A Funky Scottish Decade! The Bespoke Collection (Part 2)...

  It's an honour to create these unique mementos of precious memories, 
special occasions and the passions of so many lovely people...

- Karen Edward @ Funky Scottish

This year, it's the 10th Anniversary of Funky Scottish, the iconic, East Neuk brand created by Karen Edward.  In celebration, we're producing a special series of blog posts about a decade of her definitive Funky Scottish collections.  You can click here to read our introduction.   Over the past few weeks we've been rewinding back through the years to 2004.

Now, it's the final week! We discover the extensive, bespoke collection - part 2, alongside some artists notes from Karen...

Last week, the bespoke collection focused on special commissions inspired by my East Neuk range.  Often though, I'm asked to paint lots of commissions for weddings, christenings, birthdays, retirements and all kinds of celebrations.  It's an honour to create these unique mementos of precious memories, special occasions and the passions of so many lovely people.  Below, I share some of my favourites created over the past 10 years.

There are so many, I'm showcasing these in celebrations & seasons....

Spring

say cheese - a celebration plate for a couple with a shared passion...

It's a great time of year to spring clean up your body 

and begin a healthy lifestyle - yoga is the perfect choice, I love it!

Summer

Summertime is naturally wedding season - 

it's a particularly busy time for creating original, hand-painted ceramic keepsakes ...

The depiction of this rugby player shows him sporting a black eye because he was always getting punched in the face - the things people do for their passions! 

He actually had the black eye on his wedding day too! 

Of course, summer is also graduation time... 

and it's the perfect season to teach the kids about growing things...

Let's celebrate our french connections too - they know so 

much about enjoying the simple pleasures of summertime!

...golf is an all-year sport, but this is the 

season that a golfer loves to celebrate

with so much fresh, seasonal fruit, 

it's a great time to fill up their plate with healthy treats...

Autumn

 The colours change & the people of the East Neuk 

begin their retreat into cosy homes...
 

It's also time to harvest all the good things we planted...

 

Winter 

Winter - a beautiful season for celebration, 

especially if the little ones have been good... 

After all, who knows what Santa might bring - these plates are really fun additions 

to the Christmas Eve ritual of leaving a treat for Mr Clause...

Thank you so much for joining us on this journey through A Funky Scottish Decade! If you missed any of the previous posts in the series, please have a look below:-

Funky Scottish Decade - Introduction
'Sea Pottery'
'Black & White'
'Puffins' 
Pittenweem Blue
East Neuk
Bespoke Collection (Part 1)

Meanwhile, we look forward to the next 10 years of collections by Karen Edward @ Funky Scottish - thank you again for all your support!!

About...

Living by the sea, Karen Edward @ Funky Scottish is naturally drawn to coastal themes and has developing her own unmistakable flair for showcasing the unique character of the East Neuk. Her favourite subjects include the houses, animals, boats and seascapes she observes in and around the fishing villages. Karen will also happily paint bespoke ceramics reflecting your own unique character and interests. Choose a gift or crockery collection to celebrate special occasions including birthdays, anniversaries and weddings. If you'd like to order your own exclusive, hand-painted piece, please get in touch!  

A Funky Scottish Decade! The Bespoke Collection (Part 1)

I couldn't find any celebration gifts with my kids names on them -

 the names were too unique - so I started doing them myself. 

 Suddenly, I was being asked to do similar pieces 

for all kinds of celebrations.

- Karen Edward @ Funky Scottish

This year, it's the 10th Anniversary of Funky Scottish, the iconic, East Neuk brand created by Karen Edward.  In celebration, we're producing a special series of blog posts about a decade of her definitive Funky Scottish collections.  You can click here to read our introduction.   Over the past few weeks we've been rewinding back through the years to 2004.

This week, we discover the extensive, bespoke collection.  In the artist's notes from Karen, she recalls her very first bespoke commission and reveals the stories behind these one-off pieces of art....

I've really been doing commissions since I started Funky Scottish.  It all began with a challenge, then finding a solution myself! You see, I couldn't find any celebration gifts with my kids names on them - the names were too unique - so I started doing them myself.  Suddenly, I was being asked to do similar pieces for all kinds of celebrations; when friends got married and so on.
 
Now, commissions are the backbone of my business; engagements, weddings, christenings, birthdays, retirements are a few of the commissions I've been asked to do. I've also been asked to paint peoples pets, panels for kitchens and bathrooms, prizes for clubs etc. I would love to share a few of them for you here.

I mostly paint on my ceramics, but I've been asked to paint a few different ones too! Here is a window commission I did in a house in Cellardyke There was no view so I painted them one!!
 

 
I've done a few on canvas for children like this one here for Emma !

