Howlin’ Mat
Howlin’ Mat is one of the UK’s hardest working bluesmen, known for his nomadic lifestyle and raw, authentic slide guitar playing. Over the past 17 years, he has performed thousands of gigs across the UK, Europe, and beyond – from the Arctic Circle to the Sahara Desert. A lifelong blues devotee, Mat draws inspiration from legends like Elmore James, Robert Johnson, and Muddy Waters, and has earned praise from music greats such as John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) and Mud Morganfield (son of Muddy Waters). His signature blend of gritty guitar work, storytelling, and road-worn humour make his performances truly unforgettable.
Central to Mat’s music is his deep love for the Cigar Box Guitar – a uniquely expressive instrument that first captured his imagination early in his career. Initially a player, he quickly became a builder too, crafting his own cigar box guitars to suit his sound. These handmade instruments now feature in every one of his shows, and Mat is proud to be recognised as one of the UK’s leading performers of the CBG. His passion is not only for playing them but also for sharing their history, soul, and playability with others.
In 2023, Howlin’ Mat launched The Cigar Box Social, a project aimed at bringing these remarkable instruments to a wider audience through performance, education, and hands-on workshops. With his teaching background and wealth of experience, Mat now leads engaging and accessible sessions that guide participants through building their very own cigar box guitars. Whether you’re a music enthusiast, a hands-on learner, or simply curious, Mat’s workshops offer a unique opportunity to explore the blues from the ground up – quite literally.
Heather Croft
Heather began her creative journey in enamelling and silversmithing after retiring, discovering a passion for working with vitreous enamel (ground glass) on recycled silver and copper.
Her work is driven by a deep love of colour, from vivid azure blues to rich oak greens, as well as inspiration drawn from the landscapes she explores and the people she meets along the way.
She particularly enjoys sharing her skills through workshops, where she finds great joy in seeing others discover their own creativity and bring beautiful, personal pieces to life.
Katie Davis
Katie has a BA Honours Degree in Fashion Design from Leeds Art University, after which she worked as a Military Tailor for many years before starting a family. She now teaches and specialise in fit – helping people make clothes that fit them individually. As well as this Katie run specialised workshops in all aspects of sewing and garment making.
Ness Burrows
Although from Brighton, Ness fell in love with North Yorkshire and its people, and decided to settle here. Ness was inspired by Macrame from the moment she saw it at a wood turning market in Horsham. The knotting techniques and the process and tactile nature of the cords cast their spell but Ness knew she wanted to exclusively use recycled materials.
“It was like a lightening bolt to my heart, I knew that I wanted to make beautiful things using knots. My large pieces have all been inspired by moments in my life, my childhood walking barefoot in fields of clover, reading a certain book with the images and colours put onto a wall hanging, creating on a full moon can be so powerful, the feeling I get when I am knotting is meditation, my mind shuts out the noisy traffic and I feel a sense of calm, warmth, being in the now. It is an amazing way to de-stress and breath. This is why I wanted to teach macrame to others, to pass on that inspiration, that feeling I had when I first discovered the art of knotting.”
Anna Cook
Anna is a self taught paper cutter living and working in York. She began paper cutting more than six years ago as a hobby and quickly found a real passion for the craft, obsessing over the finer detail and exploring the versatility of paper. Anna uses a variety of tools to sculpt and emboss the paper, bringing a lifelike quality to her work. She has a background in Design and Printmaking and has worked in the gallery and framing industry. Her inspiration comes from an obsession with old botanical drawings and the beauty of the natural world. Her amazing pieces feature woodland animals and birds, capturing their personalities in a natural habitat in a most remarkable way.
Hannah Turlington
Hannah is a lino artist and designer who lives in North Yorkshire. She takes inspiration from the beauty of the North Yorkshire countryside, people, places, history, and humour of Yorkshire, she creates art that is fun, playful and a vision to behold. Hannah describes her work as telling a story. All her work has a botanical element in it, as flowers evoke strong memories and have stories attached to them that are part of everyone’s lives. She collects objects that represent her story and then creates a composition, usually in flat lay, as that is the way she likes to work. She then photographs it, illustrates it before tracing and transferring it to the block to be carved.
This story telling is also mirrored in both her original lino prints and her surface pattern designs on fabric, which she uses to create beautiful skirts, lampshades and cushions.
Hannah has taught extensively and teaches a range of different printing workshops.
You do such a grand job – perfect location and set up, always welcoming, inspiring tutors and great food such a great day out thank you
Rosie Scott Massie
Rosie is originally from Masham, but settled near York with her partner and children. After studying fine art Rosie worked as a paper cutting artist for many years and taught at Papercutting at ArtisOn. After having a family Rosie made a change and started Glow Soap, specialising in handmade soap and homeware.
Rosie works with Jesmonite to make unique, colourful and functional pieces such as soap dishes, vases and planters, as well as vegan soap bars using only natural ingredients.