ingénu/e magazine, issue 24, Spring 2019

creative talent revealed south downs and high weald : issue 24: spring 2019

Art Trails & Open Studios artists & makers open their doors fabulous festivals plus theatre, music & dance book reviews, poetry & photography creative courses

ingénu/e

creative talent revealed contents

Hello dear readers, welcome to our Spring issue!

I've been reading a lot lately. It is said that everyone has a book in them. I'm sure there is something to that. But not everyone has the skill or imagination to bring to fruition a book of sufficient note or quality to make its mark. I include, in this mini-rant, some authors who, quite honestly, should know better. Those for whom writing is perhaps a second career. I'm talking about those well-known folk who have made a name for themselves in another field, and just decide to 'try their hand' at writing. Mentioning no names, I recently read a novel by a Personality and although the premise seemed attractive, the story was about as impinging as a luke-warm bath. The indie authors' books I've been reading recently would knock it out of the park.

But that's just me. We are all different, our tastes will differ accordingly. In any case, who am I to criticise anyone who is being creative. I subscribe to the notion that Life follows Art, therefore those who strive to be truly creative should be encouraged – who knows, they may change the world.

Gill Kaye editor@ingenuemagazine.co.uk for press releases pressdesk@ingenuemagazine.co.uk sales & marketing Roger Kaye sales@ingenuemagazine.co.uk 07583 944546 07816 838694 online www.ingenuemagazine.co.uk and big thanks to 2 Way Communcations for their invaluable help on the website www.2waycomm cover image

The Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers are the UK's longest established Taiko ensemble, and Europe's only professional touring company of this thrilling & energetic performing art. They are appearing on Sunday 19th May at Horsham Capitol Theatre.

"if it's not in ingénu/e... is it actually happening?!"

I'm currently reading The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams – it's been on my bookshelves for I don't know how many years but I'm on a mission to read a book I already possess before buying a new one (and I love buying books) so it was its turn. The story opens in an animal testing facility, with a large dog struggling to keep afloat in a tank of water while white-coated scientists with clipboards looked on. The idea was to time how long he would struggle before giving up and sinking, then haul him out once he'd stopped moving but just before he actually drowned. This process was repeated on a daily basis, with devastating effects on the animal. The description was vivid but matter-offact – which made it all the more impinging to the reader (i.e. me).

The Plague Dogs was written in 1977 and while, in the preface, it states that "every 'experiment' described is one which has actually been carried out on animals somewhere", I hoped that in our modern enlightened age this kind of inhumane practice had been consigned to the history books. There is now increasingly heightened awareness and consumer kick-back against animal-testing. Perhaps Richard Adams has had a part to play in that.

So we are on the cusp of Spring, the sun is getting warmer, the daffs are in full blowsyness and the magnificent, stately magnolia down the road is unfurling its exotic blooms. Birds are scurrying around busily preparing for the season ahead, magpies raiding the silver birch for bendy twigs and crows making off with beakfuls of fur from next-door's malamute cross. And artists and makers, writers, musicians and performers across the region are gearing up for a burst of creative activity to match the burgeoning season – all for us to enjoy, or join in... or both!

–Gill Kaye, editor

spotlight on... art trails & open studios

It's that time again. When artists and makers across the country gather up their collections of work and tidy their studios and galleries ready for the wave of discerning visitors eager to add a more aesthetic element to their lives. It is an opportunity for artists to engage with the public, and for visitors to gain an insight into the artists' work – and take home an original piece of art. Here in the southeast corner of England we are rich in both beautiful creativity and the stunning landscapes that inspire it. So take the opportunity this spring to get out there and enjoy both!

Deborah Richards

Artist Printmaker & Sculptor

Deborah Richards is looking forward to meeting visitors and friends at her forthcoming solo exhibition at Emsworth Museum during the 2019 Emsworth Art Trail in April/May and for the two weekends following. In August she will be exhibiting at the Arundel Gallery Trail.

Exploring that creative space between abstraction and representation by drawing in situ, her works invite you to share her expressive interpretation of the local South Downs landscape, Solent coast, sea

crossings and fairgrounds, capturing colour, movement, changing light and weather. Unique oil on paper monotypes, paintings, drawings, ceramic sculpture and cards are for sale.

Deborah enjoyed a 30-year highly creative career as a 2D and 3D designer and exhibition organiser in public museums. After rediscovering printmaking in 2010 she began to win prizes and recognition in open art competitions including the IOW Open, Strides Open and the Sussex Open at Pallant House. This kick-started her second career as a full-time artist since 2016.

She is a member of the well-respected Chichester Artel artists group. Her work can also be found at several private galleries. Please see her website for further information. www.deborahrichards.co.uk

Fleur Grenier, Pewtersmith, (WAOH & Standen House)

Lorraine Gibby Inspired Jewellery

June – Worthing Artists Open Houses

July – Standen House 'The Beauty of Life'

Dominated by the use and perception of colour, Lorraine uses traditional print-making techniques on aluminium, to produce unique raw material. Her interest in old textiles and their history influences the surface designs and textures, and she enjoys the challenge of momentarily deceiving the eye into wondering if the material is cold, hard metal, or soft pliable textile transformed into an unyielding shape. She experiments with a variety of printing methods, from naïve block prints, etched and cut lino prints, and sharp digitally imaged screen prints.

Lorraine’s use of form is usually traceable to flora and fauna. Currently her studies of cacti and succulents, their statuesque shapes, fantastic flowers and deceptive surfaces lure her into layering metals and stones to capture something of their individuality.

Her eye for colour leads Lorraine to unusual gemstones, chosen for unique character and freeform shapes. She has a large collection, and can usually source something special to suit your requirements. Alternative engagement rings and special anniversaries are always an inspiration! www.lorrainegibby.com lorrainegibby.tictail.com

Worthing Artists Open Houses

Venue 35 for 3 weekends –15/16, 22/23, 29/30th June suncroftstudios.co.uk

Standen House, East Grinstead

‘The Beauty of Life’ Open 8th – 31st July.

Lorraine Gibby – Aluminium and Precious Jewellery

Fleur Grenier – Pewtersmith

Lara Sparks – Machine

embroidered Lampshades, Cushions and Pictures

Angela Evans – Ceramics

Ming Art Gallery

Ming

Art Gallery is a creative haven nestled in leafy Montefiore Road, Hove. Situated opposite Montefiore Hospital and a stone’s throw from pretty St Anne’s Well’s Gardens, it is located in a beautifully tranquil part of the city which makes it just the place to pick up an uplifting artwork to brighten your soul!

You will find exuberantly expressive paintings overflowing with warmth and joie de vivre, rich sensual florals, calm contemplations of the surrounding landscape in figurative and abstract form, plus elegant designs of Brighton’s iconic edifices. Ming Art Gallery is also home to meditative sculptures, unique ceramics, a selection of designer homeware, plus handcrafted jewellery. Discover your own creativity with their art workshops too.

All of the Ming artists are local and will be manning the gallery during the May Artists Open House weekends, as part of the Hove Arts Trail, so this is a great opportunity to discover Ming Art Gallery and learn more about your favourite artworks and their creators. They will be open 7 days a week, 11am-6pm, during the Artists Open House Festival, and there is a special offer for ingénu/e readers – quote 'ingénu/e' to receive 10% off any purchase.

Usual opening hours are Mon to Sat 11am-6pm. For further information and the gallery online shop, visit www.mingartgallery.com

Ming Art Gallery

spotlight on... art trails & open studios

Worthing Artists Open Houses

Fans and new visitors alike will be delighted with the diversity and eclecticism of this year’s Worthing Artists Open Houses. The event runs over three weekends in June and 57 venues are opening their doors to welcome you in. There is an astonishing variety of work to enjoy; the artists include professional designers, printmakers, painters, ceramicists, makers, sculptors, photographers and jewellers, alongside amateurs and enthusiasts, students and schoolchildren. The WAOH team encourage wide participation from the community, enriching the event with all sorts of departures from the ordinary, experimentation and adventure.

Art lovers will find inspiration in the use of unusual materials, new approaches to traditional subjects, and technical innovation. Visitors can enjoy viewing a range of art in a variety of venues, and an opportunity to talk with artists and other visitors in an informal and sociable environment.

