Collaborations in North Wales

When we moved from Turkey back to the UK, we just couldn't imagine living anywhere without mountains & sea views. North Wales had always been a place we visited when we were seeking respite from the hustle & bustle of city life. So, making the decision to make our new home in the small seaside town of Porthmadog in North Wales was easy. Not quite the same climate as Turkey, but you know what, the mountains & sea views are equally breathtaking.  

Living in North Wales we are discovering new working relationships & opportunities.  North Wales is so rich with creative people & it's been great drawing on their support and encouragement as we develop Pazaar.

 

  

Firain

Jo McCarthy & Firain 

Firain has had two lives. It was a beautiful online shop, selling the work of ethical, independent makers. The products evoked the meaning of the ancient Welsh word Firain: good, noble, fair, and fine.

Then, in late 2019, Jo shifted her focus to behind the scenes of small businesses. Firain now has a new life as a platform for creative business owners - or those who would like to be. Through her blog, monthly newsletter, coaching packages, and social media audits, she shares her knowledge and draws on the vast experience of other small business owners.

Jo created a bespoke package of support for Pazaar when we were feeling a little stuck and in need of some creative and practical direction. A day together around our kitchen table, lots of coffee & cake and some indulgent time to review and reflect on Pazaar so far. Jo has always been so encouraging & nurturing, as well as brutally honest about what we needed to be doing differently.  I don't think this new website would be here without Jo's encouragement & support along the way. 

Do take a look here to find out all about Firain  

 

Callie Jones

Callie is an artist and printmaker based in North Wales.  She produces lino cut prints and pen & ink drawings inspired by the landscapes that surround her studio near Caernarfon.

We have to confess we are massive fans of Callie's illustrations; our home in Porthmadog is also home to a beautiful selection of 'Callie prints'. So, we were over the moon when she agreed to create our Pazaar illustration for the website. What we love about the way Callie works is the time she invests in her relationships with the people commissioning her artwork and the research & attention to detail in  her illustrations. The relationships and understanding of what she is illustrating are as important to her as the finished print.  

Callie Jones

We love our Pazaar illustration & it now sits beautifully in our home alongside our other 'Callie prints'. She has captured the essence of our  Pazaar Turkish market. 

Callie works as an illustrator and print maker locally and for clients all over the UK ...take a peek at some of her beautiful illustrations here 

 

Product photographer

Gwynn Jones  

With over 25 years of experience in photography, Gwynn produces the most beautiful photos.  His specialisms are architecture, lifestyle, product, corporate & wedding photos.  The attention to detail in all his photography is simply beautiful.

Photography for the Pazaar website has always been done by ourselves and whilst we both like to think we are competent  photographers, we soon realised there is a real art to photographing products.
A local to Porthmadog, and someone whose photography we have always admired, we were so excited when Gwynn agreed to photograph our collection of products for the new website. Photographing textiles is particularly difficult and Gwynn quickly grasped what we wanted to achieve through our photographs; the styling, the lighting, ensuring colours were true to the products and the detailed editing needed for each photo.  

 

And those tassels...I think if Gwynn had realised the hours of work  involved in carefully editing each peshtemal and cutting around the hundreds of tassels...maybe he wouldn't have answered the phone when I called to commission him!

It was an intense week of hard work together, but Gwynn's creativity & energy injected fun into the whole process. We will always have such fond memories of  our adventures in the mountains of Snowdonia photographing our throws & blankets and racing against the rising tides at Harlech to complete a beach photo shoot.  We were just seconds away from soggy peshtemals! 

It's been such a privilege to work with Gwynn and to have such a beautiful selection of photos to work with as we built our new website.  

Gwynn also has a wedding photography business.... he's a natural with people as well as products, well worth a peek here

To find out more about Gwynn & his photography, take a look here  or drop him an email at gwynn@me.com

              Just please don't mention anything about tassels!