The Women's Art Activation System presents: Stroud Wikithon

Joy Batchelor, halasandbatchelor.co.uk

• Do you know of women, past or present who have contributed to the arts in Gloucestershire?
• Do you want to spend an hour, or several, working towards gender balance in the historical record as presented in Wikipedia?
• Do you want to learn about how Wikipedia works?
• Do you want to learn to edit Wikipedia?
• Do you want to celebrate and encourage women’s creativity?

 The Women’s Art Activation System (a recently formed Stroud-based collective) will be hosting a Wikithon from 10am-4pm on Wednesday 8th March, International Women’s Day at Atelier Textile & Craft Club. They are looking for women to write about and need local historians and sources to let them know about the hidden talents in Gloucestershire past and present. This all-day event is designed to improve coverage of women and the arts on Wikipedia, and encourage women and girls in Gloucestershire to learn to edit Wikipedia. It will be child-friendly and free to take part. Drop in for a short while or stay all day - bring suggestions and reference material, learn to edit Wikipedia, help others to learn and discover local women artists you may not have heard about!

May Morris

What will the Wikithon Involve?

The Wikithon will include tutorials for the beginner Wikipedian, ongoing editing support, reference materials, and refreshments. People of all backgrounds and technical abilities are very warmly welcomed to take part. A gong will sound each time some information is added and a mini training session takes place hourly so you can drop in and pick up the tasks throughout the day.

Inequality on Wikipedia

In a 2011 survey, the Wikimedia Foundation found that less than 10% of its contributors are female. This lack of female participation and other factors have led to an alarming shortage of content about women and art in the world’s most popular online research tool. 

Art+Feminism Edit-a-thons and other initiatives make an impact on the gender gap through crucial improvements to art and feminism related subjects on Wikipedia. Since 2014, over 280 Art+Feminism Edit-a-thons have taken place across the world, creating and improving an estimated 4,600 articles. Other participants in this project include The Museum of Modern Art in New York, Tate Britain and a host of other arts institutions large and small.

The Inaugural Stroud Wikithon is organised by Katharina Child, Deborah Abramson, Uta Baldauf, Sharon Bennett, and Sarah Dixon as part of the new Women’s Art Activation System. Follow them on facebook  and the facebook event page here for further info.

Professional Photography For Artists!

On Saturday the 4th February professional photographer Katie Jane Watson will be setting up in Studio One at Pegasus Art to take pictures of local artists work.

Nicola Grellier, nicolagrellier.co.uk

Katie shoot's tethered so pictures can be seen as she is photographing (colour correct images).
Bookings in half an hour slots (approx. 10 paintings can be photographed in this time). Just £10 per picture, with a discount for more than 10 images. Hi res jpegs supplied via wetransfer following shoot...
Booking is essential, please contact Katie on 07941181498 or email katiejane.watson@yahoo.co.uk

Katie also contributes to Good On Paper, most recently the filming and editing of GOP TV:Why Art? a series of 'interview shorts' with local artists. See the films at goodonpaper.info/film
 

Gallery: Good On Paper @ The Prince Albert 7th Jan 2017

We would  like to extend a huge thanks to the artists who performed and the people who came to our party at the Prince Albert last month, together we raised one thousand pounds for Stroud Women’s Refuge and Rodborough Playgroup! 

There are further GOP events in the works but until then see below for images of the night by Fred Chance , James Kriszyk and Ben Peer...

© Fred Chance, fredchance.co.uk

© James Kriszyk, kriszyk.com

Andy Lovell 'Shifting' Exhibition By Sarah Edmonds

A few weeks before agreeing to write this piece, I spent an evening at The Painswick Hotel (winner of the Sunday Times Travel section 'Hotel of the Year 2016'). Hanging above the fireplace in the snug room, were two beautiful prints of local scenes, depicted in subtle greens and greys. I had been admiring Andy Lovell prints without even knowing it...

When we meet today at the Museum in the Park, Andy’s prints look fresh and vibrant, in contrast to the dreary, grey skies outside. The spacious gallery is buzzing with Stroud College art students, happily sketching Andy’s work. There is a gentle hum of creativity.

Shifting is a culmination of three year’s work – taken from hundreds of drawings made en plein air, all over the country (Norfolk, Gloucestershire, Cornwall, London) and boiled down to sixty four stunning monotypes and screenprints ‘taken from land, the sea and all in between.’ All limited edition pieces, each one unique, prices range from £240 to £1,400 – they are wonderful, affordable and covetable.

The title of this exhibition reflects Andy’s own artistic journey – his drive to draw and paint, using a multitude of skills acquired from a career in illustration and image making. There is plenty of texture and movement in his work and the use of colour is sensitive, sometimes bold and always considered - layer upon layer of subtleties.

“I got obsessed with the trees on my daily dog walk – they turned into a series of six very large works entitled ‘Arboreal’ (I – VI). Even on grey, dingy days, the colour of the bark was luminous, almost fluorescent. I felt compelled to try to convey the power and might of these enormous trees through isolating and abstracting them - I was drawn to the exposed trunks that resemble dinosaur feet.”

