Get a fair deal at craft fairs and galleries this Christmas

THE thought of weekend Christmas shopping and the prospect of a rain-sodden experience worsened by the inevitable struggle with an inside-out umbrella, makes me want to take to the sofa with the remote control and a pot of tea — and stay there.

Much as I love beautiful products, I have not inherited the shopping gene, so my relationship with the Christmas retail experience tends to be a strictly organised affair — a list of recipients, an idea of what I want to buy, and where I’m likely to find them, and then I plot my route around town.

The exception, however, is traipsing around an art gallery or craft fair, drifting amongst the stands and chatting with the makers in the all-important warm and dry environment, accompanied by the lure of in-house coffee shops to refuel and sit to review my shopping list.

For the most part, the work of artists and craft-makers does not appear on the high street, so these fairs and exhibitions offer something out of the ordinary.

“Sixty percent of craft makers are rural-based,” says Patrick O’Sullivan, “So it’s a chance to see and buy one-off products or something from a small line.”

Sullivan is the organiser of City Hall Crafts & Design Fair, a staple of the Cork Christmas retail experience for 22 years.

He makes the point that with craft work you can get something for as little as €10 and there’s added value in meeting the maker.

“You’re buying a back story too of how it came to be made,” says Patrick. “A turned wooden bowl will have come from a particular tree, in a particular field and other things may have also been made with the wood.”

Art is another option and it doesn’t have to cost thousands or even hundreds. Affordable art is available at smaller local galleries which represent emerging artists, and many offer schemes where you can pay off the sum involved over a period —should something pricey appeal. Art could, in time, prove to be a financial investment too and a gift that keeps on giving.

Signing up to gallery mailing lists is the best way to keep abreast of offers as does being on social media. Sheelah Moloney, director of 2020 Gallery operates the 12 Days of Christmas discount scheme on 12 random days in the run up to Christmas Eve.

“It’s nice to buy something Irish and at a discount during a time when money flows out of your wallet,” she says. “Our mailing list members are notified of offers first, then our followers on Twitter and Facebook.”

The Lavit Gallery’s annual art and craft exhibition in Cork features established and up-and-coming artists and craft makers selling from now until the New Year. The offering includes everything from a sculpted head by Shelly Pots to the eclectic tea pots of Adrian Wistreich, and seasonal bells by Kira O’Brien.

As a starting point, consider the taste of the gift recipient, as the abstract art that you love might not work for your friend who may prefer pastoral scenes.

The same applies to crafted items — a beautifully hand stitched tablecloth is not really ideal for a recipient with sticky-fingered kiddies and no time to hand wash and iron such a beautiful thing.

Think taste and lifestyle before choosing.

* Next week it’s Christmas decorating trends.