provided the refreshments and their Earl Grey and Peppermint teas went down a storm. As did the clementine drizzle cake they brought along! We also had some fun cat cakes made by my sister, who is a massive Tatty Devine fan!

Lahloo have recently opened Lahloo Pantry, a cafe and shop just around the corner from us where they sell their beautiful teas as well as very tasty food. They're definitely well worth a visit when you come and visit us!

The workshop was in aid of the new book Tatty Devine have just brought out, 'How to Make Jewellery with Tatty Devine' and the rosette brooch everyone was making is one of the projects. You can buy the book on our website here. Harriet signing a book below.



We've been selling Tatty Devine jewellery almost as long as we've been open, so they're amongst our longest standing artists!

You can buy Tatty Devine jewellery on our website here.
More photos on Flickr here.
Read Tatty Devine's account of the event on their blog here.

Tatty Devine Workshop at Soma

Tatty Devine Workshop Saturday 12th November 2pm - 4pm 

Rosie Wolfenden and Harriet Vine, the ladies behind Tatty Devine will be coming to Soma on Saturday 12th November to host a rosette making workshop! They will be signing copies of their new book, 'How to Make Jewellery with Tatty Devine' and teaching you to make a classic Tatty Devine rosette, one of the projects in the book. We will be holding this workshop in our first floor space.

There will be tasty cakes and refreshments to keep you going provided by Lahloo Tea! Plus some extra special cakes provided by Bristol's biggest Tatty Devine fan, my sister!

We first started selling Tatty Devine jewellery in Soma in 2005 and they've been really popular ever since! Do keep this date in your diary!

View Tatty Devine jewellery on our website here 

Go to the Facebook event page here

Soma for Not Another Bill

I was asked by Ned from Not Another Bill to put together the October mailout. For those who haven't heard of Not Another Bill before, it's a fantastic idea by Ned Corbett-Winder, a subscription service where you get a surprise present in the post every month. Each month is produced by a different creative or group of creatives.



I asked Bristol based illustrators Tom Frost and Peskimo to each produce a print and a badge for the packs and Glasgow based Lesley Barnes to design a tote. Each pack contained a print, a badge and a tote.

Both Tom Frost and Peskimo hand printed theirs - which was no mean feat! Tom's (pictured above) is a two colour silkscreen print on reclaimed card and numbered using a pin perforating machine and Peskimo's (pictured below) is a three colour silkscreen print. These prints were specially commissioned for Not Another Bill and not available anywhere else!



Lesley's tote was silkscreened in Cornwall on 100% organic tote bags using environmentally friendly inks. It features the great creatures she has designed for us. She designed the dancing bear tote that we sell in Soma and you can see the bear in the middle of this design.



You can see more work by Peskimo here, by Tom Frost here and by Lesley Barnes here.

And you can visit Not Another Bill here.

Pack Rat by Crispin Finn Exhibition

Last Friday we had the preview of Crispin Finn's new exhibition at Soma, 'Pack Rat'.

The term Pack Rat refers to people who engage in the excessive acquisition of possessions, even if the items are worthless.

For their 'Pack Rat' show they've created a set of prints in their trade mark red, white and blue based on their fascination with collecting inspired from items within their archive. These prints aim to make the ephemeral momentarily more permanent, examine the beauty of vernacular design and draw to attention how the everyday is worthy of wall space.



Alongside the prints they are showing t-shirts, notepads, greeting cards and other items designed by them, all in red, white and blue!





Crispin Finn is a small, London based design partnership. Founded and run by Anna Fidalgo - a graphic designer and Roger Kelly - a fine artist, their shared love of screenprinting, stationery and vernacular design inspired them to collaborate and develop their trademark style.

Working predominantly in red, white and blue, a restriction they initially set themselves in order to hand produce simple and affordable designs, the colour scheme has become part of the Crispin Finn identity.



The exhibition runs until 13th November.

View more photos of the exhibition here

View prints from the exhibition plus other items by Crispin Finn here

20% off magazines online during October

Throughout October we are offering a very generous 20% discount on magazines and books online. We have quite an extensive range of back issues and it's time to clear some of them out! We have Eye, 3x3, Varoom, iDN, and Anorak amongst others. To claim your discount, use the code HAPPYMAGAZINE at the checkout. This offer can only be used on books and magazines.

Next Exhibition: Crispin Finn at Soma

We're really pleased to announce our next exhibition featuring Crispin Finn.

Pack Rat 1/10/11 - 13/11/11 
A series of prints by Crispin Finn at Soma Gallery. 

The term Pack Rat refers to people who engage in the excessive acquisition of possessions, even if the items are worthless.

Crispin Finn love collecting all sorts of objects and ephemera from continental toothpicks to a vernacular beach bat & ball design, most of it being everyday and ephemeral, but all of it curious, clever or beautiful in some way. Filling shelves and cupboards of home and studio this mass grows daily as they come across the interesting within the quotidian.

The apparent cross overs between the areas of acquiring, selecting, organising, and obsessive compulsive behaviour are all themes that have inspired their show at Soma.