Trees, of all size and shape, are certainly a strong theme throughout this exhibition. Walking Wood portrays neat avenues of birch, standing to attention like dutiful soldiers. There is a drama between the symmetrical man made planting of these tall trees and the untamed landscape beyond. In Early Morning Mist the full and conical trees shiver in the cold morning fog, while the Norfolk Trees are Van Gogh-esque with their swirling arms and brooding skies.

There is plenty here to connect you to Stroud and its surroundings – Dusk, Rodborough Fort is my patch and a favourite walking spot, Sunset Swifts Hill in glorious Slad and Woodchester Woodwind (selected for the RWA Open 2016) all evoke treasured places right on our doorstep. And of course, the much loved Giffords Circus.

Andy tells me he had a lot of fun spending four days watching rehearsals before the Giffords Season this Summer. He recalls an interesting meeting with the acrobats, before sketching The Aerialists – two bendy Americans chat and limber up simultaneously, one bringing her leg right up to her ear! Wondering at their death defying feats and inspired by the originality and skill of the rest of the troupe has resulted in four stunning works, full of movement and energy. Many of these prints have sold already – grab yours while you still can. (£240 unframed for Yee ha and The Aerialists and £750 for Jack and Cartuchio, Line Dance and Jack and Cartuchio, Dosey Doe) 20% of the sale proceeds go to the Giffords Circus Arts Foundation.

One of the young students approaches Andy cautiously, “Please may I have your autograph?” Andy is charming and courteous, asks for his name and duly signs his name on a postcard. “I love how you’ve used your finger prints in this painting,” he continues, pointing at Mansions of Summer Shade. What a treat for these students to meet the artist himself, who can explain first-hand how he created each artwork. Andy describes the process of painting straight onto a plate, using castors from an old chair to create the vertical uprights of the tree trunks, and his finger prints providing the abstracted leaves and texture. The acid yellow colour is Chartreuse Yellow.

Indeed in Jack and Cartuchio, Dosey Doe Andy used his fist and wrists to move the paint around. In two display cases, you can see the artist’s tools – useful for those, like me, who are curious about the processes involved. Other artist tools include; Intaglio etching ink, castors, turpentine, toothbrushes, palette knives, make up remover pads, lip salve, wire wool, acrylics, finest acrylic ink, lots of paint brushes, sketchbooks….and a corkscrew! (thrown in for good measure.)

Andy’s practice combines working from his studio at home and the well equipped print studios at the GPC (Gloucestershire Printmaking Co-operative), at Griffin Mill Trading Estate. “It’s a rare and wonderful thing to have the use of traditional printing presses with facilities for lithography, screen printing, letterpress, etching and so on. There’s a physicality to printing, I’m an impatient artist – I want to get things down quickly. When you peel the ghost print off the plate, it’s incredibly exciting.” And if he needs extra supplies and art materials, he just has to run upstairs to Pegasus Art, “Their joie de vivre is infectious. All I can hear from downstairs is laughter. Many of the staff are artists so they know their stuff,” he concludes.

Make the journey to Museum in the Park before 4th December and you won’t be disappointed. You will also have the chance to see his cityscapes of Balham and Clapham tube stations, Victoria Station Departures and the 17.47 from Victoria in the new Pavilion – a fantastic new exhibition and learning space in the delightful garden.

Andy also recently appeared in the GOP TV: Why Art? series; interview shorts with Stroud based artists in their studios filmed and edited by Katie Jane Watson. Click here to watch the film!

Sarah Edmonds is an Italian graduate from University College London, where she also studied History of Art and a short course at Slade School of Fine Art. She's been a tour guide in Tuscany and now works in marketing for Pegasus Art in Thrupp - supplier of Fine Art materials. @SarahWordBird

Donnelly Sisters Art Agency

Image by James Kriszyk

Donnelly Sisters is a new artist agency founded by sisters Kirsty and Katy Donnelly representing talented contemporary artists from across the disciplines: sculptors, painters, designers, photographers, fine artists and live performers.

Based in Stroud former TV producer Kirsty and ex-recruitment consultant Katy are passionate about the talent they represent and are keen to create a collaborative and comfortable base for their clients. With their agency they will support, develop and generate sales for local talent, as well as artists from further afield...

The sister duo are celebrating the launch of their company with a pop up gallery in Bedford Street hoping to bring a fresh new approach to the traditional gallery look, creating a 'New York loft apartment' feel with three floors full of art together with a bar and music.

Featured artists include Abigail Fallis, James Kriszyk, Tamzin Malleson-Mason, Colin Glen, Elle Kaye, Beatrice Brown, Marcus Walters, Daniel Sparkes, Sam Marsh, Lorraine Robbins and Sean Heather.

Opening on Sat 19th November from 10am-5pm they will be selling a series of original works – one off prints, paintings and sculptures. 

There will be an opening night for prints on the 2nd December and from the 3rd December they will be selling affordably priced prints every weekend in the run up to Christmas Eve.

For further information contact donnellysisters@gmail.com and follow them on their facebook page facebook.com/donnellysisters for news and updates!