The Open Houses art trail in Worthing is compact enough to follow on foot or bicycle, with delightful places a little further out also easily accessible by bus or car. We invite you to wander, and wonder.

Visit www.worthingartistsopenhouses.com for full information about this year’s venues and artists, including interactive map.

Weekends of June 15/16, 22/23 & 29/30, free entry.

Sussex Printmakers

part of Worthing Artists Open Houses in Colonnade House

Sussex

Printmakers is a fine art printmaking studio located in Worthing town centre. We offer

open access studio sessions and we run a diverse range of stimulating, artist-led courses in a friendly and creative environment.

As part of Worthing Artists Open Houses this summer, we will have a small exhibition in the studio gallery for artists who have either printed in our studio or joined our courses, as well as workshops and demonstrations during the three weeks in the gallery.

Our aim is to promote printmaking to a wider audience, also to encourage students to develop confidence in their own artistic abilities and ideas. There are taster sessions and chances to try out printmaking, both for beginners or artists who want to return to printing. Together with offers on courses in the 2019-2020 term, it is a great opportunity to sign up for something new or expand your ability in this medium. Become a member to receive our newsletter and opportunities to exhibit.

Contact Peon at sussexprintmakers@gmail.com or visit www.sussexartandprintmaking.co.uk

Colonnade House

Worthing

Artists Open Houses

Your journey of discovery around the Worthing Artists Open Houses art trail starts at Colonnade House. Where better to collect your guide and orientate yourself than from the centre of town? Grab a coffee and a bite to eat at one of Warwick Street's cafés, and then begin with a look at the two fabulous exhibitions that we have on offer.

Peon Boyle’s print studio is on the top floor of Colonnade House and she regularly exhibits here as part of the Sussex Printmakers group. For WAOH she is mounting a solo show, and will be on hand with demos and info about all things print.

In the Main Gallery Ruth Mulvie returns with a new collection of paintings and prints. Her fantastical scenes are vivid in ice-cream colours and sunny tones. Beyond the strong, visual prowess, Mulvie’s work powerfully simulates a mood; her art transports us to sunnier climbs and invites us into glorious vistas and are snapped up by collectors in the UK and abroad.

There will be plenty of affordable work to see and buy. All details at colonnadehouse.co.uk

The West End Gallery Worthing Artists Open Houses

Sarah Sepe and Barry Williams will be celebrating their Gallery's third birthday this year. Set in a traditional Victorian corner shop in Worthing’s West End – an area that is rapidly gaining a reputation for its eclectic mix of independent shops, galleries, cafes and restaurants – the Gallery is also their working studio, so a visit is a great opportunity to meet the makers and to discover what artists actually do all day.

Their original artwork includes Sarah's textile-inspired art and sculptural ‘Wire Works’, Barry's photography and quirky recycled mixed-media ‘Conversation Pieces’, plus an interesting selection of their unique framed artwork, cards and prints. All are for sale.

Their aim is to showcase locally-made art at realistic prices in an informal, friendly setting so that everyone can, hopefully, find something to suit their pocket.

For three weeks from Saturday 15th June Sarah and Barry have invited three local guest artists – Christiane Kersten (ceramics), Denise Strange (painting) and Jo Collard (textiles) – to join them at the Gallery when, once again, they will be taking part in the annual Worthing Artist's Open Houses Trail, find them at www.worthingartistsopenhouses.com

On the 7th of every month Sarah and Barry host a networking breakfast for local artists and art enthusiasts at Brunswick & Thorn Bistro in Worthing, www. brunswickandthorn.com. It is open to all artists and art-lovers so you would be very welcome to come along. Full details at www.worthingartstudios.com

pictured clockwise from top left: Michele Morrod; Ruth Mulvie, Sidesurf; Sarah Sepe, Beach Collage (detail); Barry Williams, Heavy Lift; Peon Boyle, Mill Hill

spotlight on... art trails & open studios

Eastbourne Spring Open Houses

13th/14th & 20th/21st April

Over two weekends this Spring, the artists and makers of Eastbourne open their doors to the public again. It is a fabulous opportunity to visit artists' houses and studios, see their work and gain insight into their working practices.

Continuing a ten year tradition, this Spring sees a few new exciting developments: DC (Devonshire Collective) are holding another Postcard Exhibition to celebrate their second birthday exhibiting original postcard size artwork for sale at just £20 for each piece.

The Enterprise Centre will be holding 'Fibre Fest –All Things Textile' over the first weekend.

There is also Three Views, a new exhibition of paintings from Simon Spare, Julian Sutherland-Beatson and JFK Turner at the Birley Centre, next to Towner.

A number of participants have been involved since the beginning including The Big House (showing the work of up to 15 artists), @The Makery in The Enterprise Centre (an artists' co-operative), weaver and painter Elda Abramson and The Clay Workshop in Commercial Mews North.

There are many other talented artists showing work around the town over the two weekends and there is a full colour brochure available from The Tourist Information Centre in Cornfield Road and at many other places around the town.

Call 07768 387980 for information. www.eastbourneartists.co.uk

@ The Makery Eastbourne Spring Open Houses

Eastbourne’s

@ The Makery is the only retail outlet in the town managed as an artists’ cooperative. Sited within the Enterprise Centre it’s just a few minutes walk away from the railway station. If you're looking for something unique we stock an eclectic range of hand-crafted art, craft and home furnishings, paintings and prints, ceramics, fused and cast glass, textiles, jewellery, woodturning and furniture.

With a rehang every six weeks and featuring guest artists there is always something new to see. @ The Makery collaborates with a range of events organised with the Enterprise Centre. Fibre Fest will be back on the 13th & 14th April in the Enterprise Centre. This successful speciality show, now into its third year, incorporates all things textiles.

With over 25 exhibitors, plus demos and workshops it is a must for your diary. Do pay us a visit; you are assured a warm welcome by the artist on duty. With prices ranging from just a few pounds to a few hundred there really is something for everyone here. For all the info go to www.themakery.me.uk

spotlight on... art trails & open studios

Jessops Farm Studios

Heard about Art in June last year but failed to visit? Well, it’s back! Sixty artists and crafters, in eighteen studios across the Sevenoaks and Eden Valley, invite you to visit, meet artists, enjoy workshops, coffee and cake. Art in June is co-ordinating with South East Open Studios, so plenty to see if you plan your day.

The eye-catching yellow booklet will be available widely but you can view it, page by page, at www. artinjune.org. Contact details are there too, in case you have queries.

Jessops Farm Studios has eight artists this year and an extended programme of workshops, demonstrations and talks during Art in June: Sat 8th – Mixed Media & Watercolour Flower workshops; Sun 9th – Pet portrait demonstration; Sat 22nd – talk on ‘A Sense of Place’, Washing Lines in Watercolour workshop, Sunday 23rd – Landscape Painting demonstration.

Jessops Farm Studios, Tonbridge Rd, Bough Beech Edenbridge TN8 7AU: 01892 870067, email: cathy.bird1@btopenworld.com.

Art in June runs 7th to 23rd June 2019. Studio is open Wednesday to Sunday 10.00am to 6.00pm. Late opening till 9.00pm Fridays & Saturdays Closed Mondays & Tuesdays.

South East Open Studios

Now in its 22nd year, artists, craftspeople, printmakers and designers open their studio spaces for South East Open Studios.

Open to the public from the 7th to the 23rd of June, 2019, art lovers can grab a guide, create their own art trail and explore both the creativity and the beautiful landscape of the South East this summer (sunshine not guaranteed).

For the 17 days of the event, artists throw open their studio doors to the public and visitors can tour and explore unusual studio spaces from custom sheds to remote workshops, beachside galleries to beautiful purpose-built studios. Seeing the creativity artists put into their work spaces can be as fascinating as the art itself, and throughout the event many artists will be demonstrating in their studios. It’s the perfect opportunity to meet the creators behind distinctive and inspiring artworks, including ceramics, sculpture, glasswork, painting, printmaking and textiles. Many studios are family-friendly, offering adults and children the chance to ask questions and find out about a new skill. If you’ve ever daydreamed of yourself as a painter, potter or jeweller, this could be your first step in a new adventure.

www.seos-art.org

spotlight on... art trails & open studios

Brighton & Hove Artists Open Houses

The Artists Open Houses offer visitors the chance to see locally made, seriously good arts and crafts in artists’ homes and studios. The festival is an inclusive community event, welcoming artists and visitors of all ages and from all areas of the community.

