If you enjoy art, the you should visit the Old Dairy Studios Waveney Valley artists’ trail, September 11-18
Twelve artists will open their studios in September, in an area spanning at least eight miles of the Waveney Valley, from Wheatacre in the north and Brampton in the south, to the hub at the Old Dairy Studios in Beccles, where you will be able to see samples of work from all the artists taking part, pick up maps, and get more information about the artists taking part.
The work on show covers a wide range of media from printmaking, collage and painting to textiles and crafts. You’ll also be able to see work in progress, find out about the processes involved and buy original work. In the meantime, here’s a preview of the exhibiting artists . . .
Find out more at www.olddairystudios.co.uk/
Jean Cameron McIntosh
I grew up with an engineer for a father who taught me about angles, textures, accuracy and intersecting lines. I began my career working in a government drawing office. I progressed my creative talents by joining drawing, painting and art classes, and eventually enrolled in college.
I am currently working as a potter, part of The Old Dairy Studios with 11 other artists. My next exhibition will be at CraftCo in Southwold, October 1-30, a joint exhibition with artist Leanda Jaine. I sell in various outlets including Darsham Nurseries, Mouse in Bungay and Bunched Flowers in Leigh on Sea. One of the people I admire and who inspires me is Sir Paul Smith, who wrote a book called ’Inspiration is Everywhere’. I agree totally.
Patricia Davidson
“For the last two years I have been travelling three times a week from the coast to my studio in Beccles via an amazing bit of countryside which feels as if it hasn’t changed much since the 19th century. Except for telegraph poles and wires, and a few signs, it is intensely rural. I’ve been using this as a source and find it endlessly inspiring. It changes constantly. My main purpose has been to capture a moment in time combined with a sense of timelessness.”
Helen Derbyshire
“In my 40s, 10 years ago, I took time out of work to do an art degree in Norwich, and I loved it.
For me, my art is about being at home, grounding me in the landscape that surrounds me, and completely absorbing myself in practical almost meditative processes of observing, drawing and making. My art is about landscapes and seascapes – often based on walks, paths, close up textures and distant horizons. I’m particularly drawn to the large skies and distant horizons of the landscape around me in Suffolk and Norfolk. helen.j.derbsyhire@gmail.com
Louise Dougherty
“Through my work I love to quietly discover the small beauties of life – perhaps the overlooked or the forgotten or the flotsam and jetsam of everyday life. Most of my work begins with a walk. I try to observe as much as possible from the expansive Norfolk skies to the minute details that may go unnoticed.”
Ni Gooding
“It’s not places or things that inspire me so much as people, mostly artists, and in particular Matisse, Gauguin and many of the 20th century English abstractionists. It is their methodology, work ethic, focus, discipline and often, but not always, their self belief and single mindedness that I find so compelling. Whatever else happens, the work has to come first.”
Claire Halsey
“I enjoy still life painting in oils – in Suffolk and also from a little studio in Normandie. I love painting pots, their shape and form, the light and shadows they make. I am inspired by many artists – Morandi, and currently Stanley Bielen, Mary Feddon, and Vanessa Cooper.”
Helengai Harbottle
Helengai is inspired by Suffolk’s landscapes and trees, its farmhouses and outbuildings, and the domestic objects found locally which dominate her still lifes.
“My main sources of artistic inspiration are American painters – Katz, Diebenkorn, De Kooning and Kline – the British artists Lucy Jones and Tom Norris, both of whom taught me at the Slade School of Art. For still lifes I am inspired by Morandi, Chardin and Jim Dine.”
Bill Haward
Bill comes from a family of designers and artists, which, he says, has provided artistic influence and inspiration. He enjoys recording the unspoilt urban, rural and coastal scenes around him, often contrasting the man-made with the natural.
bill@wh-online.co.uk or 01473 720750 or 07793031680
Marilyn Jackson
“Much of my work is personal and reflective, drawing on my inner world of ideas, impulses and feelings. Landscape is a constant source of inspiration, especially as it changes through time, light and atmosphere. Organic form, especially plant life, inhabits much of my work with my garden being as much a creative endeavour as my painting and printmaking. Birds too play an important part in my imagery as they can be symbolic of both freedom and captivity.”
Edwin & Jane Mitchell-Finch
“I work at a computer during the week, in my role as a website developer. Jane is usually stitching, painting or working on her sewing machine. Drawing inspiration from the countryside and the nearby coast, Jane works mainly with fabrics, using free machine embroidery to create quirky badges, brooches and collages.
“Interested in calligraphy, I craft fold pen nibs from recycled tin cans. I also enjoy greenwood carving, creating interesting, unique wooden spoons. We sell our wares at various events during the year and through some local shops.”
Liz Clark
A long career as a knitwear designer has had a profound effect on my printmaking. I tend to think in rows and grids, and try to instill the rhythm of constructed textiles into my prints. I am always inspired by the world around me – landscapes, buildings, gardens and beautiful textiles.
Ben Quail
Ben is inspired by sketchbook diaries, which he compiles and uses to record daily life. “I collate all this information into artworks – linocuts, screen-prints, paintings/collages, and also short ironic tales and poems of seaside fun and mystery.”
Tel: 07807663799 01502439833.