Sophie Ryder Exhibition @ Wetpaint Gallery by Sarah Edmonds

Following her recent talk at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, internationally acclaimed artist and sculptor Sophie Ryder is currently exhibiting at Wetpaint Gallery until 29th October. Her new book, A Life in Sculpture is a sumptuous and weighty tome dedicated to her craft and lifelong passion for artistic endeavour – it is available to buy for £25, along with mugs and tote bags for a special keepsake or Christmas gift.

Following her hugely successful solo exhibition at Salisbury Cathedral in July this year, her work has become more recognisable and sought after than ever. Her monumental pieces, some life size, some as big as a house,drew crowds to the grounds of the equally impressive cathedral and spire. “I get a thrill from working ‘big' " the artist says, often working in the open air from dawn until dusk.

Ryder is best known for her wire sculptures of mythical creatures, hares and hybrid beings sculpted in affectionate poses, often hugging and bound together. They are imaginary, magical and often humorous depictions of relationships and emotions. If you are a local, you may be familiar with The Hare and the Minotaur that stands on Cheltenham Promenade and Paintpots outside the New Brewery Arts Centre in Cirencester. Although her signature Lady-Hares tower over public spaces in Chicago, Vancouver and Palm Desert, she is a Cotswolds artist, and we have claimed her as our own!

What a joy, then, to find her work at Wetpaint Gallery in Chalford. Her work is so immediately appealing – her figures half human, half ‘being’, loveable, huggable, vulnerable creatures that you want to take home and care for. Giclee prints start at a very reasonable £180 and are surely a shrewd investment (I am tempted) whilst larger pieces such as Rising – a gorgeous, crouching hare with a rust patina, are ‘price on application’. There are plenty of loveable hounds to see – animals have been central to Sophie’s life from her earliest childhood memories, indeed she has five lurchers of her own. Me and my Five Babies a lanky lurcher with five baby minotaurs on his back, Pedro a dog sculpted from steel wire and Sitting Horse Miniature bronze, are full of character, about to run out of the gallery and across the open fields.

This exhibition shows the extensive range of her work, the breadth of materials she uses and the varied scale of her work. Peak inside a cabinet and admire a collection of adorable bronze miniatures (starting at £540), marvel at her ‘wire drawings’ that at once look like charcoal sketches and relief sculpture, enamel paintings onto stone, wire sculpture, charcoal and pastel drawings on a large scale Hugging on Top, giclee prints - Three Blue Egyptian Ladies catches my eye, bronze plaques and a series of more colourful prints depicting The Lovers priced at £250.  

How clever that she has created a signature theme that runs throughout her distinctive work – instantly recognisable and covetable. “As a child I loved Picasso’s Minotaurs, but I developed mine to be a partner to the Lady-Hare, so he’s less sexually threatening. Mine is strong, loving and protective, and can even be a bit camp.” The human part of Lady Hare is based on Sophie’s own form. More recent wire sculptures include huge clasped hands and feet thrusting skywards.

Sophie is one of the leading female artists of our time and the youngest student to be accepted to the Royal Academy Schools since Turner. She came to early prominence in 1984 when she exhibited at Christie’s Pick of New Graduate Art Show, and began working at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in ’86 – a pivotal moment in her career. She admired Henry Moore’s monumental bronzes in the landscape itself, the work of Barbara Hepworth and Frink’s striding figures – it helped her to understand and experiment with scale.

Landscape and nature became so important that she relocated to Gloucestershire and has since spent her career exploring different media; print, drawing, tapestry, wire mesh with wet plaster embossed with machinery parts, sheet steel, stained glass and even old toys. 

Visitors can enjoy an insight into the creative process of this artist through her book and exhibited work. Seemingly indifferent to market trends, she continues to be prolific in her work. For Sophie, making art is less of a profession and more of a compulsion. Luckily for us, she shows no signs of slowing down, so we can look forward to many more exhibitions!

The exhibition runs until Sat 29th October, visit wetpaintgalleryonline.com for further info. Sophie will also be doing a book signing at Waterstones in Cirencester on Thursday 17th November at 7pm. Tickets available directly from Waterstones on 01285 658998.

Sarah Edmonds is an Italian graduate from University College London, where she also studied History of Art and a short course at Slade School of Fine Art. She's been a tour guide in Tuscany and now works in marketing for Authentic Adventures, a travel company based in Stonehouse that specialises in painting holidays.

Stroud Book Festival: Illustration Exhibition

As part of this year's first ever Stroud Book Festival children’s book illustrators  Hannah Shaw, Tom Percival, Rebecca Ashdown, Martha Lightfoot and Mina May will be showing some of their work as a backdrop to the talks and events held in the George Room at the Subscription Rooms. The exhibition runs from Friday 11th November (with an opening event at 6pm) until Saturday 26th November.

They will also be appearing at the festival with a series of workshops and talks. See below and stroudartsfestival.org for further info!

