CAROLINE NISBETT - ARTIST DESIGNER ILLUSTRATOR WRITER
My long career began at Conran Design Group, Covent Garden, London, in the 20th century, working there for 7 years as a Designer after leaving St Martin’s School of Art, Covent Garden.
Now I’ve travelled back in time to the 18th century! You’ll find me in my weavers’ cottage in historic Bradford on Avon Wiltshire, on the tip-toe of The Cotswolds near Bath Spa.
My art studio is high up on the top floor of my small tall cottage in what once was the weaver’s workshop in the mid 1700s Georgian times. Here I quietly create colourful images and textiles and display them in my cottage Art Gallery.
Now I’ve travelled back in time to the 18th century! You’ll find me in my weavers’ cottage in historic Bradford on Avon Wiltshire, on the tip-toe of The Cotswolds near Bath Spa.
My art studio is high up on the top floor of my small tall cottage in what once was the weaver’s workshop in the mid 1700s Georgian times. Here I quietly create colourful images and textiles and display them in my cottage Art Gallery.
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About Caro
Yarn weaving, tall tales spinning, colourist, humorist, punk stitcher, weaving stories and pictures colourfully together in a dear old tiny teeteringly tall weavers’ cottage on the fringes of The Cotswolds and in ever present peril of the danger of jelly babies! Lockdown provided a quiet undistracted moment in historic time to knuckle down, buckle up my shoes, get on that bike, stay home and write nonsense - and illustrate it for good measure. And create an art gallery while I’m at it. |
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Current inspirations
iPad is my current art creation method to discover colour, light and visual story in new ways. My studio is in a Georgian era Weavers’ workshop in a cottage built c1775 and it’s weaving history led me to become interested in historic weaver workers. My family are a part of the Folk community and I’m researching folk songs and ballads about weaving. I grew up close by Cecil Sharp House, London. My interests Folk music, song and dance traditions. Local history Georgian era rural weavers and elegant Regency Bath Spa nearby. Curious country customs. Events folk festivals, music, dance, opera, theatre. Heritage crafts & rural traditions, Sustainable living, vintage, retro, brocante. Farmer’s markets farm shops, local produce. Community groups, local activities. |
Past provenance My lifetime’s work in art and design spanning four decades began in 1981 at Conran Design Group, London, where I worked 1981-1987 as a graphic and textile designer for Habitat and Mothercare shops for Sir Terence Conran. My colourful designs have been printed onto all homeware product surfaces for retail: textiles, ceramics, tinware, paper ware, glass, rugs for The Conran Shop / Bibendum restaurant / Habitat / Heal's / Mothercare. My artwork has been used for: gift ranges, branding, print, advertising, products and packaging design. I’ve also been asked to create copywriting, photography styling, creative concepts for advertising and social media promotions. |
ART + ILLUSTRATION + DESIGN
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CV
Art | illustration | design | what I’m up to now. Artwork to my own brief. FOLK SONGS English folk music + ballads 2021 CURIOUS CUSTOMS English Folk 2021 WEAVING HISTORY C18th 1775 onwards 2021 SEASONAL CELEBRATIONS ipad art. 2021 PORTRAITS iPad art 2021 ART HISTORY local history, great and small. 2021 ARTWEAR digitally printed art textiles. 2020-21 EXHIBITION Silk Mill, Frome, Somerset. 2020 ART-EAT farm food art image series. 2020 ART PRINTS giclée prints on fine art paper. 2017 PORTRAITS of English folk musicians. 2016 Other work.