Over four weekends in May, artists open their doors to offer work from over 1,000 artists exhibiting more than 180 venues across the city, out to Rottingdean, Newhaven, Ditchling and beyond. Artists work in media ranging from painting, photography, sculpture, film and installation, to ceramics, textiles and jewellery and include young and emerging artists exhibiting alongside established artists. A significant number of venues show the work of artists who may otherwise be excluded from the mainstream art world – those who have experienced periods of homelessness, are in recovery, or have learning disabilities or mental health issues. A pleasure of visiting Artists Open Houses is

the joy and surprise of discovery. Tour the trails, view the art – and with homemade tea and cake on offer too, the Artists Open Houses are a very special weekend treat.

Weekends Sat 4th to Sun 26th May www.aoh.org.uk

far left: Geo Parkin Quick Poses Session; left: Jane Walker, Ken Eardley Jug, Pot and Pear

Longleys Studio Barns

Now in their 12th year, Longleys Studio Barns’ art shows have gathered momentum and at this year’s event on two weekends in June, we can offer you a very large, varied and exciting selection of art.

High quality paintings, original prints, indoor and garden sculptures, ceramics and stunning jewellery by fourteen professional artists will be exhibited in our farmhouse, barns and beautiful, tranquil country gardens. Refreshments will be served in one of the barns and in the gardens in aid of the St. Wilfrid’s Hospice Charity.

Weekends of 8th & 9th June and 15th & 16th June, 11.00am – 5.00pm. Longleys Studio Barns, Harebeating Lane, Hailsham BN27 1ER. 077 4010 4501 www.longleysstudiobarns.com

pictured below: Sculptures in the gardens of Longleys Studio Barns

V Pease

Jewellery

Vee will be exhibiting in two new venues at this year’s Brighton Artists’ Open Houses. The first is at Milton House, 72 Clyde Road, Brighton BN1 4NP. Milton House has been on the best house shortlist for the last six years.

Vee will also be exhibiting at Bowley & Gallagher Funeral Directors, 209 Preston Road, Brighton BN1 6SA. This is a new venue and has a lovely, large, light-filled showroom which makes a fantastic gallery.

Open Houses are open every weekend in May. Opening times and other details will be available at aoh.org.uk, or in the AOH brochure 2019.

Vee’s jewellery is inspired by the natural world that she sees on daily walks on the Downs. Petals, leaves, flowers and pebbles are sketched and photographed for design ideas. Vee then makes these designs into jewellery; forging, shaping and soldering each piece, sometimes incorporating semi-precious stones.

Visit vpjewellery.co.uk for examples of Vee’s work.

Vee Pease, silver charm bracelet with semi-precious stones

The Horsham Artists Open Studios Art Trail

The Horsham Artists Open Studios Art Trail is an established fixture on the summer art calendar – a cross between a day of artistic discovery and a quintessential English high summer day out punctuated by tea and cakes in a garden! As ever it takes place over two consecutive weekends, this year June 8th & 9th and then June 15th & 16th.

That gives you ample time to visit a selection of the various artists’ studios, homes or shared venues around Horsham from Ashington in the south to Warnham in the north. Horsham Artists are widely respected for both the quality and breadth of their work and you’ll get to see everything from painting to sculpture and textiles to jewellery along with craft and upcycling.

Most of all you get the opportunity to spend time with and talk to the artists and gain an insight into their working practices and techniques used in their creative process. Entry is free and all the work is original and locally made with prices to suit all pockets. There is no better way to spend a flaming June weekend or two!

www.horshamartistsopenstudios.co.uk

Katherine Lawrie

Working from in her studio on the outskirts of Steyning, West Sussex, Katherine Lawrie creates one-off and bespoke pieces of jewellery.

You’ll find her work for sale in several different venues over the year, including The Montague Gallery in Worthing, Basement 93 in Steyning, The Mall Galleries, London as part of the Society of Botanical Artists Exhibition, and her Open Studio which will be part of the Steyning Arts Trail, which starts on Saturday 25th May and continues over the Bank holiday weekend and 1st and 2nd June. All dates and details are on her website.

She also sells her work via Folksy online.

Inspiration comes from many sources, however a predominant one is the natural world and its forms. You can see this influence in the sterling silver, silver gilt and gold floral, botanical and British wildlife inspired jewels she designs and makes. Her work is richly textural, often with only an essence of what created the texture remaining. This gives the work an ethereal charm, which when mixed with semi precious gems and beads is truly striking.

www.klawriejewellery.co.uk

spotlight on... art trails & open studios

amazingly creative range of affordable art and crafts, and maybe buy that special piece direct from the artist!

Artists range from established, highly regarded, widely exhibited – nationally and beyond, to returning favourites and exciting new artists.

Many of these offer art courses, so you may be inspired to join them!

Pete Gilbert and the Hampshire Open Studios

Hampshire Open Studios has been going now for 19 years and each year it seems to go one better, finding new artists and new venues, with over 250 studios, galleries, and art groups opening their doors throughout the county. For me it’s the best of times, ten days of meeting people, talking about watercolours, techniques, sketch books, composition, colour, drinking coffee and of course hoping for a sale or two.

I open my studio and house for the full ten days, sharing the space with exceptionally talented photographer Hugh Lohan, Nicky Gilbert’s wonderful freshwater pearl and beaded jewellery plus a couple of guest artists or makers.

I am currently painting mainly contemporary landscapes of the New Forest or the coast from Cornwall and the Scottish Western Isles.

So if you find yourself in Hampshire and in the New Forest between the 17th and 26th August please do drop in – find Woodgreen and follow the pink signs to my studio!

Saturday 17th to Bank Holiday 26th August. www.hampshireopenstudios.org.uk

Isle of Wight

Open Studios

Take a voyage of discovery to the Island of Art.

Entry is free to all venues, whether small groups of artists in studios and venues, or solo artists in studios.You can be sure of a warm Island welcome wherever you go.

Visit beautiful parts of this artistic Island from all the ferry ports.

Use the free Yearbook showing you the location and profiles of the artists, with the dates they are open, to create your art trails. Obtainable from tourist points, Red Funnel, libraries, National Trust, galleries, bookshops and some hotels. It can also be downloaded from www.isleofwightarts.com, or email info@isleofwightarts.com for a copy.

Isle of Wight Arts Open Studios 2019 is the major art event on the Island, over 11 days from 12th to 22nd July inclusive, with up to 150 artists/craft designers/makers happily opening their doors at studios and venues across the Wight.

Meet the artists, watch them working, see an

Karin Moorhouse part of Arundel Gallery Trail

Karin Moorhouse is a painter of places and people, memories and thoughts. Her work covers many aspects and subjects and she delights in working with a variety of medium and method. As thoughts can tumble over each other so each single image Karin may use as the focus of a painting can be worked up in multiple layers or in a variety of materials and to this end she will mix drawing, painting, print making and in some cases gilding.

This method of working also illustrates for Karin our innate ability to keep several thoughts running concurrently while at the same time making decisions and communicating something completely different. Karin sees this as a natural multi-tasking ability and at the same time a repeating example of how we are always on the move. If we are not physically embarking on even the most humble journey our minds are always on the go; at the ready to move on to explore another trail of thought, to revisit an old familiar memory... and sometimes Karin paints for the simple joy of it and to try to capture the beauty she sees around her!

Karin will be showing her work as part of Arundel Gallery Trail, 17th to 26th August, along with maker of gutsy rings Victoria Lovell of Bauble and Hoop. www.arundelgallerytrail.co.uk www.karinmoorhouseart.com

above: Bauble and Hoop, Kingman Turquoise ring; below: Karin Moorhouse, The Invitation

Bauble and Hoop

Maker of sterling silver & semi precious stone statement rings, Victoria Lovell creates gutsy rings to bring out the magnificence of the wearer. Somehow a pottery apprenticeship, 25 years as a ceramic artist, a degree in archaeology, a university lecturer for 18 years, a gallery owner for 10 years, a keen dabbler in jewellery making for over 15 years, a life-long fascination with semi-precious stones and the proud owner of four dogs has led her to this place. So she decided to share her enthusiasm for creating one-of-a-kind beautiful rings to inspire individuality and Bauble & Hoop was born. Her motto is “You are unique individual – celebrate it.”

