CARLA HANTON

I currently work part time from my home in Romford England making and selling various kinds of artworks ranging many styles, including digital projects, kitchy crafts and traditional charcoal drawings. I haven't yet settled in to a style and am currently enjoying the variety of working in a range of mediums and styles for various clients.

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MY JOURNEY

My Journey

MY JOURNEY

I have always loved being creative

and had various creative interests.

From a very young age I was (and

still am) usually working on some

kind of project or attempting a new art style or medium - often with mixed results.

I've tried my hand at most easily accessible mediums - including air dry clay, pencil sketching, weaving, macrame, knitting and sewing, mosaic, collage, the arrangement or observation of 'found objects', interior design, jewellery making and digital art and photography. I'm always looking for opportunities to try new things and whilst I now predominantly work in traditional mediums like watercolour and charcoal my results are sometimes far from traditional.

I'm relatively confident in several styles of drawing and painting which I feel I am developing well but like most artists I'm constantly working to become more self assured in my ability to create beautiful or meaningful things, I recognise a lot of room for improvement and am very eager for opportunities to sharpen my skills.

EMPLOYMENT

I've been lucky enough to have been working part time on my art since early 2019. I now take on various creative projects on a freelance / commission basis of many types of artwork, from individual hand made greetings cards for one off clients to literary illustrations for authors.

I am always looking for new challenges and commissions and have a particular interest in any, more stable, long term opportunities. Until then I am thrilled to work with my current clients, have the chance to explore a vast amount of creative avenues and advance my creative skills by committing myself to the opportunity I currently have.

I hope you will join me in my journey to become a skilled artist by exploring my work, offering feedback and considering whether you can utilise my skills either as an individual or an organisation.

MY STYLE

I currently display, advertise and sell my art across several sites including many of the social sites linked later on this page.

My work spans a huge variety of styles and to suggest it is eclectic would be a huge understatement, day to day I bounce between light hearted illustrations intended to appeal to kids (and big kids) to darker emotional or more conceptual pieces.

Because of the vast division in my work I operate under the names 'Petite Mort' for my more adult works and 'Petitart' for my more fun filled projects -of course I have many pieces that happily explore both aspects, these are often cross posted across both 'brands' so keep an eye out. If you're interested in a particular style, artist or concept please get in touch!

Read on to find out more about my artistic styles and see some examples of both kinds of work.

Skills

PETITEMORT

Fascinated by psychology, sexuality, love and death 'La Petite Mort' seemed a suitable phrase to frame some of my darker works which explore these themes.

I use the PetiteMort 'brand' to share some of my more abstract styles alongside some more refined portraiture and classic works. I'm fascinated the the study of facial expressions, peoples perceptions of themselves and thoughts about how they want to be perceived and their relationship to others.

I also occasionally use this platform to share typically expressive or humorous quick studies and doodles which are often unrefined chaotic works without direction.

PETITART

Petitart - a name chosen to parallel to the name of my much more grown up art site 'Petitemort' I wanted to play upon the French 'Petite' meaning 'small' which within the context of Petitart is more playfully referring to youth and the inner child - both persistent inspirations for the kind of artwork shared under the 'Petitart' umberella. I use this platform to share more family friendly art - exploring lighter themes, more humorous designs, portraits of families and animals and illustrations intended for children and young adults.

ARTISTIC SKILLS AND INTERESTS

Portraiture
Digital Illustration
Animal studies
Dot and Stipple work
Abstract portraits
Watercolours
Mixed media works
Collage
Alcohol marker works

Card making
Scrap booking
Block stamping
Decoupage

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MY WORK

RETAIL

Warehouse Management
Stock Management
Goods Ordering
Visual Merchandising
Window Dressing
Profit Protection
Customer Service
Stock Taking
Loss Prevention
Delivery Handling
Stock Distribution

COURSES I HAVE COMPLETED

QCF L2 Customer Service
NVQ L2 Retail Management
Age Restriction Sale refusal and the law
Manual Handling and workplace safety
Gift Aid Systems and software
Rug Doctor hire and maintenance
MyKey usage and maintenance
Date rotation and food handling
Seaward and Clare PAT testing
WEEE storage, sales and safety
Leagionella prevention
Asbestos Monitoring
First Aid
Fire warden training
Basic maintenance and repair of petrol and electrical equipment
Windsor and Newton - products, useage and history

COMMUNICATION

Active Listening
Internal Coms
Debriefs
Phone Manner
Public Speaking
Presentations

H & S

COSH practices
Manual Handling
Fire Safety
First Aid
Risk Assessments

MANAGEMENT

People Management
Behavioural Management
Complaints Handling
Problem Solving
Events Planning
Time Management

