My year at a glance: a round up of 2022

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

2022, what a year you’ve been! A huge highlight for me was that I got to donate £330 to my charity partners through sales of my charity prints - thank you so so much to everyone who supported those causes.

​In some ways this year has flown by, but as I look back over what I’ve achieved and the work I’ve undertaken, I can’t believe I fitted in so much!
Here’s what I got up to…

My first trade show: Top Drawer

I kick-started the year by leaping right out of my comfort zone and taking part in my very first trade show, Top Drawer in London. I was delighted to be featured in their Top Drawer Craft Edit, and although absolutely exhausting, being at the show was so worthwhile, as I got to meet so many of you and forged a few great commission and wholesale partnerships with brands and businesses who stopped by my stall. Looking forward to doing it all again in 2023!

Half Marathon Print Collaboration​

March saw me partnering with Run4Wales to create a commemorative drawing that made great gifts for anyone who loved running the half marathon. My special edition print was later updated for the October race, as Whizzair replaced Cardiff University as the official sponsor. The print features the iconic Cardiff landmarks found along the route, including Cardiff Castle, the Principality Stadium, the Norwegian Church, Cardiff Bay, Roath Park Lake, Cardiff University and Cardiff City Hall and I also offered a new personalisation service with the name, date and race time of the participant.

Cardiff Life Awards: Winner in Arts category

April was pretty massive for me - I won a Cardiff Life Award! The judges praised my bereavement boxes, saying:

 “Katherine Jones provided 19 hugely special memory boxes which aided many to overcome grief of a loved one, whilst engaging over 25000 with online works. Powerful, everlasting creativity.”

I was so shocked, as I was up against some amazing giants such as Art & Soul of Cardiff, Blackwater Gallery, Broken Hare, Hijinx Theatre, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Rubicon Dance and Welsh National Opera.
​
Cardiff Life Magazine followed this up by writing a double-paged feature on me in their June edition.

RIBA Drawing Competition: joint second winner

I was over the moon in June, when I was chosen as The Royal Institute of British Architects’ joint second winner in their annual drawing competition. Andy Turk, CEO of Siderise Group, described my work as “fascinating” and Niall Hobhouse, trustee of Drawing Matter, was apparently “beguiled” by my drawings. Such lovely feedback!

Tower Bridge Commission: gargoyles and tiny windows

The team at Tower Bridge asked me to create a set of new drawings including a large scale drawing of the bridge and a set of smaller postcard sized drawings, which zoomed in on some of the often overlooked intricate architectural details.
Prints are now available from my website and from the Tower Bridge shop!

Forever Flowers: City Hospice Commission

I worked with my partner Sion Llwyd and City Hospice, Cardiff to design the display of metal sunflowers for the hospice’s unique Forever Flowers event in Cardiff Castle. Tasked with designing an eye-catching layout for the flowers to be displayed in the grounds of the castle, we wanted our design to be joyful and memorable.

Costa Rica: 5 weeks in the rainforest

I had the most amazing time in the summer when Sion and I went to Costa Rica. Holidaying for 2 weeks we went whale-watching, wild swimming, took lots of boat trips and saw absolutely incredible wildlife. 
For the last 3 weeks of the trip, I volunteered with Osa Conservation, a wonderful conservation charity, and helped them to take care of the local sea turtles. I was also honoured to be asked to create a mural to go on the exterior walls of their classroom building - so lovely to have left a piece of myself there and lovely to link the project to my art!

Entrepreneur of the Year: Highly Commended at the Cardiff Business Awards

As if all of the above wasn’t exciting enough, in November I was thrilled to be highly commended for Entrepreneur of the Year at the Cardiff Business Awards!​

I’m definitely looking forward to some relaxation time over the holidays, but I’ve got lots planned for 2023 that I also can’t wait to get started on!
​Thank you so much for being here, and for your continued support.
Aaand, if you’d like to be the first to know about what’s coming up, sign up for my emails. As well as news and behind the scenes info, you’ll also be the first to be told about upcoming sales and discounts!
Sign up here!