You can see her work during the Brighton Festival from 4th to 26th May as part of the ‘Beyond the Level Trail’ at the Glass in Fusion Studio, Unit 9 Beaconsfield Studios, 25 Ditchling Rise. Also Exhibiting: Stephanie Else and her lovely kiln formed glass as well as bespoke leather goods by Graham Whittaker. The South of England Show 6th to 8th June and at the Arundel Gallery Trail 17th to 26th August with the very talented Karin Moorhouse at 1 School Lane. baubleandhoop. co.uk

spotlight on... art trails & open studios

Susie Olford

Chichester Art Trail first two weekends in May

Spring is Sprung and there is a spring in my palette knife. May time is Open Studio Trail time. As always I will be exhibiting in my light-filled barn; part of the rebranded Regis region. There will be colour and excitement in my impressionist work for you to view. My easel will be up, I will work on an oil painting during the Trail with painting knife, brush, various things – my collection of tools used to apply paint depicting moods of land, sea and weather. Humorous wine cards also on display.

The Hamlet of Flansham is my venue, found just off the A259 and close to the eastern side of Felpham. Easily reached along the A259 from Worthing, Littlehampton, Bognor and Chichester, as well as dropping south from Arundel. PO22 8NJ search will show you the spot. There is ample free carparking, and wheelchair access. Saturday, Sunday & Monday 4th, 5th, 6th May; 11th, 12th May, 10.30 'til 17.30.

Visit chichesterarttrail.org for info. See you in Flansham. Watch for the Green Arrows.

Susie Olford e-mail: smoart@btinternet.com

Unlimited Art

Chichester Art Trail: Venue 99 in Runcton

Havingbeen captivated and immersed in creativity all her life, Gilli endeavours to capture a sense of place and mood in all her artworks. Inspired by her love of water and the sea, nature and travel, Gilli constantly records impressions of what she sees and feels. She will be featuring many of her seascapes, semi-abstract paintings, pastels and more in this year’s Chichester Art Trail from 4th May.

A versatile artist with an ability to work in a variety of mediums and styles, Gilli works from her studio in Runcton. Last year, she embarked on an exciting venture having harboured a 20 year dream to offer inspiring artistic and creative workshops and classes to all who dare to tread. Unlimited Creative is open for many different creative pursuits.

Various galleries have exhibited her work. Commissions are undertaken further to consultation.

The Studio, Saltham Barns, Saltham Lane, Runcton, PO20 1PU. Mobile: 07939 294999, studio: 01243 527 772. e: hello@unlimitedart.co.uk w: unlimitedart.co.uk | unlimitedcreative.co.uk

The Little Art Gallery

The Little Art Gallery in West Wittering is delighted to be exhibiting the work of Sue Green from Friday 3rd May until Thursday 23rd May.

Sue studied art in Nottingham and Vienna with a career in fashion and design, which can be seen in the elegance of her works. She is inspired by the turbulence of the English Channel, the swirling wash and exotic excitement of Africa and South America. Sue approaches these rhythms of shape and colour

from different viewpoints attempting to capture and freeze a moment of movement, quality of light and atmosphere though layers of broad confident brushmarks and a palette of subtle hues and contrasting vibrant colour.

www.thelittleartgallery.online

Frances Knight

May – Sussex Art Fair (West) & June – ‘Between Shore and Sky’

To coincide with this year's Festival of Chichester, Frances Knight will present an exhibition of local seascape paintings at her solo show 'Between Shore and Sky' at the Little Art Gallery in West Wittering from 15th to 30th June. Frances' latest work captures

the effects of light at different times of the day on the changing nature of the coastal landscape, with many paintings featuring Chichester Harbour.

Frances will be exhibiting paintings of local landscapes at the West Sussex Art Fair, Stand 22, Goodwood Racecourse from 17th to 19th May. During the event, Frances will be available to chat with visitors and answer any questions about her work.

A contemporary landscape artist, Frances likes to paint directly from nature exploring the effects of light, colour and structure and then work on larger paintings from these studies once back in the studio. Current work can be viewed at the Nigel Rose Gallery in Brighton, the Little Art Gallery in West Wittering, and by appointment at Frances' studio at The Victoria Institute in Arundel where she also hosts a series of open studio days and classes.

Visit francesknight.com for further information.

above: Frances Knight, October Sunrise 2 Itchenor; right: Catherine Barnes, Over the Cliffs (Sussex Art Fairs)

Sussex Art Fairs (West) 17th to 19th May

Sussex is hosting two new contemporary art fairs in the UK in 2019 brought to you by Fraser Renton, Oliver Norris and Leah Michelle; Sussex Art Fairs (West) at Goodwood Racecourse, Chichester and Sussex Art Fairs (East) at Brighton Racecourse from the 11th to 13th of October. The inaugural Sussex Art Fairs (West) takes place at the world-renowned Goodwood Racecourse in the heart of the picturesque Sussex Downs. The Private View is on Friday 6pm to 9pm and Saturday 10am to 6pm and Sunday 10am to 5pm are public days.

There will be 100 exhibitors with artworks from over 160 artists available for purchase comprising 20 carefully selected Gallery and Artist Collective Stands and 80 up-and-coming and established independent artists, local and national. continued on next page

spotlight on... art trails & open studios

Prices of art start from as little as £50 for prints and smaller works, to over £5,000 for an outstanding masterpiece and buyers’ purchases will be wrapped by the specialist wrapping team ‘artPAKK’ located at the exit.

Facilities include a coat check, a full café and excellent toilet facilities. The venue is wheelchair accessible and small dogs are also welcome, which we ask to be carried whilst inside the venue. Sussex Art Fairs will be collaborating with Sussex Wildlife Trust, a conservation charity for everyone who cares about nature in Sussex.

For further details see advert on page 83 and visit www.sussexartfairs.co.uk

AT THE REGENCY TOWN HOUSE

An exploration of mark-making and materials

This workshop aims to give participants an enjoyable experience of using traditional and experimental techniques of mark making using both liquid (water-based) and dry materials. We will visit the beach and Brunswick Square gardens (weather permitting) for visual inspiration, then make experimental marks in relationship to that experience. For details see advert below & www.adelegibson.co.uk

6 AT THE REGENCY TOWN HOUSE

fleur cowgill adele gibson

6

sharon fraser hall

chris shaw hughes hilary kennett paul tuppeny

Six contemporary artists, all University of Brighton MA alumni, invite you to view their work in the elegant interior of the Regency Town House, Brunswick Square.

Open: 11th May - 26th May, 10.30 - 17.00

Wednesday to Sunday (Closed Mondays and Tuesdays)

Private View Saturday 11th May, 15.00 - 18.00

(Including talk by Adele Gibson on her Arctic residency at 17.00)

ARTISTS OPEN HOUSES

Brighton & Hove, Ditchling and Coast Weekends 4-26 May 2019 aoh.org.uk

Over four weekends in May, 1,500 artists show their work in 180 venues across the city, out to Rottingdean, Newhaven, Ditchling, and beyond. With homemade tea and cake on offer as well, the Artists Open Houses are a very special weekend treat.

V Pease Jewellery

Vee’s jewellery can be seen at Milton House, 72 Clyde Road, Brighton BN1 4NP and Bowley & Gallagher Funeral Directors, 209 Preston Road, Brighton BN1 6SA every weekend in May as part of Brighton Artists’ Open Houses

Frances Knight

West Sussex Art Fair 17th to 19th May

An exhibition of local landscapes. Stand 22, The March Stand, Goodwood Racecourse, Chichester PO18 0PS. Private View 17th May 6-9pm Exhibition 18-19th May 10am-6pm

‘Between Shore and Sky’ 15th to 30th June

A solo exhibition of local seascapes as part of The Festival of Chichester. The Little Art Gallery, Rookwood Road, West Wittering PO20 8LT.

