Every year the month of May brings the Brighton Festival to our doorstep. It’s our annual arts festival and is billed as the largest in England, this year the guest artistic director is the novalist Ali Smith. The festival launched on Saturday with the Children’s Parade but my favourite part is always the Artist Open House’s (AOH) where artists and craft people literally open up their houses for the public to view and buy their work. So on Sunday in the drizzle I managed to squeeze in visits to 12 venues and here are my favourites so far in the 2015 festival.
SNUG featuring my good friend Abigail Bowen who creates small, life studies of nudes, produced quickly in acrylic. I also really liked the arresting portraits by Victoria Chalmers that greet you as you enter the house.
The Dog Show where I wanted practically everything. If you love dogs, you will love this house. Dominic Gubb had the most amazing mixed media dog sculpture and if I didn’t have a two year old I’d have purchased his rope sculpture. Felted Fido made felt treasures that were dogs that could sit in your hand with the most exquisite facial expressions. I’m itching to commission one of Milo.
Art at Belmont where I had a small world moment when I met Liz Fowler as I’ve previously rented her house (here). I was quite taken with a painting by Tony Fowler (Liz’s Dad) and by her sister’s prints, Helen Black. I’ll be back for a second look I think
Dion SalvadorLloyd who’s in his 15th year exhibiting and who I purchased a gorgeous oil painting from at last years AOH. His work is always jaw-droppingly beautiful. It would be tempting to add a trio of his smaller paperwork’s to my office. Better give my credit card to my husband š
I was quite taken aback when I stumbled into the lovely studio of Adrian WalkerArts. His large-scale light filled oil paintings were otherworldly and he was a thoroughly nice person to chat with. Plus I’d never seen the “mews” where his studio was before in all my years in Brighton.
The 2015 AOH festival started on 2nd May and runs for four weekends until Sunday 24th May. To find out more visit here
Images above are clockwise from top right
1) Francesca Grace McLeod 2)Abigail Bowen, Snug 3)
Mary amazing bumping into you on Sunday! Wonderful to met you & do pop back to Belmont, thank you for the mention x
Liz it was very funny when you were saying I recognise you and I was no I don't think so. I must engineer a stay at your lovely Norfolk cottage again https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/3652033