Hannah Shaw - hannahshawillustrator.co.uk 

Book Festival Event: Stan Stinky (workshop), The Museum in the Park, Sat 19th Nov @ 11am. Tickets £2 / Bear On A Bike (workshop), The Museum in the Park, Sun 20th Nov @ 11am. Tickets £2 (Age 3-7)

Tom Percival - tom-percival.com

Book Festival Event: Little Legends - Let's Make and Tell A Digital Story! (workshop), The Subscription Rooms, Sat 19th Nov @ 3:30pm. Tickets £4/£2 (Ages 5-9)

Rebecca Ashdown - rebeccaashdown.me

Book Festival Event: The Glump and The Peeble (workshop) with Wendy Meddour, The Museum in the Park, Sat 12th Nov @ 2pm. Tickets £2 (Ages 5-9)

Martha Lightfoot - marthalightfoot.com

Book Festival Event: Make Your Own Stand Up Creatures! (workshop), The Museum in the Park, Sat 12th Nov @ 11am. Tickets £2 (Age 5+)

Mina May - wendymeddour.wordpress.com/welcome/illustrations-2

Book Festival Event: A Family Business? (talk) with Mina's mother - author Wendy Meddour, Sat 19th Nov @ 6pm. Tickets £4/£2

Gallery Pangolin: Synthesis by Sarah Edmonds

Jon Buck: Fruiting Body, Almuth Tebbenhoff: Moonrise, Eilis O'Connell: Gourd Form, Lynn Chadwick: Detector

Gallery Pangolin has a unique gallery setting, tucked away in the village of Chalford, on an old Victorian industrial site and working foundry. As I drive through the gates, I can see a giant sculpture of an open hand guarding the doorway of an enormous warehouse, there are unfinished pieces lurking in sheds, men and women in dusty red boiler suits move large moulds here and there, the familiar hum of circular saws is the daily soundtrack. There’s a creative energy here.

Pangolin Editions is a world class foundry and the gallery is a showcase for the unique and excellent work being created here. Celebrating twenty five years, it strives to exhibit the very best sculpture in the UK. Famous ‘alumni’ include Sarah Lucas and Damien Hirst.

The current exhibition takes its name from the synthesis of four female and four male sculptors, whose abstract and tactile exhibits offer a fresh and inspiring exposition. The gallery is as it should be, a spartan, peaceful environment in which to showcase each beautiful piece, some colourful, some smooth, others rough and spikey. Stretching our conceptual imagination, the three bronzes of Peter Randall-Page appear as intestinal, swirling and other worldly. His sketches Walnut 1 and Walnut IV conjure naturalistic forms.

I reach out to touch Jon Buck's playful Fruiting Body bronze, with electric orange painted patina. Polymorph is a little beast that is about to scuttle off the table. Symphysis is equally tactile, and accompanying prints I want, want, want. Simple, graphic shapes that are contemporary and would look relevant in any home.

The work of Lynn Chadwick is exquisite. A sculptor who lived locally, he is in the stable of artists who are consistently shown at Pangolin. He began sculpting at the age of thirty five, and only six years later won the International Prize for Sculpture at the Venice Biennale 1956, pipping Giacometti to the post. His spiky, angular abstractions are here to see, with all their tactile marks, a style that became his signature and is much admired the world over. Detector has a dalek like presence, it makes me smile – although I’m not sure why and Pyramid 1966 stands firm in the centre of the gallery, holding its own. Lion 1 guards the gallery like a boisterous pet, sculpted from stainless steel, who will always wear his shiny silver coat and never grow old.

Ann Christopher: The Dark Is Equal To The Light, John Hoskin: Bronce Piece I, Peter Randall-Page: Bronze Piece II, Charlotte Mayer: Spiral Form

Charlotte Mayer's work is elegant, thin swooshes of bronze, light as air, holding no weight in complete contrast to Bucks weighty pieces, proving the versatility of this medium. Cleverly entitled Release III and Release IV these feathery, twisting pieces could float away. Spiral Form is mesmerising in its hypnotic swirling wheel, drawing you in for a closer look.

Gourd Form and Kidney by Eilis O’Connell are immediately tactile. The gallery assistant allows me to stroke the smooth patina of Gourd Form (it won’t stain) as if stroking the cheek of a lover – they take on vital human form both physically and somehow emotionally. Sublime Geometry is kept on Cath’s desk – it’s her favourite piece and she likes to keep it close by!

The work of John Hoskin is something different all together. It’s industrial, masculine, sculpted with an engineers eye. Scaled down studies for grand high rise buildings perhaps. Ann Christopher explores both horizontal and vertical length in her work – gorgeous Resting Line represents such simplicity, it is immaculate and orderly. The Dark is Equal to Light has a phallic, symbolic presence – a monument to bronze.

Finally, the works of Almuth Tebbenhoff are sculpted from marble, ceramic and bronze with unusual sketches representing the complete range of her skill. Giocoliere and Moonrise delicately sit in the 3D opaque beauty, creating their own little shadows. They at once evoke delicacy and gravitas.

Sculpture is an art form that is tangible, often used as a bold expression or declaration of honour. Barbara Hepworth writes, “I felt the most intense pleasure in piercing the stone in order to make an abstract form and space” and it’s that intensity that guests to this exhibition can capture.

Synthesis runs until 21st October, Mon - Fri 10am till 6pm and Sat 10am till 1pm. Visit www.gallery-pangolin.com for further info. You can also see a selection of sculptures as part of the opening of the Walled Garden at the Museum in the Park until the end of December.