Meet the artist Sunday 16th June

Exhibition open Thursday-Sunday 10am-5pm

www.francesknight.com

Every piece of Lorraine’s hand made jewellery is individual; this means no two pieces are the same, ever. Commission enquiries invited.

@The Makery is a group of 13 artists & makers who have come together to share their exquisite creations with Guest Artists and a rehang every six weeks. painted from sittings and/or photos oil on canvas, charcoal/pencil on paper contact Karin to discuss further 07801 613334 www.karinmoorhouseart.com

The Makery, Unit 7, The Enterprise Shopping Centre, Eastbourne, BN21 1BD. Email: info@themakery.me.uk www.themakery.me.uk

LONGLEYS STUDIO BARNS

Sat 8th & Sun 9th June and Sat 15th & Sun 16th June 11.00am – 5.00pm

Longleys Studio Barns

Harebeating Lane Hailsham BN27 1ER 07740 104501

www.longleysstudiobarns.com

DEBORAH RICHARDS

Artist Printmaker & Sculptor

A solo exhibition - meet the artist at: Emsworth Museum

10b North Street, Emsworth, PO10 7DD

27, 28 April and 4,5 & 6 May*

Open 10.30am – 4.30pm daily (During Emsworth Art Trail)

*Exhibition then continues each weekend until 19 May on Saturdays 10.30am – 4.30pm and Sundays 2.30 – 4.30pm www.deborahrichards.co.uk

NB. The Exhibition is on the first floor, a stair lift is available

Women & Washing Lines - Cathy Bird

This year, I ‘ve returned to a favourite theme; one that unites women the world over. You can enjoy them during A rt in June at Jessops Farm Studios. Eight artists are showing a wide variety of paintings at Jessops Farm, as part of a group of sixty artists in the Sevenoaks area.

Art in June

7th - 23rd June 2019

Studio open times: Wednesday to Sunday 10.00am to 6.00pm

Late opening till 9.00pm Fridays & Saturdays

Closed Mondays & Tuesdays

To see the guide online visit www artinjune org Jessops Farm Studios, Tonbridge Rd, Bough Beech, Edenbridge, KENT TN8 7AU

Phone: 01892 870067 email: cathy.bird1@btopenworld.com

Artgenu/e

by Lesley Samms | Pure Fine Art

What’s the Story?

Artists talking about their unique journey

With the promise of summer just around the corner, what better way to call it forward than to take a closer look at the wonderful world of artist Richard Adams.

Richard’s artwork depicts the English countryside and seaside and is inspired by his long-held loves for English vernacular architecture, rural history and our native flora and fauna.

Under his gaze everyday English life takes on a joyful quirkiness that imbues his artworks with a bucolic, playful, life-affirming quality, depicting a magical land of smiling dogs, where the sun always shines and ice creams drip with fairy dust.

Likened to the eccentric visionaries, Spencer and Dadd, his work follows in a tradition of British image making, which he refreshes with his wit and humour. Simply put, his artworks are fabulously eccentric, awesomely uplifting and quintessentially English.

Personally I adore his work and dream of owning at least one, because, with Richard Adams more is most definitely more!

Now living just outside Rye with his equally talented partner Jane and daughters Evie and Fern, Richard was born in Hampshire and brought up in Wiltshire. He grew up in the fairly rural village of Wroughton, south of Swindon and north of the Marlborough Downs, surrounded by countryside and, in his own words, ‘lots of ancient stuff’. One of his clearest childhood memories is the constant drone of aircraft in the sky from all the RAF bases in that area, which may explains why virtually all his images include birds, especially seagulls.

He grew up in a creative family. His grandfather had a skilled but unconventional job, painting lettering on the side of firms’ vans during 1930s and 40s. Although creative, his father had a ‘proper job’ as an engineer, but was truly delighted when Richard chose a career in something that 'might fill him with enthusiasm’.

Richard’s childhood included many arty moments, including visits to the Royal Academy Summer Show in 1972 with his grandfather; William Morris’s Kelmscott Manor and Stanley Spencer’s Sandham Memorial Chapel. He can even remember the smell of his first oil painting set, the colours, the brushes and the palette knife.

Richard says he was always ‘good at art’ at school but not the best, so he had to work really hard to develop his skill and really apply himself to be successful.

"I hadn’t any real idea what I wanted to do after school. I sort of drifted into an art Foundation Course

at Swindon, then a Graphic Design degree course in Leicester. It wasn’t quite the right course for me but I started specialising in illustration. This meant I could draw pictures all day, which suited me fine.

"After the degree some of us moved to London. Back when rents were affordable. My girlfriend (who I’m still with!) and I got into animation. I proudly painted most of the cels in every episode of Bananaman!! I slowly got work as an illustrator, which built and built until it was full-time. I did book covers, magazine covers and adverts, but illustration has its frustrations. You are a slave to the client’s wishes and I was wanting to do my own thing. To make images that stood on their own on a wall.

"I started exhibiting and selling the occasional picture. Then the early nineties recession and computers came onto the scene and hit illustration hard. There just wasn’t the good work around anymore, so I decided it was time to become a full time exhibiting artist. This was the mid-nineties. It was very hard at first and you had to really think hard about what you were doing and turn the work out if you wanted to make a living.

"I now have my studio in Rye – it's two little rooms above the pet shop in the High Street. I walk there every day and work from 10am to 6pm. I am driven by a fear of being skint and a love of creating pictures. I shut the door and work away in my own little uninterrupted world. I used to work to Radio 4 but that has been taken over by the joys of Netflix. I

look at one of my pictures now and remember what series I 'binge watched’ while working on it.

"I love Rye, everyone is so eccentric and the architecture is beautiful. When the town is hit by late afternoon winter sun there’s nothing like it. I sit at a desk to work surrounded by boxes of chalk pastels and painting equipment, because I like to grind up the pastel and paint with it. I use a vacuum cleaner to get rid of the dust, a hair dryer to dry the paint (impatience!) and my laptop with the latest Netflix offering.

I can work for 2-3 hours at a time then emerge back into the real world with a stretch and have a cup of tea! I have piles of reference books full of pictures of old buildings, wild flowers, farm equipment, steam trains, interiors, trees, textiles, fashions."

It is clear from Richard’s journey that like every true artist, he has had to grapple with the reality of how much to follow his own instincts and how much to please the ‘audience’, who ultimately buy his work. Self-confidence or lack of it has also played its part. But now he feels this is also a motivation, driving him onwards to the next picture – in order to improve, to try harder and do better next time.

In his own words “My advice to my younger self would be 'stop worrying it will be alright' otherwise known as 'don’t panic'!" My advice to Richard would be, ‘please keep going – loving your work’.

Richard will be exhibiting at the RYE Art Gallery in Richard Adams {Rye on the Wall} between 6th April and 5th May. Don’t miss it! www.ryeartgallery.co.uk

chalk gallery

This season the Chalk Gallery in Lewes hosts its Spring Event on Saturday 20th April, 2pm to 4pm, and features four fabulous artists whose work all draws inspiration from their interactions with the outstanding natural environment in our area.

A new exhibition begins on 8th April and with this Janice Thurston’s evocative oil paintings inspired by the changing seasons, shifting light, colours and patterns created by weather on the undulating hills of Sussex, until 28th April. Janice will be in the gallery on Friday 19th April and will be delighted to discuss her work.

Nichola Campbell displays her latest ink paintings inspired by ‘A perfect Day’ from 29th April until 19th May, inviting you to ‘Meet the Artist’ from 2 to 4pm on Saturday 4th May and will be in the gallery all day on Saturday 18th May.

The change of exhibition on 20th May is accompanied by the beautiful oil paintings of Katie Whitbread until 9th June, whose work explores colour combinations and the juxtaposition of light patterns to convey a real sense of time and place.

Finally to complete the season, Sue Collins presents her wonderful linocut prints, 'Beautiful Sussex' from 10th June until the end of the month. Sue will be delighted to discuss her work and process in the gallery on Tuesday 18th June.

