Story-Telling Plates With a Tale to Tell

images taken from Studio Patrick Laing’s website

Now, is everyone sitting comfortably and I will begin…. This beautifully-executed ‘I could just go to the shops’ plate series is from the multi-talented Studio Patrick Laing. Each of the 12 250mm wide plates are very simply designed upon which each one has a delicately drawn pictorial depiction of 1/12th part of the story. The story is that of a desire to make rather than going out and shopping. A tale that’s very apt for these times that have the public clutching onto every single penny that comes their way rather than rashly spending their hard earned cash in the nearest open shop. The plates tell of a young handsome-looking fellow who sets about making his own plates. It starts with him digging up raw clay, sieving, firing, designing, illustrating accompanied with the sweetest human-element of a love story showing itself here and there with images of the young couple collecting wood, dancing around the fire with friends, to the final shot of the young lady with a heart on her t-shirt. There’s something of Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman about the drawings, a sweet innocence and charm comes through in style of line and the simplicity of colour choice and application. They truly are beautiful and available to buy. Hurray! Currently only numbers 5 and 7 (please count left to right from the top- I forgot to number them) are on sale with the rest of the series going into production shortly.