For their 'Pack Rat' show they've created a set of prints in their trade mark red, white and blue based on their fascination with collecting inspired from items within their archive. These prints aim to make the ephemeral momentarily more permanent, examine the beauty of vernacular design and draw to attention how the everyday is worthy of wall space.

The preview evening will be on Friday 30th September, so please do come along if you're in Bristol!

View work by Crispin Finn here.

New Donna Wilson for Autumn/Winter 2011

We have just received some fantastic new products from Donna Wilson. Above is her new Owl and Pussycat round cushion which is available in 3 colourways.



Big Ted and Wilbur are new creatures by Donna Wilson. Big Ted is pretty big!



The House scarf is also new and comes in 3 colourways. It's really wide and cosy and will keep your neck snug when it gets cold!




We also have a load of gloves, wrist warmers and mittens from Donna for when the weather gets chilly! All beautifully designed and knitted in Scotland from super soft lambswool.

You can view all these items on Donna Wilson's page our website here.

Extended! - Andy Smith Sunny Side Up Exhibition

We've extended the Andy Smith show until the end of the month as it's been such a popular show and we're getting loads of people wanting to come and see it before it comes down.

So instead of finishing this Saturday, it will run to Wednesday 31st August. We may extend it a little longer but if you haven't come to see it yet and plan to, there's a little more time to do so!

View Andy Smith work at Soma here

View photos of the show on Flickr here

'Au Revoir' tote by Gemma Correll for Soma

We have just received a big box full of these fantastic totes that Gemma Correll designed exclusively for Soma. They are printed in black and orange onto 100% organic cotton totes and printed with environmentally friendly inks down in Cornwall. They are available in both our Bristol gallery or online for £10.

You can view the tote on our website here.

Or you can view all Gemma Correll items at Soma here.

New Lasercut by Rob Ryan

Rob Ryan has produced this beautiful new lasercut of which we have a few in Soma. The lasercut is signed (initialled) and numbered in an edition of 500. It is packaged in a yellow folder and tied up with pink ribbon and is yours for £84. This beautiful piece by Rob would make a fantastic present for others - or yourself!

You can find these lasercuts in our Bristol gallery or on our website here.

Or you can view all items by Rob Ryan at Soma on our website here.

Artist of the week: James Brown

The next printmaker in the rather infrequent series that is Artist of the Week is James Brown. We've just received some great new prints from him and some new totes. We've been selling James' work for a few years now and he's always been very popular!


The Man, linocut print


Way Out, linocut print


Unexpected Item, silkscreen printed tote bag in 2 colourways

London based James Brown is an illustrator and printmaker. He trained as a textile and surface print designer and worked in the clothing industry for 10 years producing print designs for numerous brands from Levis to Louis Vuitton.

After two years at Hope & Glory menswear James embarked on a new career as an illustrator in 2007. James has been commissioned to produce work by publishing houses, magazines and newspapers and advertising and design agencies. Recent clients include Oxfam, Cancer Research, The Guardian and Faber & Faber.

Alongside his commercial practice James produces limited edition screen prints and linocuts. James' prints reflect his interest in the printed and typographic ephemera of pop culture. The traditional processes that go into the production of James’ prints are very important.


Pointers, silkscreen print

The below prints are a little older but still very popular!


Bags, lino cut print


Me & You, silkscreen print


Viking, silkscreen print

You can view all James Brown prints at Soma here.

Sunny Side Up by Andy Smith exhibiton preview evening

Last Friday evening we held the private view of our new exhibition, 'Sunny Side Up' by Andy Smith. It's no mean feat filling the entire first floor gallery space, especially for a single artist! We've been selling Andy's work for quite a few years now and he's been involved in the last couple of Christmas Shows so it's great to finally have the space to have a big show of his work. And almost everything was created for this show!

Although the weather wasn't on our side, those who braved the rain were treated to a great show and refreshments including Juiceology juices (who we loved at the ACOFI book tour!).


Almost the whole show!


Wooden Blue Moose head, prints, Push to Quit wooden butons, Everyone Gets Lonely totes, They Went That Way arrows, Warning blocks


Hand painted wooden goldfish bowl, This Way & That Way birds, other prints by Andy Smith in browser


They Went That Way arrows


Andy Smith at the private view


Some guests at the private view enjoying the Juiceology drinks


Stickers and postcards for the private view guests

All the artwork in the show is available to view and purchase on our website here

You can see more photos of the show on Flickr here

To read more about the show read post here

Creative Review featured the show on their blog here

Visit Juiceology's wesite here

More Sunny Side Up Teasers!

Here's a handfull of teasers for the Andy Smith show which opens this Saturday with the private view on Friday evening 6-9pm.


The Lonely Goldfish, enamel paint on wood


Push to Quit, silkscreen on wood and varnished


This Way, enamel paint on wood


That Way, enamel paint on wood


They Went That Way, hanging sign, screenprinted and varnished


Shoot The Breeze, silkscreen print