Visit www.chalkgallerylewes.co.uk for more information. Chalk Gallery, 4 North Street, Lewes, BN7 2PA. Open 7 days a week, 10am to 5pm.

A life size statue of Rudyard Kipling sitting on a bench has been unveiled in the heart of Burwash, East Sussex.

This artistic enterprise has been very much a community initiative. The brain-child of Parish Councillor Steve Moore, sculpted by Burwash artist Victoria Atkinson and supported by the National Trust at Kipling’s home Bateman’s, this is the start of a collaboration that will see Kipling’s work celebrated

Inspired by Burne-Jones

a world of creativity, captured in glass

throughout the village. Funds for the project were raised within the local community in just three weeks from the first call to action.

The Kipling Society, one of the enduring literary societies that focus on his place in English Literature, has given their seal of approval. “The sculpture is the most accurate representation of the man in sculpted form,” commented then Chairman John Walker.

Victoria Atkinson, who also co-runs Artichoke Gallery in Ticehurst, said “I was touched and flattered to be asked to sculpt such an icon of our village. To capture the man, I had to do a lot of research and enjoyed learning more about Kipling. I feel very connected to this project, having lived in the area all my life and walked the fields around Bateman’s every day for the past 20 years.”

Steve Moore, Vice-Chair of Burwash Parish Council, said, “We live in a picturesque village with a great community but, like many villages, with diminishing businesses. Our aim is to encourage some of the 120,000 people who visit Bateman’s to come in to the village and support local businesses. Sitting next to Kipling on the bench is a great selfie opportunity."

www.victoriaatkinson.co.uk/kiplingproject/

pictured above: Artist Victoria Atkinson with her statue of Rudyard Kipling and some of his work.

As part of a two-year programme of events relating to Edward Burne-Jones (who lived in Rottingdean 1880-1898), The Rottingdean Preservation Society is hosting 'Inspired by BurneJones' exhibition at The Grange Gallery from 4th to 16th June.

In a unique celebration of glass in its many forms, the myriad pieces produced by more than 20 specialist glass practitioners will reveal in-depth explorations of a wide range of aspects of BurneJones’ work.

The Grange Gallery will be transformed with panels of glowing, coloured glass suspended in the tall Georgian windows, an array of lightboxes illuminating a further collection of glass paintings and artefacts ranging from large multi-layered glass chargers on plinths to traditional glass bowls with a contemporary twist, all reflecting the vibrancy of Burne-Jones’ rich and subtle palette, often with touches of gold.

The exhibition will represent a microcosm of the world of glass, showcasing traditional stained glass methods still used today, blends of old and new as well as contemporary techniques. Each piece has its own story, with inspiration drawn from Burne-Jones’ paintings, stained glass and tapestry. One panel, made by Pippa Martin, has at its heart an actual piece of Burne-Jones’ stained glass, a beautiful head which she was given towards completion of a new window to replace a Burne-Jones window in St Nicholas Church, Cranleigh, which had been blown out by a flying bomb in 1944.

The Rottingdean Preservation Society recently launched a completely revitalized Burne-Jones room in The Grange, beside the Gallery. This small permanent exhibition will provide comprehensive background for exhibition visitors.

www.rottingdeanpreservationsociety.org.uk

Welcome to Spring at ArtSpring Gallery

Spring is here along with many good reasons to visit ArtSpring Gallery in Tonbridge High Street. The gallery presents a new guest artist every month and, as ArtSpring’s reputation grows, is attracting artists from further afield.

The artists’ cooperative also continues to show its members work, with a new exhibition every two months. April sees two former members re-joining the gallery: Charlotte Tabor of Kara Jewellery showcasing her stunning jewellery and textile artist Kate Hasted dazzling us with her colourful 2D textile prints.

Exhibiting her work in April and May will be guest artist Joanna Plachcinska. She takes her inspiration from nature and the surrounding world, often creating paintings with a whimsical touch.

In May and June you will find work by guest artist Rob Frampton-Fell with strong roots in Abstract Expressionism. His work concentrates on the abstraction of colour and gestural mark making.

During June & July the gallery will feature guest artist Christa Corner working in sculpted paper. Her work reflects a highly original approach to colour and frequently includes rusty metal pieces, wire, wax,

The Midhurst Gallery

showing the evocative works of Paul Masset

Paul’s acute sensitivity can be seen in his pastel, oil and gouache works of Normandy, Brittany, the South of France and West Sussex.

Paul Masset was born in 1967 and brought up just outside Paris. His grandfather, the late Gordon Gash of Midhurst, introduced a young Paul to painting in oils but the defining influence of his art was derived from his mentor and teacher, Peter Norton (1913-1995), an artist retired from the Royal Navy who had lived in Compton and had taught art at Guildford College.

Norton founded the Cubertou Art Centre near Cahors in south west France. It was here from the age of sixteen that Paul was introduced to the medium of soft pastel by Norton, who himself had been inspired by his long friendship, ‘the most influential in my life’, with Paul Maze (1887-1979) who lived in Treyford. He therefore took particular satisfaction in watching Paul’s remarkably rapid ability to seize Maze’s freedom and vitality of execution through this medium.

screws and stitch.

'Meet the artists' afternoon are now a regular events at Artspring, with cake and fizz being offered from 2 to 4pm every First Saturday in the month. Visitors can enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and mingle with the artists whilst browsing the artwork on display and find out more about the art, ceramics, glass & jewellery.

www.artspringgallery.co.uk

above: Rob Frampton-Fell, Stairway to Heavenly

Like Maze, Paul Masset is a bi-lingual Frenchman with a foot on both sides of the Channel. He combines his love of nature, land and sea through the capturing of light and atmosphere in a manner akin to the Normandy School of impressionists, to which the medium of pastel is particularly suited. In recent years, Paul has been increasingly embracing oils and gouache.

Paul Masset has exhibited in London, Paris, Versailles, St Germain-en-Laye, Strasbourg, Chichester and many times at The Midhurst Gallery.

Find out more at www.midhurstgallery.co.uk

Art Materials Exhibition Rooms Greetings Cards showcasing the evocative paintings of Paul Masset

4th to 16th June

25 exhibitors from Scotland to Dorset

The Grange Gallery

The Grange, The Green, Rottingdean, E.Sussex, BN2 7HA

t: 01273 301004

Saturday

– 4.00

–

www.rottingdeanpreservationsociety.org.uk

Juliet Forrest - Foxgloves

contemporary gallery space between city and sea showcasing original work by local artists

A series of exhibitions for Spring into Summer. Angeline Tournier and Paddy Martin will bring colour and fun over Easter and Sue Green style and elegance. Followed by a photographic show with work showing a variety of styles.

Also on display at all times is a selection of ceramics, prints, paintings, enamels, jewellery, glassware, cards and more

Rookwood Road, West Wittering, PO20 8LT • 01243 512218 for opening times & info: www.thelittleartgallery.online

The Society of Limners

Exhibition of Miniatures 2019 Tuesday 16th July 10am-4pm to Sunday 21st July 10am-2pm

Some of last year’s exhibition award winners Oxmarket Centre of Arts, St Andrews Court, East Street, Chichester PO19 1YH

THE ‘OTHER’ SUMMER EXHIBITION

You’re invited to celebrate Shoreham Artists with us! Come along and vote for your favourite artist

The exhibition runs from Saturday 17th August to Saturday 31st August at The Skyway Gallery Pond Road

Shoreham by Sea BN43 5WU

Artist of the Exhibition Award

Judged by award-winning artist Shirley Trevanna and People’s Vote Award

keeping an ancient art alive

The Society of Limners

Visitors to The Society of Limners’ annual summer exhibition of miniature art at Oxmarket Centre of Arts in Chichester are often astonished at how such fine detail can be produced in paintings that are smaller than a postcard.

It is the particular technique of painting involving an intricate use of very fine haired brushes that enables the artists to produce outstanding detail in their pictures. The technique calls for a great deal of patience as well as very good eyesight.

Visitors often ask "What is a Limner?" The artist who practices the craft of 'painting in the little' or 'limning' is known as a limner. The portrait miniature was first produced in Tudor times as a love token which could be carried around in a pocket. They were also produced as lockets of love, so the pictures had to be small. Through the centuries royalty, including Henry Vlll and the Prince Regent, have commissioned miniature portraits.

