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| Carloyn White - Gold and Indigo Horsley Valley |
There is a quality and inspiration to be found in the Stroud Valleys
landscape that attracts and nurtures artistic talent. There are several
hundred artists hidden away in the hills and valleys that surround the
town and annually, in early June, many of them open their studio doors
as part of the Open Studios Festival. For two weeks painters, sculptors,
weavers, potters and a whole range of craft makers welcome visitors to
their workplaces and galleries to see demonstrations and participate in
workshops. At every one of the seventy or so venues there are bargains
to be sought and works of art to be bought at prices to suit every pocket.
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| Rebecca Macpherson - Inscriptions Between Trees |
Organiser Jo Leahy says, “Thanks to the success of previous years, there are a lot of new artists taking part this year, in fact around half the studios will be new to Open Studios. International interest will be provided by a group of Swedish artists and it looks like we’ll have at least 90 studios taking part, maybe even break the 100 mark for the first time.”
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| Imogen Harvey Lee - stained glass |
There is plenty of debate about what draws so many artists to the area. In part it is the echo of the Arts and Crafts movement which flourished here in the early 20th century. In part it is the landscape; Norman Jewson stepped off a train in nearby Cirencester in 1907, set off for a few days exploration and was so taken with the surroundings he stayed for the rest of his life. In many places the landscape is little changed since Jewsons’ day and the nooks and hollows, with their characteristic warm Costwold stone cottages, feed the creative spirit. In part also it is the need for companionship and with so many like minded people around there is an atmosphere of support and encouragement and the opportunity to exhibit locally and develop artistically.
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| Jo Leahy and Neil Walker, Implant |
Nick Cudworth sums it up, “Unlike the prime villages of the Cotswolds, Stroud is more earthy and unpretentious. Of course it’s easy to forget sometimes how magnificent the surrounding landscape and its natural riches are – a convenient free gift for any artist.” Landscape painter Carolyn White points out, “When you go into a café in Stroud you can find people who will understand if you start talking about the difficulty of finding a particular colour. Painting can be a lonely way of life so it is good to find this camaraderie.”
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 Top floor at Artspace - Open Studios Preview, June 2000 |
The focus for many of the local artists is Stroud Valleys Artspace, a collection of artists' workspaces and studios based in a disused warehouse in the centre of Stroud. It is the organisational skills of Jo Leahy and Neil Walker in the Artspace office that pull together the diverse artistic talent for the two weeks in June. Last year the festival focussed on the landscape and included an international link-up with a contingent of French artists exhibiting in the town.
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| Open Studios Taster Exhibition |
With so much on offer it is hard to know where to start so Jo Leahy says, “Get started by visiting the taster exhibition that we organise in temporary gallery space in the town centre. After visiting this and seeing samples of work from many of the participating artists you will have a clearer idea of which studios you’d like to visit. We’ll provide a catalogue with directions and a map so then you can set off to explore the vast variety of open studios and enjoy the local landscape.”
2001 Open Studios Festival takes place 9th – 23rd of June. The taster
exhibition is open for the whole period and studios are open to visitors
on the weekends of 16/17th and 22nd/23rd from 10-5pm.
For more information see: www.sva.org.uk