 
Since being asked to paint all the tile panels in the bathrooms at the St Andrews Cheese Farm, just outside Pittenweem, I've had lots of commissions from them!! Here are a few examples.  First up is a set I painted for my friend Audrey for her husbands birthday. That's him and his boat in Cellardyke Harbour...

Next up are two Elie panels, including one with the whole family on it...

 These commissions can also be used to give your home a lovely new look! I was asked to paint 5 panels for a lady for her bathroom, all with the East Neuk theme... 

 
Next, are some special panels to me as I particularly enjoyed painting them; especially the one with the little boy as he became a wee friend!  Also, this panel featured in a newspaper article which his Mum then got me to sign for him!!

There are lots more I want to share! To be continued...

Meet us again next week, for the more from the Bespoke collection!

Meanwhile, you can discover previous posts in the series below:-

'Sea Pottery'
'Black & White'
'Puffins' 
Pittenweem Blue
East Neuk

About...

Living by the sea, Karen Edward @ Funky Scottish is naturally drawn to coastal themes and has developing her own unmistakable flair for showcasing the unique character of the East Neuk. Her favourite subjects include the houses, animals, boats and seascapes she observes in and around the fishing villages. Karen will also happily paint bespoke ceramics reflecting your own unique character and interests. Choose a gift or crockery collection to celebrate special occasions including birthdays, anniversaries and weddings. If you'd like to order your own exclusive, hand-painted piece, please get in touch!  

A Funky Scottish Decade! The East Neuk Collection...

I've taken all my favourite things and painted them on my ceramics. 

They all mean something to me.  

- Karen Edward @ Funky Scottish

This year, it's the 10th Anniversary of Funky Scottish, the iconic, East Neuk brand created by Karen Edward.  In celebration, we're producing a special series of blog posts about a decade of her definitive Funky Scottish collections.  You can click here to read our introduction.   Over the past few weeks we've been rewinding back through the years to 2004.

This week - following a time out for The Pittenweem Arts Festival -  we discover Karen's very first, iconic, East Neuk collection.  In the artist's notes from Karen, she shares her intimate connection to some of the most distinctive features of her best known work.

Whew!  The Pittenweem Arts Festival is over for another year...and I'm feeling pretty good!! In fact, I'm feeling on top of the world! So, I painted a plate to celebrate it!  We've had lots of lovely people through the doors, lots of sales and lots of commissions for the future! Now, as we celebrate 10 yeras of the brand, I'm taking a look at what defines Funky Scottish and some of the ranges I paint. 

The East Neuk Range was created for my love of everything I see around me here.  I've taken all my favourite things and painted them on my ceramics. They all mean something to me. The red boat in my work is based on my son's boat. She is called Eileen Ban. The boat was built in Macduff and skippered by my son back to Mull, to a huge welcome from the islanders!!!

The May Island, I love because it was the view from my window looking out over the rooftops in Cellardyke for years.  

The red socks on the washing lines are from Marina, my youngest daughter; they symbolise her Waid Academy hockey team socks blowin' in the wind!!

The wee Dutch influenced houses are such a joy to paint. Pantiles are colourful and the outside stairs are quirky...

Of course there is also my dog, Vanilla.  My Lurcher who gets painted on my work lots as he is so beautiful...

The sea with its waves is interpreted by me in various guises too as borders round jugs, plates and bowls. This area also has a great tradition of fishing, so the fishing boats appear in my work all the time...swimming in my wavy waves!!



Meet us again next week, for the last artistic adventure back through the years at Funky Scottish.
We'll take a look at some of Karen's most celebrated work in her bespoke collection.

Meanwhile, you can discover previous posts in the series below:-


'Sea Pottery'
'Black & White'
'Puffins' 
Pittenweem Blue

About...

Living by the sea, Karen Edward @ Funky Scottish is naturally drawn to coastal themes and has developing her own unmistakable flair for showcasing the unique character of the East Neuk. Her favourite subjects include the houses, animals, boats and seascapes she observes in and around the fishing villages. Karen will also happily paint bespoke ceramics reflecting your own unique character and interests. Choose a gift or crockery collection to celebrate special occasions including birthdays, anniversaries and weddings. If you'd like to order your own exclusive, hand-painted piece, please get in touch!  

In The News! Our 10th Anniversary Celebrations Hit The Headlines...

We're excited to say that Karen Edward @ Funky Scottish made a splash in the press last week!  Our founder and resident artist was featured in an East Fife Mail article celebrating the 10th anniversary of her distinctive, iconic, East Neuk brand.  Check out some of Karen's classic collections in a special series right here on the blog. 

Meanwhile, Karen is also very busy this week, in her boutique on the high street in Pittenweem. She's showcasing her definitive collections as part of her exhibition during this week's Pittenweem Arts Festival.

If you haven't visited yet, why not plan a weekend escape to the seaside?  Only last week, The Guardian listed our special little village of Pittenweem as one of the 10 Little Gems On The British Coastline!