Monday, 29 June 2009
Art Trek 2009
This weekend, Jon and I decided to go on an Art Trek. This event was part of the North Devon Festival and was on 19-21 June as well as 26-28 June. Jon and I like to get involved in arty and musical stuff in our local area, so this event is right up our street! We managed to get to four of the fifty venues, and saw lots that we liked!!
On Saturday we started by heading to Broomhill Art Hotel to see Dave Green's cameraless photography workshops and the North Devon Arts Square Picture Show. Both of these were good: Dave is an artist we've seen a few times and his art is always captivating, while the Square Picture Show had a variety of talent to admire.
We then drove down to the Little Gallery on the Farm near Shebbear to see art by Sarah Boait (photography based on the natural world and mythological connections), Neil Jeffers (paintings influenced by colour psychology), April Doubleday (ethical jewellery) and Ben Yates ("photo-cubism"). These were all fantastic, but I think Ben's pieces blew us away the most - his use of 3D really makes the images stand out. :)
On Sunday we started at the Old School Rooms in North Molton, where we were mostly interested in Jane Templeman, who makes lovely bags; Maureen Stanley, who works with stained glass and had some pretty tea-light holders for sale; Sandra Adams, who makes very beautiful plates and bowls from wood; and Ken Hildrew, who paints stunning views of Exmoor.
Having enjoyed the above, we drove on to the 360° Trust to see the artists in the Gallery @ 360°. Jonathan Kiff had a stunning dressing table on display, with curves inspired by the sea. Vincent Large's work included a gorgeous desk, a comfy-looking chair and a bench that I didn't ever want to leave! Jacob Van Der Beugel had made some lovely ceramic pots and vases, while Bob Crooks' glass vases were beautifully colourful. Some of Peter Ward's paintings were there, too, but their earthy colours are more to Jon's taste than mine.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed this year's Art Trek and were impressed everywhere we went. We both highly recommend all the above, so please do check out the Websites and see what you think!