2021 - Sign writing for Woolley Grange Hotel, Bradford on Avon. 50 Chalkboard signs in contemporary calligraphy for Glamping + hotel + grounds. Logo designs for Cotswold Voices Choir, Innocent Hare folk music dancers and band, Armadillo Jewellery, Bell’s Angels morris. Mandarin Voices and Mandarin Youth Voices - two Chinese mandarin language choirs. Engage With China. UK-China international business. Product photography for the Silver Street Studio website, a craft shop in Bradford on Avon. Work involved studio website updating, photography + photo editing + product styling + copy writing + window display. Social Media Consultancy - one year of promotional work for Bramley Products natural ingredients toiletries range supplier to 350 hotels. I produced concepts, original ideas, copy writing, seasonal studio and location photography + photo editing + product styling, hashtags, posting at dawn to Twitter / Instagram / Facebook. Social Media Consultancy - one year of promotional work for Clementine's Shop + Compton Marbling Fairs Events + Wedding and events location hire in Fonthill Gifford near Tisbury, Wiltshire. Producing copy writing, photography + photo editing + product styling, hashtags, posting at dawn to Twitter / Instagram / Facebook. 2011-2017 Designing and selling own brand gift range ‘Light Hearted Gifts’ : brand identity / logo design / packaging design / products development / copy writing. 1987 onwards - Freelance art, illustration, graphic design, brand identity, brand development, product design, calligraphy. 1980s - Teaching - guest Lecturer at Saint Martin's School of Art to Graphic Design and Illustration BA Degree students. Teaching - Drawing tutor of Life Drawing and Figure Drawing class at Courtyard Arts, Hertford, Hertfordshire. 1981 - 1987 seven years - Graphic Designer for Conran Design Group at Neal Street, Covent Garden and later at the Heal's building, Tottenham Court Road, London. Designing products and surface decoration for products the home, textiles, rugs, ceramics, product packaging, drawings and paintings, informational diagrams, promotional print, and many popular best selling, long running product ranges for Habitat, The Conran Shop, Bibendum Restaurant at The Conran Shop, Michelin building in Fulham, London, also Mothercare, Heal's and other retail outlets owned by Sir Terence Conran. 1977 - 1981 B.A. Honours Degree Graphic Design and Illustration + Foundation Saint Martin's School of Art, Covent Garden, London. Camden School for Girls, London. Grammar school. |
Clients
Design | illustration | I’ve been busy over the years. The Conran Shop / Bibendum restaurant / Habitat / Heal's / Mothercare and other shops, designing for Sir Terence Conran - whilst Senior Designer at Conran Design Group for seven years 1981-1987. The Contemporary Textile Gallery The Prince's Trust The Royal Albert Hall Royal National Theatre The National Gallery Pol Roger Champagne Christie's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Academy of St Martin in the Fields Trinity College London / Musiclink Roald Dahl Foundation Light Hearted Gifts Caroline's own brand Lloyds Register Barclays Bank Absolute Press Contemporary Textile Gallery L'Oriel / Laboratoire Garnier Hardy's Gift Toiletries / Illumens Home Fragrances Compass Group - Letheby & Christopher Norton Networks British Gas 'Think Energy' schools campaign / Educational Communications Tesco / BhS / Savacentre / Boots / Currys Sky Television / London Weekend Television Radio Times Connected Pictures - promotional video company Armadillo Jewellery Clementine's Shop, Tisbury, Wiltshire - social media feeds Bramley Products, hotel toiletries range - social media feeds Cotswold Voices Choir Innocent Hare folk music dancers and musicians group Mandarin Voices choir, Mandarin Youth Voices choir, Engage With China Bell’s Angels Own Brand Gift Range - Light Hearted Gifts
Having designed many product ranges for other retail clients including Habitat and Heal's, I then designed my own ”Light Hearted Gifts” range of multi-wick and single wick natural wax fragranced candles and other fragranced gifts. The range design valued sustainable low impact qualities: local provenance, packs printed in Britain for low carbon footprint, natural ingredients of plant waxes and cotton wicks and recycled glasses - this direction was slightly ahead of it’s time but now sustainability is becomIng a popular direction. This gift range sold independently for many years via CFA events in stately homes, private schools and colleges in Bath Spa and ten surrounding counties. Copywriting + Creative Writing
I have written to suit a variety of briefs from factual or promotional text, tag lines and articles for websites and promotional pages to light-hearted magazine style articles. Also, own creative humorous writing. |
