Tina
has been designing and painting for as far back as she can
remember. It seems inappropriate to say she is 'self taught' as
there has been no conscious effort to train, it's simply all she's
ever wanted to do!
After completing an art foundation course at Central
St Martins in London as a teenager, she was asked to paint
Traditional English Narrowboat Ware for a Japanese department store
and then went on to handpaint coloured glazes onto moulded ceramic
tiles for a London manufacturer. Here she was given her first
opportunity to design ceramic tiles and tile murals, her very first
mural being exhibited at the Ideal Home Exhibition at Earls
Court in the 'House of the Future'.
Relocating to Suffolk in the
mid 90s she continued working with on-glazes, designing
& painting ceramics for local studios such as Lowestoft
Porcelain and Suffolk Larder Craft and further developed
her skills as a designer and tile painter
at a Suffolk tile manufacturer. Her spare time even taken
up with artwork, she designed and ran children's art workshops in
primary schools and for a local annual Arts Festival and
organised a life drawing group with other Suffolk
artists.
Since starting H&H with John Harper in 2004 her bespoke
work is increasingly in demand, her tile commissions installed not
only in Suffok but now all over the
UK.
"I consider myself very lucky because I LOVE my work. It's magical
turning a client's idea into a reality for them. A reality
with a practical function which is at the same time beautiful,
tactile and special to them. It's wonderful when all
the elements of a bespoke design come together to illustrate a
unique story about the client which they have written with
their ideas. Their panel can either be simply a beautiful
picture, or their story
shared."
John
discovered his talent for tiling some 6 years ago
whilst making tiles for a local manufacturer. Self
taught, since H&H's start his skills as a tiler have gone
from strength to strength - but you don't have to take out word for
that! One only has to look at the abundance of happy
customer testimonials to see how highly clients rate his
professionalism, courteous nature and valued advice.
John is Suffolk born & bred. Previously a Halesworth retained
fireman, with ten years service under his belt, alongside
experience in other construction and manufacturing
trades, John has a wealth of understanding of the local
area and it's community's needs and brings this to his work so
that customers feel confident
both in the high standard of his
tiling skills and also the first class customer service he
provides.
For clients choosing H&H for both design & installation of
their tiles, Tina and John combine their skills to offer a unique
and wonderful customer experience. Each understanding the other's
dynamic within a commission, they work together in a harmonious
marriage of the creative and practical to see a design through from
the very first idea, through planning, painting and firing to the
final installation and grouting of the tiles, making the whole
process a smooth and enjoyable experience for the
client.
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