Sarah Edmonds is an Italian graduate from University College London, where she also studied History of Art and a short course at Slade School of Fine Art. She's been a tour guide in Tuscany and now works in marketing for Authentic Adventures, a travel company based in Stonehouse that specialises in painting holidays.

Sir Peter Blake Exhibition @ Wetpaint Gallery by Sarah Edmonds

There is now only one week left to see an exhibition of rare and popular prints by Sir Peter Blake, ‘the Godfather of British Pop Art’ at the Wetpaint Gallery in Chalford.

100 Sources of Pop Art

Blake is best known for creating the sleeve for the Beatles album cover Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It has become an iconic piece of work, much imitated, and catapulted Blake into the heart of the swinging sixties London art scene. America has Warhol and we are proud to have Blake.

The exhibition is a riot of colour, contemporary and relevant to both young and old, pops of colour on a grey day in Stroud. His signature icons and pop ephemera are still evident, collage, portraits in poster style with titles as quirky as his work, Thor the Enforcer, one of the portraits of his much loved wrestlers and Getting In Over My Head, the artwork for the 5th studio album by Brian Wilson. I’m struck by how accessible the work is for an artist with such a pedigree. Glittery union jacks could hang on any wall, Beano collages that make you smile.

I’m drawn to 100 Sources of Pop Art – the largest piece in the exhibition, a limited edition silk screen with diamond dust, glitter and glazes depicting one hundred pop icons and prints that have inspired his work. Sadly it’s price on application, but it won’t fit in my car anyhow. Prices start at just £795 and each and every piece must surely be a collector’s item.

Getting In Over My Head and Union Jack

A graduate of the prestigious Royal College of Art, Blake received a CBE in 1983, and was knighted in 2002. He was a West Country resident for a time, living near Bath, but now lives in London where he’s still painting.

An old friend of Blakes, Jinty Stephenson, recently sold a piece of his work for £350,000 having paid for it in instalments in the 60’s - £3 every Saturday when they met at the pub each week. She was a fellow art student and a bit strapped for cash!

Celia Wickham, director of the Wetpaint Gallery Online is one of the energetic pioneers of contemporary art in the area, bringing the very highest quality exhibitions to her Chalford gallery which is situated directly opposite the Lavender Bakehouse. Wetpaint moved here from Cirencester at the end of last year, and we can expect to see exciting monthly exhibits. The backbone of her business is now online where she hopes to develop her portfolio of high profile clients.

The artistic community in Stroud never rests on its laurels – it’s an exciting place to live if you love art, thanks to people like Celia who bring international artists right to our doorstep.

The exhibition is on now and runs until Sat 1st October; visit www.wetpaintgalleryonline.com for further info...

What’s coming up next at Wetpaint…

A Life in Sculpture - Talk and book signing with Sophie Ryder - 15th October 2017

From Cheltenham to Chalford – following her talk at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, sculptress Sophie Ryder joins Celia Wickham at the Wetpaint Gallery to discuss her new book “A Life in Sculpture”. Best known locally for her wire sculptures of mythical creatures, hares and hybrid beings she will share secrets of her inspiration and fascinating life. An exhibition of her work will be at Wetpaint from 6th – 29th October.

Sarah Edmonds is an Italian graduate from University College London, where she also studied History of Art and a short course at Slade School of Fine Art. She's been a tour guide in Tuscany and now works in marketing for Authentic Adventures, a travel company based in Stonehouse that specialises in painting holidays.

The Creative Network

The Creative Network is a new not-for-profit organisation based in Stroud delivering CPD and a supportive network for anyone working in the creative and cultural sectors. 

The group will run every six weeks from the Museum in the Park with the first one due to be launched this Wednesday 7th September at 10:30am.

Each meet features a training seminar by industry expert Abbi Kirby and will include a discussion of the sector and thinking tasks for each creative, plus opportunities for strategic planning, help building resilience and confidence boosting opportunities.  The group will also offer peer-to-peer support, networking opportunities, feedback and access to low-cost advice clinics. 

If you are a start-up, self-employed, freelancer, or employee seeking to engage in the business dimensions of your work then the Creative Network is where you belong...

The group costs just £25 per mont, further details can be found on facebook and  www.creativenetwork.org.uk

Shelfware @ the Line Gallery by Leah Grant

Rather than showcasing a single piece of work, one that has reached its creative conclusion and which the viewer often interprets with little to no contextual history, Shelfware – currently on display at SVA’s Line Gallery – invites visitors to probe through the workbooks and notebooks of a variety of different artists, revealing ideas that are both partially created and wholly concluded.

Guest co-curated by Ed Davenport, James A. Holliday, Edward Lawrenson and Sam Marsh, this fascinating new exhibition presents a diverse array of records in the form of professionally printed and handmade books, sketchpads, folders and even a newspaper, allowing visitors to consider the various methods utilised by artists and writers when creating and showcasing new work.

