Neate Crafts
Cumbria is full of talented people and it’s inspiring to see people take these talents and turn them into their own business. I had the opportunity to ask Susan Neate of Neate Crafts some questions on her journey to starting her own business of making handcrafted and personalised gifts.
Susan is originally from Lancashire but feels more Cumbrian than ever, having lived here for many years. Growing up she trained as a fine artist in Cheltenham which lead her onto working as a designer at Bramall Hall in Cheshire, an Elizabethan Manor House. After moving to Cumbria, she worked in our very own Muncaster Castle as an artist-in-residence for a few years. It was then when she moved to Seascale that she took that jump and decided to set up her own online business, Neate Crafts.
Susan works in many mediums including pencil, pastel, watercolour, acrylic, silk and glass painting (Writer’s note: as a non-artist myself I can’t comprehend being able to work in even one medium!). As for subjects, Susan loves them all! She especially loves flora and fauna, buildings, landscapes, seascapes, people, pets, the list goes on. It’s probably the right idea for Susan to have moved to Cumbria, there’s nowhere better for these subjects.
If you thought the creating original artwork (including commissions) was already impressive, Susan also produces prints, designs and crafts, including jewellery, pyrograpghy, knitting, scrumbling, verre eglomise, interior accessories and more. Basically, if you need artwork, designs or any kind of crafted good, Susan can probably do it.
With such a diverse range of skills comes a diverse range of awards. In the Luxlife Perfect Gift Awards (Luxlife is a high-end online magazine which is subscribed to worldwide) Susan has been awarded the following:
'Best Artisan Personalised Gifts 2023'
'Woman owned Handmade Jewellery & Gift Company of the Year 2024 North West England'
'Susan Neate Neate Crafts, Most Creative Handmade Designer 2024 North West'
Susan welcomes order from individuals, trade and shops and her shop can be found at www.neatecrafts.co.uk. Please take a look! She is always designing and creating new and interesting high quality products. Due to the range of Susan’s skills, if there is anything that you would like but cannot find it on the website you can contact Susan directly as there is quite a high likelihood that she can make it.
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