16 Questions About Art & Food with:
Your Name: Esther Coombs
Your Company Name: Esther Coombs
The Date: 09 – Aug – 2010
Where are you while you fill this out?
In the car driving (my other half diving not me!!) to Canterbury in Kent from our Home in Hampshire to see family for lunch and show them some of our wedding photos as we got hitched in June…
1. Who, or what, has had the greatest influence on your work?
Its a what, well its a couple of what’s actually…
Drawing; is at the centre of all my practice, i don’t know where id be without it and also sustainable design and within that up-cycling as this element of my work has gone from being a useful by product of what i make at the beginning to being core to what i do, and why i do it.
Influence in terms of how i work has to be my other half, Drew, wanting to make him proud, work hard to help support our new life together and to hopefully one day pay him back for all the kind support he has given me in getting my business started…
And without wanting to sound to soppy my parents the two hardest working people i know!
2. What are the main tools of your craft?
Pens in several forms, top glaze pens, ink pens, marker pens, you name it, and raw materials wise other peoples waste or junk to up cycle into new and interesting products to get loved again!
3. What is your earliest food related memory?
Wow thats a tricky one, and typically english i think its having marmite on bread and butter at play group when i was little, when we started nursary, my brother and i, we went to the play group my Grandma ran, and we always loved having her close, and when it came to snack time she was a firm believer that all the children would benefit from milk and marmite on bread and butter, and we did!! Lots of B vitamins! and i still love it on toast today.
4. What’s the worst thing you’ve ever eaten?
Ummm… I’ll try most anything I’m not too picky, thats a hard question actually, i think maybe a bad mousaka on holiday, it gave me food poisening and i missed most of the holiday being ill in bed! awful!!
5. Which artist, or artists, do you think more people should know about?
What after me? 
I know so many i can’t begin, i think there’s lots to discover in the networks of studios i have encountered in london, try and google cockpit arts and craft central in london, check out some of the best shows here at xmas MADE 10, Origin etc and there’s plenty of wonderful work to see… Its’ too hard to be more specific than that?
6. What’s the most essential tool in your kitchen?
Wooden spoon and a sharp knife thats kinda all you need!? Although i cant really talk my husband Drew does all the real cooking in our house i like to bake but cant cook I’m terrible, but I’ve just asked Drew whos sitting next to me and he agrees, a wooden spoon..
7. If you could collaborate with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
Oh I’m not great at the big ideas questions, awful for remembering names so that dosn’t help ! So… umm Tracey Emin, pradictable i know but her drawings really are inspiring and id love to ask her if she thinks having made very personal and emotional art whether its held her back and pigeon holed her work as ‘womens’ art, and i bet she’s fun with a pint in the local after work!
So… umm Tracey Emin, pradictable i know but her drawings really are inspiring and id love to ask her if she thinks having made very personal and emotional art whether its held her back and pigeon holed her work as ‘womens’ art, and i bet she’s fun with a pint in the local after work!8. What has been your greatest achievement to date?
Getting set up full time in business and feeling great when my work is commended or recognised by someone else, Best in show awards etc… and feeling like its all off my own back, no loans, no helping hands or sponsorship, just me and hard work!
9. What, if anything, do you consistently draw inspiration from?
The urban landscape, big buildings and huge cities, and of course the wonder in the everyday!
Although having recently moved to the country I’m starting to feel inspired there too, but i haven’t worked out quite how that will work its way into my work quite yet with out feeling too twee
10. What has been your biggest roadblock?
Cash flow i guess, getting people to pay on time and because most of what i do comes from me, I do all the drawings, all my work pretty much is hand made so its the shear amount of time it takes to make work, and making a price point that actually pays me for that time without pricing myself out of the market where customers don’t always see the value in a up-cycled product.
11. In what ways do you stretch yourself to make your work grow?
Keep drawing, try not to stop, to draw whenever i get a chance. To begin to grow my range of products while keeping true to my core must haves for the range: Drawing, Up-cycling, useful function and of course aesthetically pleasing!
12. Where do you get your materials?
All over but often charity shops, boot fairs, garage sales and other peoples attics!
13. How do you define success?
To be making enough money to support myself and my family, to be making products i believe in and to be happy with a good life work balence ! (i haven’t got there yet by the way
14. What do you cook for your loved ones?
Cakes and biscuits, i do a good batch of choc chip or oatmeal and rasin cookies.
15. What would you tell your 12 year old self?
Don’t worry about being the tall girl in class it will have its benefits, don’t believe teachers when they tell you your just not trying hard enough your dyslexic but no one knows what that is yet. Oh, most importantly that drawing thing you love to do , keep doing that its gonna come in really handy!!
16 Questions About Art & Food with Esther Coombs
.
Your Company Name: Esther Coombs
.
The Date: 09 – Aug – 2010
.