It’s clear that memory is a factor that the curators are keen to highlight in Shelfware (particularly in the exhibition’s literature, where the filmic work of Alain Resnais is discussed), this has led to the decision to transform Line Gallery into a library, a place where visitors are actively encouraged to remove books from their shelves and read at their leisure. This unique form of presentation stresses the importance of the library as a place of learning; in this particular embodiment, the idea that memories can be extracted and stored for the future reference of their creator as well as a means of discovery for others, also emphasises the significance of the library in terms of collective growth and posterity.    

“The term ‘Shelfware’ is slang for something destined to live on the shelf never to be looked at and is a comment on the social sea change towards the use of the Internet over libraries.” – Sam Marsh

Everyone involved in Shelfware should be applauded for their bravery – an artist’s workbook is extremely personal, a form of experimentation and development that is not often created with public consumption in mind. Like the finished creations that are also on display here (as well as the vast array of artist books pilfered from the curators’ own collections), a large piece of the creator has been exposed and we should treat this as both a rare opportunity to delve deeper into the mind-set of Stroud’s upcoming creative talent as well as a chance to consider our own part in the unfortunate demise of the traditional library in the 21st century.

Shelfware is open on Saturdays 11am - 4pm until the 28th August. www.linegallery.co.uk

Leah Grant is a writer and photographer with a keen interest in art and literature. On her blog, Bellyful of Art, you can find reviews of exhibitions, installations, dance performances and literary events as well as her own lovingly created pieces of short fiction artbellyful.wordpress.com

TOTO Design Collective: Pop Up Store

Pop up shops have dramatically changed the landscape of Stroud High Street in the last few years, brilliantly utilising the ever increasing empty shops to create a platform and temporary exhibition spaces for independent local artists.

From Stroud Valley Artspace's regular exhibitions at the old Millets shop and their ongoing Meanwhile project (which includes Up This Way in Merrywalks Shopping Centre and Sally Hampson's Weaving Shed at 29 High Street), to Clay Sinclair's popup gallery at number 48 High Street and Gemma Kay Waggett's Nothing But Navy it continues to showcase the towns burgeoning arts scene whilst offering a stark contrast to high street chains and pound shops... 

This month TOTO Design Collective; a Stroud based group of designers, artists and craft workers have taken up residence in the Old Eclipse shop at no 39 King Street to show a selection of interiors, textiles, sculpture and paintings. Open for just two weeks it features work by Tony Hunt (structural engineer turned painter), Polly Lyster (hand dyed textiles), Kim Francis (sculptor), Adele Bond-Powell (seamstress working with antique fabrics), Joe Lyster (lighting designer), Ioni Lyster (designer and artist) and Isabel Lyster (puppetry and mobiles). 

Witnessing their collection of uniquely different works in such an unconventional setting truly allows you to see them in a different light, and upon entering a pop up shop it does feel special in someway - knowing you might be visiting something for the first and last time...

The pop up store is open from Monday to Saturday, 10am - 5pm until Saturday 2nd July. Follow the collective on facebook and instagram - for further information call them on 01453 885 036 / 07828671383

Pop on in.

Big Heart - Calling All Art Lovers!

Artists and Celebrities are creating artwork in support of Longfield’s art for health community programme. Now you have the chance to bid for your own piece of art through the Big Heart Secret Art Auction!

The Big Heart art auction is returning for a second year to raise vital funds to support the programme. Last year more than 100 specially-commissioned pictures were sent to Longfield and sold on eBay in a secret auction! This year even more artists and celebrities are taking part...

To add some excitement and to help raise more funds the individual artist's identity will remain a secret until after the auction has finished! Each piece of art is signed on the back by the artist, so that their identity remains secret until the end of the auction. 

If you are an artist, and would like to submit a piece follow this link to request a Big Heart pack.

The Big Heart Auction will open on-line on eBay on Tuesday 22nd November till Thursday 1st December. You can keep up to date with the latest news and see the artwork on Instagram, twitter  and facebook. To receive an email notification when the exhibitions and auction goes live, email bigheart@longfield.org.uk.

Big Heart Exhibition Roadshow

Big Heart will take to the road in October staging workshops and exhibitions to shout about the power of art for our well-being. This is also where you will have your chance to see the artworks in the flesh at one of 7 exhibitions before they go live at the auction. 

The dates are:

October 22-23 The Garden Gallery, Montpellier, Cheltenham / October 27-28 Regent Arcade, Cheltenham /November 5-6 Museum in the Park, Stroud /November 7-11 Corinium Museum, Cirencester /November 14-20 Gloucester Cathedral /November 21-25 The Wilson, Cheltenham /December 1 Longfield, Burleigh Lane, Minchinhampton

Longfield is a charity which provides care for people in Gloucestershire with life-limiting illnesses, and their families. It has a day therapy service, outreach activity such as art for health and a hospice at home service. Registered Charity Number 298627.

Stroud College Students Fashion Show by Rebecca Farrell

Stroud College Fashion students host their end of year Fashion Show at Rush Skate Park in Brimscombe on Monday 13th June showcasing their unique collection of garments. After three months of hard work these exclusive styles will be taking centre stage, and you will have the opportunity to have front row viewing of the impressive conceptual themes that each student has designed.

