After everything else that Spring Fling have been up to of late it almost comes as a shock that the original Open Studios event is almost upon us again...
Visitors to this year’s Spring Fling can look forward to work by 22
new exhibitors, plus a clutch of welcome returns from the past.
Among those taking place for the first time
are Patricia Cain and Sam Cartman, both are renowned visual artists, with
Patricia having won the 2010 Threadneedle and Aspect prizes and this year’s Royal Watercolour
Society Award at the RWS Contemporary Watercolour Competition in London.
Also out of Glasgow is the ceramicist Archie McCall. While a D&G native
by birth, Archie built a successful career at Glasgow School of Art where he
became Head of Ceramics and toured the world from Russia and China to Canada
and Denmark giving lectures and workshops. He now has a pottery at Kindar Mill
in New Abbey.
Janet Ibbotson has had a
long career in textiles, now working in best quality cashmere and silks she first
made her name in Carnaby Street. She now
sees garments she made 40 years ago selling in the Vintage Department of
Bloomingdales in New York. Sculptor Marilyn Crawford also has strong London
links, having studied at Chelsea School of Art in the 60s.
Other
interesting newcomers include Micheal
Batey a painter who lives in D&G and creates dramatic skyscapes
inspired by scenes from his life as a gamekeeper. By contrast Icelander, Nanna Bjoornsdottir, will be showing
work which includes a series of compositions featuring gifts from her children.
Jenny Rose, a New
Zealander, creates original hand-made prints. Her background, however, was as a
haute couture dressmaker whose high profile clients included a Miss Universe. Michelle
Bennett Oates, who came to D&G two years ago, is an accomplished still
life artist in the style of the Dutch school of flower painters. Peter Wareing, whose nature-inspired
creations were popular at Spring Fling’s exhibition at Newcastle’s Biscuit
Gallery, has a highly distinctive style inspired by ceramics from Japan and
China.
Astrid Jaekel is carrying
out a fascinating Windows of Wigtown project which will transform the town’s
famous County Buildings, and is part of a Wigtown Book Festival residency.
Jewellery by Shona Guthrie |
This year
Spring Fling also welcomes three new jewellery-makers Hannah Morris Knowles, Joanne
Garner, Shona Guthrie. Shona’s
work is very much inspired by the natural environment, Joanne emphasises the
striking and tactile while Hannah has a flair for combining unexpected
materials.
Some of the
artists involved are at the start of their careers, and bring a real freshness.
Among them is Ryan Gillan who creates
digital and stop-frame animation. Take a look at Tasty Bait http://vimeo.com/60445926
Suzi Plunkett at the Spring Fling show in Glasgow |
Suzi Plunkett produces
delightful animal images, for everything from cushions to phone covers, using
thousands of tiny dots. Her work was a great success at the Spring Fling
exhibition at Glasgow’s Lighthouse gallery. Rory Laycock is a final year student in Fine Art who uses everyday
objects to explore “the other”.
Work by Ceri Allan |
Spring Fling’s
Neighbours scheme invites artists from bordering regions to take part. In 2014
there is a strong Cumbrian contingent which features:
·
Dorothy Ramsay – painter and printmaker
·
Heather Davies – abstract landscape painter· Fraser Irvine – abstract and landscape painter
· Caroline Dalton – fine art and theatre designer producing highly unusual sculpture
·
Ceri Allan – painter specializing in
urban scenes
At the same
time Spring Fling is also delighted to be able to welcome back a series of
exhibitors who took part in past events.
Among them is
the highly reputed willow and fibre artist Lizzie
Farey, whose work sells globally and is especially popular in the USA. Then
there is Godfrey Smith, a maker of
highly unusual leather shoes. And finally Jim
Buchanan an environmental artist who makes marvelous labyrinths and shadow
installations.
With reference to 'The original Open Studios Event' in the Spring Fling write up I would be glad to receive the following information. How many Dumfries and Galloway artists in the event are showing work in their own studio? Please do not include anyone sharing another artist's studio, hiring a hall, showing work in a gallery that is not their gallery or anyone from without who is just popping back for the weekend. Thank you
ReplyDeleteHi - the vast majority of the posts that appear on The Commonty were sent into the blog by artists, arts organisations/events - we then publish them with the odd editorial intro and sometimes an illustration if none has been provided. This is a press release sent into the Commonty by the team at Spring Fling. Hopefully someone at Spring Fling will respond to your interesting question - alas The Commonty cannot. ATB
ReplyDeleteHello Anonymous. Thank you for your interest in Spring Fling. To answer your question - 73 studios, almost 80%. You can find this information yourself in the Spring Fling 2014 brochure - http://www.spring-fling.co.uk/brochure - if you have any further questions drop me an email on leah@spring-fling.co.uk.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks, Leah