Our History

We are a small group of parents who came together after many years of working in various creative and childcare industries to explore how we could work while spending meaningful time with our then-young children. This marked the beginning of A Fine Mess UK. We started off by offering weekly messy play workshops in North London, and over the next six years, our small group of like-minded people grew, and our sessions extended to include Messy Play in the Park during the summer and Messy Parties on weekends.

Then the pandemic struck, bringing everything to a halt. We made it through the lockout by doing other jobs and selling messy craft kits and art supplies online.

We all found ourselves with time to spare (even with the kids and tabletop learning!) and turned to creative play to boost our moods.

Many projects began with upcycling and repurposing house furnishings and decorative items, which led to the creation of one-of-a-kind artwork. Overall, we rediscovered who we were as artists before life got in the way.

When we reunited in person, we decided to resume messy parties but not messy play sessions, as many had returned to regular employment throughout the week. In 2023, one team member suggested selling our creations at a local art show. Despite our hesitation (none of us are 'artists' in the traditional sense), we all agreed to participate and in 2022-3 we collectively ran stalls in different locations across the south east throughout the summer. They were both challenging and enjoyable. 

Alongside hosting our bespoke messy parties across the London and the Southeast of England and continue to attend a few arts and craft fairs we are delighted to announce our new online art gallery showcasing our work and giving you the opportunity to purchase directly.

How we will work.

The gallery will feature each artist's current works; the subject matter and quantity are totally up to the artist.

Each month, the gallery, social media, and email will be managed by one of the artists. They will post on social media, update the website, answer any emails*, and share any fairs or events we will be attending.

*Maria, our messy maker, coordinates the messy parties. For a speedy reply please put 'Messy Party' in your enquiry header email.

 

Messy Play