The show will have a compelling ambiance of inspiration, energy and festivity. It will be a celebration and farewell before the fashion students move on to thrive in higher education and work. "The fashion course at Stroud is very innovative and exciting; it has pushed me further in my skills and ambitions. I am looking forward to starting university next year, where I am studying Costume Construction at the Royal Central Drama School in London. A university I never thought I would have got accepted into without the support of the tutors at SGS" Rosie Holditch ,18

If you are interested in a private preview, come to our Private Exhibition on the 10th June, 6-9pm. Tickets for the Fashion Show are just £6 (adults) and £4.50 (concessions/students)  and are available to buy at the College, Stratford Road, Stroud (between 12:30-2pm and 3:30-5pm).

Visit the facebook event page here for further information.

Studying Fashion at Stroud campus, helped me recognise and understand my strengths and interests. With the support that has been given by the lecturers, I have finally discovered what I want to do next year; Graphic Design Communication at Chelsea College...

Rebecca Farrell is currently in her last year of studying fashion at Stroud College, we wish her good luck in her future ventures!

Fred Chance and David Corio: Keeping Time

This Friday 27th May sees the opening of the 'Keeping Time' exhibition at the Museum in the Park, bringing together for the first time a series of remarkable black and white images of renowned musicians by photographers Fred Chance and David Corio. 

Choosing images to accompany this month's feature proved to be a truly difficult task so we've put up another selection from the exhibition for you below...

Fred Chance:

Courtney Pine, Bruce Springsteen, David Crosby, Pee Wee Ellis, Debbie Harry

David Corio:

Sun Ra, Prince, Miles Davis, Nick Cave, Joe Strummer

Pick up this month's issue (June - out now) for an interview with Fred and David by Rebecca Mills. The exhibition runs until Sunday 26th June, further collections of their work can be found on www.fredchance.co.uk and www.davidcorio.com

Gallery Pangolin: Nature of the Beast

In conjunction with this month's feature on Gallery Pangolin's 25th anniversary exhibition we sent our resident photographer James Kriszyk along to take some images of the gallery and their current exhibition Nature of the Beast...

The gallery's Jubilee exhibition runs from Monday 13th June until Friday 22nd July and features a spectacular selection of silver sculptures (seventeen have been specially commissioned) from the likes of Damien Hirst, Daniel Chadwick, Antony Gormley, Deborah van der Beek, Terence Coventry,  Ellis O'Connell and many others.

Pick up a copy of our July issue (out now) to read Kate Montgomery's article on Gallery Pangolin's history and a preview of the forthcoming exhibition.

Clay Sinclair: Pop-Up Pop-Art Exhibition

'Art Therapy'

Stroud based artist Clay Sinclair has again opened the doors to his pop up gallery space at number 48 High Street, Stroud to exhibit a series of provocative pop paintings on perspex.

Dealing with issues of power, prestige and possessions the strikingly colourful paintings offers a modern take on the famed 50's pop art movement incorporating his own unique and playful style.  

'The Church of Clay' - 'Pop Fiction'

The exhibition is open to the public every Saturday from the 28th May until the end of June, and by appointment on 07968868397. Visit www.claysinclair.com for further info and be sure to pick up a copy of our July issue as we delve further into the Church of Clay...

Exhibition Preview: Alexandra Darbyshire - It Fell From Earth by Paul Harper

'Sky Is Ground' and 'Vapour Wave'

The first time that I saw Alexandra's work she had not long relocated to Stroud from Canada. At that time, whilst her paintings tended towards abstraction, they never quite transcended their starting points in imagery, sometimes of underwater scenes and, most strikingly, of military aircraft dropping decoy flares in patterns known as ‘angels of death’, intended to deflect enemy fire. Colour and surface were achieved by painstakingly layering tinted varnishes. The results were highly worked, dream-like images with slick lustrous surfaces, suffused with a queasy crepuscular light. Out of this dim half-light there were faint glows and sudden flashes of phosphorescence. They carried a sense of mysterious depth and of something coming into being, something dark, faintly repellent, but nevertheless compelling.

This work was continuous with the paintings that Alexandra had received wide recognition for in Canada.  The working methods that had evolved through her early career sustained her through a period of transition into a new life in a new country. But she came to a point when, having built a new studio, she wanted to break away from the established routines of her practice, to let go of self-imposed rules and to reflect the bigger changes that had happened in her life. Her approach to this transformation has been characteristically rigorous and systematic. Where she once worked within a tight, constraining, framework she has forced herself to paint spontaneously. Where the earlier work had a kind of meticulous, painterly precision, these new paintings have a loose, vivid unpredictability. The surfaces are no longer glossy, but are energetically course, with vigorous brush marks and crusty layers of thick paint. Her palate still includes murky, dark tones, but these are now overlaid with sickly ice-cream pastel colours that fizz with chemical toxicity. She paints quickly onto paper and board, taped to the walls of the studio, casting work aside as she goes along and then returning to it later, ripping out sections and collaging them together to create sudden disruptions and juxtapositions. Torn edges and fragments of tape are left to be incorporated into the new assemblages. This work has a raw, dynamic force, but it is never unintentional. It draws on all of Alexandra’s experience and understanding as an artist.