The Society was founded in 1986 to promote and encourage the painting of miniatures and calligraphy to a high standard and has attracted many professional and experienced artists.

The miniatures will be on show and on sale to the public from Tuesday 16th July (10am4pm) until Sunday 21st July (10am-2pm) at the Oxmarket Centre of Arts. All the works exhibited are for sale unless marked NFS.

Visit www.societyoflimners.co.uk for more details about the society and the exhibition.

pictured: Pauline Denyer-Baker, Violin Player

Adur Art Collective run for local artists by

local artists

‘Great things are done by a series of small things brought together’ –Vincent Van Gogh

On 8th December 2018 the adurArtcollective said goodbye to Kim Adele Fuller and Chris Howitt, two local artists, who have run the aAc for the last eight years and have built this organisation into a thriving collective.

adurArtcollective (aAc) is a not-for-profit, artist-led community group established to organise, promote, and develop visual arts in Shoreham by Sea and the surrounding area of Adur.

There are over 109 member artists working in a variety of media including painting, printmaking, ceramics, photography, sculpture, jewellery and glass. August 2019 will see them hold their second Summer Exhibition, titled The ‘Other’ Summer Exhibition, running from 17th to 31st at the fabulous Skyway Gallery in Shoreham. Why not put this date in your diary and go along during the fortnight and see what wonderful creativity Shoreham has?

aAc's's Patron Shirley Trevena, internationally renowned watercolour artist, will be awarding the prize for Artist of the Exhibition.

The new committee consists of Chair: Kathy Serinturk, Secretary: Karen Bravery, Treasurer: Peon Boyle, Social media coordinator: Sarah Sutherland Rowe. Committee members: Lucy Gabriel and Scilla Allen. Onward and upward…

More on aAc and their work at adurartcollective.co.uk

visual arts

Ashdown Gallery, 8 Newlands Place, Hartfield Road, Forest Row Sussex RH18 5DQ | 01342 823761 | contact@ashdowngallery.com www.ashdowngallery.com

Ashdown Gallery is available to hire for exhibitions Please contact the gallery for details

CREATIVE OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION

30 April - 12 May 2019

Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10am - 4.30pm

Meet the Artists event 4th May 2-4.30pm

Oxmarket Gallery St Andrew’s Court off East Street, Chichester West Sussex PO19 1YH

Parhelion Group is Jenifer Bunnett, Matthew Cattell, Lorraine Heaysman, Mark Horton, Sarah Medway, David Southern & Rachael Talibart.

A collective of seven outdoor photographers based in and around England’s North and South Downs, capturing images of the landscape, the ocean and wildlife.

web: parheliongroup.co.uk instagram: ParhelionPhoto facebook: ParhelionGroup

The Parhelion Group

The Parhelion Group is a collective of seven outdoor photographers based within the North and South Downs.

Each photographer has his or her area of expertise, making for an interesting and diverse range of work ranging from wildlife photography through macro, landscape and coastal photography. The group is committed to excellence, whether it be by undertaking prestigious commissions, regular publication in books and magazines, as educators leading workshops and giving presentations, by achieving awards in national and international competitions, or exhibiting and selling fine art prints.

Jenifer Bunnett is a professional landscape and coastal photographer with a lifelong love of the sea, and a commitment to photography as fine art. Her work has received several awards.

Mattew Cattell is an award winning photographer who travels near and far to promote the natural world. He is well known for his imagery of wild birds and portrays the Sussex coast during winter months.

Lorraine Heaysman lives in Worthing, West Sussex, using her knowledge of the South Downs to seek out moments of magic. Lorraine recently won the South Downs National Park photography competition with one of her trademark misty landscapes. (see page 72)

Mark Horton is an award winning nature photographer based amongst the heathland on the Surrey/ Hampshire borders. His detailed macro images and wealth of knowledge offer the viewer an insight into the often unseen world of tiny, almost invisible lives.

Sarah Medway is part of the photography team at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent and captures arresting portraits of these beautiful creatures. Sarah is also a landscape photographer, particularly interested in clouds and how they transform the landscape.

David Southern, having worked for the World Wildlife Fund for many years, has photographed nature and landscapes around the world, and is happiest battling the elements in pursuit of photographing nature.

Rachael Talibart is a professional fine art photographer and workshop leader. She is best known for her Sirens Portfolio; critically acclaimed and award winning photographs of stormy seas on the East Sussex coast.

Kieth Vaughan

Kieth Vaughan

Kieth Vaughan

Anthony Ellis

Anthony Ellis

Anthony Ellis

The Coach House, High Street, Alfriston, East Sussex, BN26 5TD Tel: 01323 871402 Mob: 07970 549873

The Coach House, High Street, Alfriston, East Sussex, BN26 5TD Tel: 01323 871402 Mob: 07970 549873

The Coach House, High Street, Alfriston, East Sussex, BN26 5TD Tel: 01323 871402 Mob: 07970 549873

info@newart-gallery.co.uk www.newart-gallery.co.uk

info@newart-gallery.co.uk www.newart-gallery.co.uk

info@newart-gallery.co.uk www.newart-gallery.co.uk

Opening Times: Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday 11 am – 5 pm

Opening Times: Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday 11 am – 5 pm

Opening Times: Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday 11 am – 5 pm

PRINT YOUR OWN DESIGN OR CHOOSE ONE OF OURS

THERMOFAX SCREENS will make up a screen from your own, bespoke design or you can choose from a large selection from our on-line library, including lots of new designs. We offer a range of screen sizes so you can find the perfect one for your project. We also supply inks and squeegees so you can start printing straight away.

Check out the website today!

Mary Crabb innovative basket maker

I have always made objects. As a child I learnt to sew, knit, spin and make lace. I was taught to make corn dollies, then later as an adult, I tried basketmaking. As soon as I made my first basket, nearly twenty years ago, I knew I had to make more.

Originally learning to make traditional willow baskets, an introduction to textile basketry and the suggestion to try some different materials took my making in a new direction. I found weaving with willow restricting, with ideas building in my head and the impatience of waiting for the materials to be sorted and soaked a frustration. Textile basketry allows for instant making!

My favourite technique is twining. It requires the weaving of an active element around a passive warp. The weaving gives a smooth, slightly undulating surface. Although repetitive and time consuming, the placing of each weaver informs the final piece. As someone who is easily bored it seems incompatible, but every weave matters, to the final form. Working with fine flexible materials opens up a world of possibilities. With the use of a few simple tools, objects can be woven with anything from household string, to recycled materials, paper, wire and the more traditional textiles of thread and yarn. I like the accessibility of making, it doesn’t need a lot of space, expensive equipment, or even materials. You just need a lot of patience and time, as twining is slow.

I am not a prolific maker, preferring not to batch make as I like the challenges and problem solving that a new piece of work brings. I like to think that I sit on the edge of basketry and textiles, drawing skills from both areas, adapting techniques, exploring and experimenting.

A large portion of my practice is sharing what I do. With a background in primary teaching and museum education, I greatly enjoy running workshops and giving talks; sharing my enthusiasm for making and the passing on of skills. My aim is to introduce new audiences to basketry in the hope that they may find it as exciting as I do.

@crabbbaskets www.marycrabb.co.uk

performing arts

theatres

An impressive array of talent Chichester Festival Theatre’s 2019 season

New for 2019 at the theatre is The Spiegeltent, a unique venue for an eclectic range of events which will be home to the production of Roy Williams's ‘Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads’. The pub setting of this third space at CFT will also host a mini-season of events including comedy, cabaret and quiz nights.

Major revivals of classic and contemporary dramas include Hugh Bonneville in ‘Shadowlands’, Rachael Stirling in David Hare’s ‘Plenty’, Nancy Carroll plays Hester Collyer in Rattigan’s ‘The Deep Blue Sea’ and John Simm and Dervla Kirwan star in Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’.

Four new plays come to the theatre – ‘8 Hotels’ and ‘Hedda Tesman’, Anna Ledwich, CFT’s new Writer-inResidence, adapts Michael Morpurgo’s ‘The Butterfly Lion’ and Anna also writes ‘Crossing Lines’, a promenade production for the Youth Theatre.

