Hannah Ayre

Colourful paper origami star, scissors and string.

Hands making a colourful paper origami star.

Hands with colourful finger nails adding glue to a paper origami shape.

Hands with colourful nail varnish folding an orange origami shape.

A reminder to take down those xmas decs! I led a workshop for @historicscotland.bsky.social at my local maritime museum, engaging visitors in chats about sailors using the stars to navigate. If you’re coming to the end of a festive break, how are you feeling about tackling January? 💪 or 🫣?

Thanks for sharing @spokes.org.uk! I thought your followers might be interested. Big thanks to @thebikestation.bsky.social, Pedal Forth, Leith Cycles and Eastside Bikes, for donating all the wheels for to to transform!

Space to fail

4 photos from artist residencies. One is a wee purple building, by the water, in Scalloway, Shetland. There’s a castle in the background. I spent 6 weeks living and working there. Another photo is of my sat on the deck at Cove Park in Argyle and Bute. Gorgeous, timber clad building to the right. Hills to the left. I’m making a sculpture from rolled up tubes of newspaper. 2 other photos are of 2D artworks. They are made from weaving waste materials into scraps of old fishing nets.

7 photos of a group residency at 101 Outdoor Arts. Photos feature lots of artists making, and discussing their work. Several of the photos feature scrap bike wheels, which I’ve been working with.

6 photos featuring my design and prototyping process. Designs are of a geometric lion. iPad designs. A rough design made with string and nails hammered into a scrap old palette. Designs of the lion lit with UV light. A photo of string and tape being tested at my allotment, for its resistance to rain.

Prepping for a talk at Uni of St Andrews, featuring learning from failure. As a freelancer, I don’t want to let clients down with failure, so I try to do my failing (and learning!) in safe spaces.
Residencies, prototyping in my studio, weather tests at my allotment. Where do you get chance to fail?

Ah yes, the allotment guilt is real 😂

It’s on my traffic-free cycle route, to my allotment ❤️ (ps I always give way to pedestrians at this narrow bit 🚲🚶‍♀️‍➡️)

5 creative educators having a conversation in front of a piece of Andy Goldworthy’s work, made from sticks.

9 images of artwork made during the workshop. Experimentation with mud, stone, pine cones, elderberries and twigs.

A jar containing ink made from elderberries.

A photo I took of an art installation we made from twigs, balancing against a wall. Photo also includes my yellow boots and a rusty orange apron.

Brilliant event for creative educators at @nationalgalleries.bsky.social, taking inspiration from the incredible #AndyGoldsworthy show. I particularly love how his work responds to the building 👌A wonderful opportunity to think, play, natter and network❤️.

Yucky brown colour, as chosen by Pantone.

Fluorescent highlighter pens

Fluorescent tapes

Fluorescent string

#ColourOfTheYear2025 💩 Not in my studio! I set my own trends🩷🧡💛💚💜
Cooking up something colourful! 🌈

Go show Art Walk Porty some love!

😂🤣

I’m working on a large scale commission. I’ve got another 79 to make, if you wanna help! 😉🤣

Absolutely! Though another artist will need need to take that on. Not enough colour me me 😂⚫️🚲

Reform’s Clean Energy Crackdown Would Cost 60,000 Jobs and Raise Bills, Says Study Reform UK’s policies to “scrap net zero” would cost more than 60,000 jobs and wipe £92 billion off the UK economy, according to a new study. Nigel Farage’s party — which took control of 10 councils in...

Reform’s clean energy crackdown would cost 60,000 jobs, wipe £92 billion off the economy, and raise bills, says study

Thanks Tracy! I actually found one of my many scrap wheels, on the street across from your place 😂

Working on an exciting new commission, working with scrap bike wheels. As a cyclist, it’s such a treat to give this material a new lease of life. Enormous thanks to Knipex for their cutters ✂️ & my local bike shops especially @thebikestation.bsky.social for lending me their volunteers.

How about more trees and plants. Seating along the Shore. A walking & cycling path along the whole stretch of the Shore (ditch some of those parking spaces, so that people can enjoy the waterfront).

It’s not right is it. A friend gave me an old projector recently, but sadly the bulb had gone. I couldn’t believe the cost of a new bulb!

Spending time in my studio, developing some prototypes for workshops 🌀🌟🌈. Thanks to @creativescots for the #VACMA funding, to support some valuable R&D.

How about dressing up? 🤣

Morph, the orange plasticine character, stood in front of a book about 3D animation. He is surrounded by art materials, such as glue and string.

Lots of designs of Shaun the Sheep, wearing a variety of jumpers, designed by children.

Visitor feedback, on post it notes. “I really liked dressing up and I like sheep” Rosie aged 3 1/2

A visitor working with the Aardman animator app. They have made a plasticine dog. They have positioned it in front of a farmyard scene and are photographing it with their phone.

Brilliant few days facilitating animation & knitwear design workshops with Aardman. Great to combine my skills from my ceramics degree🏺, with my love of knitting🧶! Fab to see families working creatively together, as a team, to make their animations. Want a go? Download the free Aardman Animator app!

I’ve been officially recognised as a light artist!💡I’ve been working in this growing field for the past 10 years. Chuffed to bits, to be featured in a new book by Light Collective. Includes a collaboration with Amanda Yates + incredible volunteers & an installation we created with 300 school kids🌟🌈.

Oooh tricky! The hens are the layers 🥚🥚🥚😆

Snapshot of my studio 🪡🚲🌟🌈

A sign outside the Wardlaw museum in St Andrews. Posters for the “Say No!” exhibition. A sandstone museum building in the background. The sun is shining and the early spring sky is blue.

Artist Hannah, having a cup of tea, in her turquoise reusable cup, before the talk. The sun is shining. She is stood by sand dunes, covered with grasses. She wears a green coat, sunglasses, colourful nail varnish and jewellery. She has a big smile on her face.

A small banner, made from waste textiles. It has a green and white polka dot design, with large pink roses. Text on the banner reads “What’s Her Story” (a play on the word history).

3 women speakers stand in front of a display of artwork. The work is yellow dusters which have been embroidered with feminist stories, comments and slogans. The text on then is out of shot.

For #IWD, I was invited to St Andrews Uni to take part in a panel discussion about #Craftivism (craft + activism 🪡🧵💪), as part of the Say No! exhibition.
I spoke about projects which have inspired me + my own mini banner workshops, which I’ve been delivering for several years now. Great chat ladies!

What a lovely idea! 🫶

Fab. Is it always at Sabzi or do you move around?

I can’t make it this time, but would love to join you another time!

Ahead of #InternationalWomensDay I’m about to send my colourful, quarterly newsletter 🌈. If you’d like to see what me and other talented artists and participants have been up to, get signed up! Maybe you’ll get some inspiration for your next project.

lnkd.in/evHkVdZP

Delivered a #craftivism workshop, as part of the amazing programme of events, surrounding the “Say No!” 🚫 exhibition, at @uniofstandrews.bsky.social Participants were a brilliant blend of amazing women, spanning the generations. All with plenty of stuff to be angry about & fuel their creativity! 🔥🎨💪

Amazing news! (This Leither couldn’t be bothered to cycle up Leith Walk for 8.30 😆…but I did write to my councillors, with stories about how positive the LTN is for my street) 🥳

Oooh! I’m looking forward to hearing more about this. I’d love to add sound to my bike wheel light sculptures 🌟🌈🎶🌀