1. Where are you while you fill this out?
In the car driving (my other half diving not me!!) to Canterbury in Kent from our Home in Hampshire to see family for lunch and show them some of our wedding photos as we got hitched in June…
.
2. Who, or what, has had the greatest influence on your work?
It’s a what, well its a couple of whats actually…
Drawing; is at the centre of all my practice, I don’t know where I’d be without it and also sustainable design and within that up-cycling as this element of my work has gone from being a useful by-product of what I make at the beginning to being core to what i do, and why i do it.
.
Influence in terms of how i work has to be my other half, Drew, wanting to make him proud, work hard to help support our new life together and to hopefully one day pay him back for all the kind support he has given me in getting my business started…
.
And without wanting to sound to soppy, my parents the two hardest working people i know!
.
3. What are the main tools of your craft?
Pens in several forms, top glaze pens, ink pens, marker pens, you name it. Raw materials wise, other peoples waste or junk to up- cycle into new and interesting products to get loved again!
.
4. What is your earliest food related memory?
Wow, thats a tricky one, and typically english I think it’s having marmite on bread and butter at play group when I was little, when we started nursary, my brother and I, we went to the play group my Grandma ran, and we always loved having her close, and when it came to snack time she was a firm believer that all the children would benefit from milk and marmite on bread and butter, and we did!! Lots of B vitamins! And I still love it on toast today.
.
5. What’s the worst thing you’ve ever eaten?
Ummm… I’ll try most anything, I’m not too picky, thats a hard question actually, I think maybe a bad mousaka on holiday, it gave me food poisening and I missed most of the holiday being ill in bed! Awful!!
.
6. Which artist, or artists, do you think more people should know about?
What after me?
I know so many I can’t begin, I think there’s lots to discover in the networks of studios i have encountered in london: cockpit arts and craft central in london, check out some of the best shows here at xmas MADE 10, Origin etc and there’s plenty of wonderful work to see… Its’ too hard to be more specific than that!
.
7. What’s the most essential tool in your kitchen?
Wooden spoon and a sharp knife that’s kinda all you need!? Although i cant really talk, my husband Drew does all the real cooking in our house. I like to bake but cant cook I’m terrible, but I’ve just asked Drew whos sitting next to me and he agrees, a wooden spoon…
.
8. If you could collaborate with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
Oh I’m not great at the big ideas questions, awful for remembering names so that dosn’t help ! So… umm Tracey Emin, predictable, i know, but her drawings really are inspiring. I’d love to ask her if she thinks having made very personal and emotional art whether its held her back and pigeon-holed her work as ‘womens’ art, and I bet she’s fun with a pint in the local after work!
So… umm Tracey Emin, predictable, i know, but her drawings really are inspiring. I’d love to ask her if she thinks having made very personal and emotional art whether its held her back and pigeon-holed her work as ‘womens’ art, and I bet she’s fun with a pint in the local after work!.
9. What has been your greatest achievement to date?
Getting set up full time in business and feeling great when my work is commended or recognised by someone else. Best in show awards etc… and feeling like its all off my own back, no loans, no helping hands or sponsorship, just me and hard work!
.
10. What, if anything, do you consistently draw inspiration from?
The urban landscape, big buildings and huge cities, and of course the wonder in the everyday!
Although having recently moved to the country I’m starting to feel inspired there too, but i haven’t worked out quite how that will work its way into my work quite yet with out feeling too twee
.
11. What has been your biggest roadblock?
Cash flow I guess, getting people to pay on time. Because most of what i do comes from me, I do all the drawings, all my work pretty much is hand made, so its the shear amount of time it takes to make work. Making a price point that actually pays me for that time without pricing myself out of the market where customers don’t always see the value in a up-cycled product.
.
12. In what ways do you stretch yourself to make your work grow?
Keep drawing, try not to stop, to draw whenever i get a chance. To begin to grow my range of products while keeping true to my core must haves for the range: Drawing, Up-cycling, useful function and of course aesthetically pleasing!
.
13. Where do you get your materials?
All over but often charity shops, boot fairs, garage sales and other peoples attics!
.
14. How do you define success?
To be making enough money to support myself and my family, to be making products i believe in and to be happy with a good life- work balence ! I haven’t got there yet by the way .
..
15. What do you cook for your loved ones?
Cakes and biscuits, I do a good batch of choc chip or oatmeal and rasin cookies.
.
16. What would you tell your 12 year old self?
Don’t worry about being the tall girl in class, it will have its benefits. Don’t believe teachers when they tell you you’re just not trying hard enough, you’re dyslexic but no one knows what that is yet. Oh, most importantly that drawing thing you love to do , keep doing that its gonna come in really handy!!
I strictly recommend not to hold off until you earn big sum of money to buy different goods! You should take the loan or auto loan and feel fine