Appraisals
Delegation
Recruitment
HR Practices
Repping
SWOT reports

GALLERY

Work History

MY WORK HISTORY IN BRIEF

CURRENT: Freelance artist working on private
commissions,
book illustrations and personal projects
Branch Manager HSS Hire (2018)
Department Supervisor The Range (08/2017-12/2017)
Customer Service Adviser The Range (05/2017-08/2017)
Admin Clerk The Range (03/2017-05/2017)
Digital Buddy The Job Centre (02/2017 – 03/2017)
Storeman Eriks Ford Engine Plant (06/2016 – 12/2016)
Kitchen Assistant Souper Juice (04/2016- 06/2016)
Supervisor Toolstation (08/2013 – 04/2016)
Key holder CSR Toolstation (2013)
Customer Service Representative Toolstation (2012-2013)
Christmas Customer Adviser Argos (2012-2013)
Voluntary Assistant Save the Children (2010-1011)
Voluntary Assistant at the Children’s Trust Tadworth (2010)
L2 NVQ Retail Services Derby College (2010)
L2 QCF Customer Services Derby College (2010)
Hillview School Tonbridge Kent
Woodlands Primary School

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MY WORK AS AN ARTIST

I'm currently working part time from my home in Essex, England on various artistic projects ranging from book illustration for young adult and children's literature, traditional works for clients on a commission basis and various personal ventures. I'm available for hire by individuals and organisations for projects ranging from the very small such as individual gifts, portraits or greetings cards to larger projects like personalised books, memorial pieces and wall art. Contact me or view some of my work here. My work can also be viewed and purchased through many of the various 'social links' at the bottom of this page.

BEING A BRANCH MANAGER AT HSS

I was very honoured to be offered this position directly after my initial interview and whilst I was only with the company for a short time I gained a wealth of experience. My role included running all daily operations within the Tonbridge branch, selling consumables and hiring out equipment from lawnmowers to cherry pickers and cranes to sites across the country.
I managed a small team and my position included coordinating maintenance, health and safety compliance, monitoring fraud and generating income by building client relationships and tracking KPIs amongst many other things.

During my employment I was fully trained in how to PAT test, received electrical maintenance and equipment servicing training (on both electrical and petrol equipment) and became accomplished in account handling - including credit, debt and remittance management.
I developed an in-depth understanding of the company logistics and software model, completed management training in the company’s Eastbourne branch of excellence, attended personal development and work experience at the regions busiest branch in Aylesford and attended numerous client meetings to successfully secure new contracts for my branch.
I was very sad to leave this position after a significant change in personal circumstance but am really enjoying working freelance at present.

CUSTOMER SERVICES AT THE RANGE

Whilst working in the offices a position opened at the customer service desk and I was invited to take the role due to my background in customer services.

During my time on the desk I worked with my team to provide exemplary customer service and handle all customer queries and concerns including working with customers to place orders from the main DC's and all refunds and returns – alongside this I had involvement in the management and allocation of till staff, queue and customer management across the department, store security, stock replenishment, date rotation, operation of the MyKey key cutting machine, placing external orders, the rental of Rug Doctor machinery and the responsibility of liaising with all outside contractors, charities and Reps who visited the store.

During my time in this position I was also given many opportunities to aid in store promotion and act as a representative of the Range and to work alongside the supervisors to help with merchandising and displays; including POS promotion, merchandising stands and the implementation of FSDUs. I had the experience of working both to strict POGs and visual merchandising schematics and with a more creative, flexible approach when dressing windows or designing furniture layouts and overhead displays across the store.

WHEN I WAS AN ADMIN CLERK AT THE RANGE

I was offered this job on recommendation from The Job Centre and during my time in this role I became further accomplished in cash reconciliation and banking via the use of PCMS BeanStore.

My main duties induced corresponding with different areas of the company regarding store events and issues, preparing information and updates for the departments via email and bulletin systems and placing customer orders to our main DCs. I was also heavily involved in managing stock levels via a negatives system and investigating discrepancies - including the management of theft, stock loss and waste. Alongside this I was involved in processing GRNs and reporting on errors to DCs and suppliers and was responsible for the monitoring of trading standards compliance across the store.