'Moon Force' and 'Tonsil Heaven'

Looking at Alexandra’s earlier work, I was reminded of Turner’s paintings of Norham Castle at sunrise. They had something of the same sense of imminence, of a world swimming into focus in the gathering light. The reference persists in this new work, but where it once evoked primordial, organic processes it has now taken on more dramatic, cosmic, dimensions, suggesting vast geological events, new worlds emerging out of dark chaos. 

Since coming to the UK Alexandra has had a number of group and solo shows, but this will be her first opportunity to show a coherent collection of new work in Stroud. She is particularly pleased to be showing at Line Gallery, which is an artist-led space curated by Jessie James and Rosalie Darien Jones. Their aim is to create a nurturing space for artists to try out new work and to develop their ideas. It was in just this kind of space that Alexandra was able to build her practice as a young artist herself back in Eastern Canada. 

It Fell From Earth will be exhibitied at the Line Gallery from Monday 30th May and runs until Sunday 12th June. Further information can be found at www.alexandradarbyshire.com and www.linegallery.co.uk

Paul Harper has a wide range of experience of working in the arts. He was a founding director of Alias Arts and is Vice-chair of the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trust. He currently combines writing, research and teaching with consultancy in the visual arts and crafts.

Review: Sam Marsh & Martin Heron - Spot and Stripe @ Line Gallery by Leah Grant

Currently on display at Stroud’s Line Gallery are the works of Martin Heron and Sam Marsh. This joint offering focuses primarily on pattern within a fine art context and in both cases the artists have utilised the very act of pattern-making to create work that challenges the viewer on multiple levels.

Martin Heron: Loitering with Intent, Arrangement and the Choicest Cut

Through the use of painted galvanised steel, Heron constructs forms that could be considered confrontational in nature. The pieces on display at Line Gallery, including Loitering with Intent, Arrangement and The Choicest Cut (a form dripping with red paint, reminiscent of a piece of bloody meat) are, by virtue of their material, unequivocally solid. Against the gallery’s white walls, their vivid colours cement their permanence, their twisted forms highlighting, perhaps, that toughness does not preclude manipulation.

Sam Marsh: Circle Blue Sky and Diamond

Marsh’s painted canvases aren't just striking in appearance, their bright often clashing colours and fractured patterns draw the eye to something that is vaguely familiar; and yet, as we take in the carefully constructed cubes and frenzied spirals of paint, pinpointing that familiarity becomes difficult. More important than finding a recognisable image within these painted ‘collages’is the process that’s involved in creating them. Quickly we find ourselves marvelling at the way shapes are abruptly halted in their path, at the way new colours, new patterns, are revealed beneath the artist’s swirling marks. Marsh’s use of shape extends as far as the surface on which he creates these pieces – on display at Line Gallery, circular and diamond shaped canvases assure that these works have a carefully crafted sense of completeness, reaffirming the unconventional nature of Marsh’s work.

Spot and Stripe is an exhibition that expertly straddles the fine line between public accessibility and creative innovation whilst highlighting the originality and uniqueness of two exceptional artists.

The exhibition runs until this Saturday 14th May, visit www.linegallery.co.uk for further info!

Leah Grant is a writer and photographer with a keen interest in art and literature. On her blog, Bellyful of Art, you can find reviews of exhibitions, installations, dance performances and literary events as well as her own lovingly created pieces of short fiction artbellyful.wordpress.com

Let's Try Arts - A New Online Arts Platform

Stroud based artist and entrepreneur Katherine Bryan-Merrett has teamed up with Miles Owen one of the founding directors of Ecotopia, and Very Software Directors Sergei Golubev & Vitalij Kudresov to launch Let’s Try Arts. Starting in Gloucestershire then being rolled out nationwide, Let’s Try Arts is an exciting way to search for and book on to creative workshops.

"There are so many fantastic workshops, courses and classes being offered by artists but we rarely get to hear about them. I wanted to make it simple to find out what’s going on in your area by creating a ‘one-stop-shop’ for creative workshops and activities” Katherine goes on to say “making it easy for both the artist and for their customers, our aim is to become the biggest on-line platform for creative workshops.”

Local arts venues such as; Victoria Works Studios, Hawkwood College, Atelier and SIT select  have been some of the first to get involved by adding their upcoming workshops, courses and classes to the Let’s Try Arts website. Not only will the site help local people find out what’s going on but it could also have an impact on tourism.

It is a website for finding creative activities in your local area: drawing, craft, textiles, sculpture, dance, music, writing... you name it! 

"Art has always been a joyful thing to participate in, to watch, to experience, to learn about, to grow with and further develop your own skills and expertise. Our focus here at Let's Try Arts is to make it more accessible to more people. We believe that art and being creative are things to enjoy and have fun with, we want everyone to have a go at something new. Who knows, you might just find a secret talent you never knew about."

As a special launch promotion, Let’s Try Arts are currently offering FREE listings. Arts venues or individuals can sign up and add their workshops, courses, classes or other ticketed creative activities for free for a limited time only. If you are interested to find out more, then get in touch by visiting their website: www.letstryarts.com or by emailing: team@letstryarts.com