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SKILLS

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BEING A DEPARTMENT SUPERVISOR AT THE RANGE

After only a few months with The Range I was appointed the role of Supervisor on the departments of Arts and Crafts and Stationary and Party. My role included responsibility for the replenishment and management of stock both on the shop floor and in the warehouse, adherence to health and safety procedures, keeping discrepancies to a minimum and supporting the admin team with any investigations. I was given independent control of how to manage my staff including their personal development, performance reviews and the execution of disciplinary action where required. I managed rotas and implemented a blueprint schedule, had regular meetings with the other team leaders across the store and weekly meetings with my team where I issued briefings and task planners.

My team and I managed all pricing, conducted moves and worked to POGs and I had the opportunity to work alongside Hallmark and other company reps to implement new lines and manage stock.

My duties also included management of discontinued stock, responsibility for markdowns, product recalls and active offers, handing monthly promotions and in store craft events hosted by DoCraft and leading customer care on the department.

During my time in this position I also successfully conceived, planned, promoted and hosted two promotional events in store – a children's craft event during the school summer holidays and a Halloween competition and face painting day.

I retained many of the Customer service duties with additional responsibilities and provided support across the store on many occasions including supporting set up on the seasonal department and playing an active role in visual merchandising for the Christmas period.

Whilst in this role I received No ID No Sale training, became an appointed ‘firework champion’ for the sale of BrightStar Fireworks including training on how to receive, handle store and sell fireworks safely and conducted the Windsor and Newton training programme.

BEING A DIGITAL ASSISTANT AT THE JOB CENTRE

I was offered this role shortly after visiting The Job Centre as part of my job search and formed an excellent relationship with the advisers there. I initially started with helping to process paperwork and create clear and eye catching displays of job adverts and other community information. I also worked as a ‘digital buddy’ - assisting visitors with using the computers and navigating the gov.uk website but became heavily involved with helping clients develop their CVs and apply for suitable jobs. I particularly enjoyed this experience and had the opportunity to work closely with many people from different backgrounds and with different levels of ability.

IN THE KITCHEN

I joined the team at Souper juice with the intention to start fresh and learn new skills - the cafe was run by my friend and was an opportunity to face new challenges with a high potential for promotion or greater involvement with the business if I enjoyed it.

I obtained a wonderful insight in to the hospitality industry, learned more about health and hygiene standards across the sector and took the opportunity to learn more about how a small business can be developed and managed.

I can also make a really good lemon drizzle cake now.

WORK AT THE ENGINE PLANT

I had the amazing opportunity to work at Ford Engine Plant on three shift pattern working with a team of between 2 and 10 people to handle the 24 hour receipt of goods from across the world and their distribution over 44 acres to around 4,000 staff.
My job involved the use of large robotic mechanised storage and retrieval machines (SRMs) to process requisitions for items from across the plant, coordinating and preparing for stock distribution, counting stock and working with stores analysts to identify issues.
I frequently lone worked the area for item collection, ensuring the correct goods were allocated to the necessary people as they arrived in our department and this gave me the opportunity to form good relationships with many different areas and departments and often personally consult with members of the plant to fulfil specific needs or requests and deal with any issues.
Unfortunately the company were unable to extend my contract.

THE ROLES I HAD AT TOOLSTATION

08/2013 – 04/2016 Supervisor

2013 - Key holder

2012-2013: Customer service representative (CSR)

Across these three positions I spent 4 years in total working in a small warehouse open to trade and public custom - selling plumbing, electrical and building equipment, power

tools, hand tools and fittings.

My customer service standards were mentioned several times in company newsletters and I worked with new employees to develop customer service and compliance skills whilst helping to develop existing staff members with the use of regular training, appraisals and reviews.

I was responsible for handling customer complaints, liaising with other areas of the business and dealing with visitors and contractors to site. I handled catalogue changeovers and launches including preparing stock displays.

When I was appointed key holder I became heavily involved in stock management (10,000+ lines) and often managed the receipt of large deliveries of goods (SRS processing), compiling and reporting on delivery errors, running stock checking on PI cycles and investigating and reporting on stock errors and losses to our profit protection team.

I became first aid and fire warden trained, conducted frequent risk assessments and completed monthly checks on WEEE, COSH, alarm systems and asbestos monitoring alongside typical operations paperwork.

As a supervisor I conducted cash reconciliation and banking daily and often opened and ran the store for periods between 9 and 12 hours, also attending out of hours call outs.

I had an excellent relationship with our staff and customers and I was offered many opportunities to stay with the business but with no likelihood of promotion in the foreseeable future and no room for further personal growth I made the difficult decision to try something new.

Contact Me

CONTACT ME

Contact me by using the form below, alternatively you can contact me on social media by visiting any of the links at the bottom of the page or you can email me at

carla m l hanton @ gmail .com

(all lowercase, no spaces).

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SOCIAL