There are two musicals, one modern and one classic: Tim Firth’s ‘This is My Family’ with James Nesbitt, Sheila Hancock and Clare Burt, and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s ‘Oklahoma’ with Josie Lawrence, Hyoie O’Grady and Amara Okereke. And come Christmas, Chichester Festival Youth Theatre presents ‘The Wizard of Oz’ in the Festival Theatre.

Visit www.cft.org.uk for all the information.

Two spellbinding performances at Worthing Theatres

Two blokes play over 20 instruments LIVE on stage.

Worthing’s Pavilion Theatre on 10th May sees one album, two men and too many instruments in the multi-award winning hit show ‘Tubular Bells For Two’.

Two highly talented musicians, Daniel Holdsworth and Tom Bamford, battle with a stage full of instruments to reproduce Mike Oldfield’s classic Tubular Bells album live. One little slip and it could all go horribly wrong!

Like all the best ideas, ‘Tubular Bells For Two’ started with a simple concept. A one-off fun show for friends with minimal instrumentation proved so popular that they decided to do it again, more and more instruments were added over time, and ‘Tubular Bells For Two’ was born! Their opening act will be GypsyFingers, ethereal folk-rock featuring Luke and Victoria Oldfield and yes, Luke was introduced to the show by his father, who has given it his seal of approval!

Debut tour from bold new dance company.

Tribe Perform ‘Still I Rise’ 23rd May at Worthing's Connaught Theatre

In partnership with Brighton Festival, Tribe’s debut work is a call to arms, a defiant and uplifting work danced by an all-female cast. Raw and

emotive dance is combined with Victoria Fox’s powerful yet articulate movement style, channelling Maya Angelou’s poem.

Visit worthingtheatres.co.uk for all details about spring and summer.

pictured left: Rachael Stirling in Plenty; right: Tubular Bells for Two; below: The Rude Mechanicals 'Ikarus Inc'!; bottom: Jonathan Wrather, photo by Matt-Austin

forever. But at what cost...? “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?”

This is a bold new production based on the classic novel with a stellar cast and is a fast-paced thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seats. Jonathan Wrather takes on the role of Lord Henry Wotton.

Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers: Tribe

On 19th May the UK’s original touring Taiko Tribe returns to the road with a brand new show of skill, stamina and red-hot rhythms to stir your soul!

The Rude Mechanical’s new show for 2019 ‘Ikarus Inc’!

Whatdoes it take to achieve your dream?

Summer may seem a long way away with the current weather, but time will soon pass and The Rudes will be on the road again visiting villages and towns across Southern England with their summer outdoor shows.

This summer they will be touring with ‘Ikarus Inc’, a play about what it takes to achieve YOUR dream. The Rudes toured it first in 2010 and it has proved to be one of audiences’ favourites. With both the UK and America in turmoil, politically revisiting this story of hopes and dreams – set in the 1950’s in the fictitious Indiana town of Dreamville – is very timely.

Shows kick off on Saturday 1st June and will tour to 51 venues. www.therudemechanicaltheatre.co.uk

Two superb events at Horsham’s Capitol Theatre

Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray

A Horsham District Year of Culture Event.

From 29th Apr to 4th May Tilted Wig Production bring Wilde’s philosophical Gothic story to the theatre. In a society obsessed with youth and beauty, Dorian Gray is given the chance to keep his looks

As Mugenkyo approach their 25th year as Europe’s longest established Taiko organisation, they celebrate the growth of their Tribe of performers from across the globe, with the latest captivating performance of sharp synchronisation, dramatic choreography and sumptuous soundscapes, all wrapped up in a breathtaking display of high energy and powerful rhythms on huge Taiko drums. www.thecapitolhorsham.com

performing arts

The game is afoot at Eastbourne as the Congress Theatre reopens

Istarted reading Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes novels when I was about 12 or 13 years old. I loved them. Strange at such a young age, but for some reason I felt a particular affinity for the milieu and mannerisms of the Victorian times the stories are set in.

From 30th April to 4th May Blackeyed Theatre present ‘Sherlock Holmes: The Sign of Four’ at Devonshire Park Theatre. Doyle wrote four novels and 56 short stories about Holmes, The Sign of Four being the second novel. It has a complex and intriguing plot and introduced us to Watson’s future wife, Mary Morstan. Blackeyed’s rendition is full of adventure, romance and comedy and, of course, there will be a few rather brilliant deductions.

OMIGOD, YOU GUYS!

The Congress theatre re-opened with a concert by London Philharmonic Orchestra in March, and from 21st May to 25th May Green Day’s explosive rock musical ‘American Idiot’ arrives. It stars X-factor’s singersongwriter Luke Friend, The Voice’s Tom Milner and introduces Sam Lavery as Whatsername. It’s the show’s 10th anniversary and, believe it or not, it is 15 years since the release of Green Day’s Grammy Award winning album. It’s the story of three boyhood friends, each searching for meaning in a post 9/11 world.

Visit www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk for full details of Eastbourne Theatres’ spring and summer season.

pictured top: Sign of Four; below: Legally Blonde

Tunbridge Wells Operatic & Dramatic Society is like sooo excited!!

TWODS will be performing ‘Legally Blonde – The Musical’ at the Assembly Hall Theatre from 7th to 11th May. Based on the 1992 movie of the same name and most recently receiving critical acclaim and box office success in London’s West End starring Sheridan Smith and Duncan James, ‘Legally Blonde – The Musical’ follows the fortunes of Miss Elle Woods as she travels from Malibu to Harvard to pursue her dream. Not to get a law degree but to win back her man who dumped her for being "too Marilyn and not Jackie enough".

The production is bright and bubbly with some fantastic comedic moments, a triumphant score and tackles issues of misogyny and female empowerment.

TWODS have chosen Breast Cancer Kent as their chosen charity for this production. Be sure to check their Facebook page @twodslimited for their ‘Bend and Snap for Breast Cancer Kent’ competition and support a really worthy cause and one of Kent’s best dramatic societies. Visit twods.org for further information.

Some of what’s coming to The Old Market, Hove this spring

From 28th May to 2nd June the Barely Methodical Troupe perform ‘SHIFT’.

The company behind the international smash hit shows Bromance and Kin return with an explosive display of power-based acrobatics.

Marooned in an unstable world, the performers push physical performance to its limits. Using hand-to-hand acrobatics, Cyr wheel and more, BMT have redefined what contemporary circus can be and this brand new adventure looks set to be a firm favourite as part of Brighton Fringe Festival.

On 3rd May Sarah Jane Morris illuminates the work of John Martyn in her new show ‘Sweet Little Mystery’. When I first met my wife, on our first date we talked a lot about the music we liked. And John Martyn’s innovative album ‘Solid Air’ came high on her favourites list, and Sarah Jane Morris returns to TOM this May, performing her tribute to John Martyn. This should be a wonderful evening!

Sarah’s magnificent soul voice and emotional power has garnered praise and admiration worldwide for over 30 years.

Visit theoldmarket.com for all the details of the spring season.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra Eastbourne and Brighton season begins this autumn

The Orchestra will perform six Sunday afternoon concerts at the newly refurbished Congress Theatre in Eastbourne. Laura van der Heijden, 2012 BBC Young Musician of the Year, performs Haydn’s Cello Concerto on 19th January 2020 and pianist Igor Tchetuev performs Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto on 22nd March 2020, in an all-Tchaikovsky programme.

Violinist Emmanuel

Tjeknavorian opens the Orchestra’s Brighton season on 21st September with Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, alongside his epic and intoxicating Seventh Symphony. In contrast, cellist Leonard Elschenbroich brings everything that is bittersweet and tender to Dvoˇák’s Cello Concerto on 15th February 2020, the perfect counterpart to Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2.

In Brighton on 2nd November and in Eastbourne on 3rd November, conductor and film music expert Anthony Weeden leads a musical journey through the best of British cinema, with highlights from films including Lawrence of Arabia, Romeo and Juliet and Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Legendary pianist Joanna MacGregor joins the Orchestra on 18th April 2020 in Brighton and 19th April in Eastbourne to perform Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto in a special 250th anniversary programme, which also features the ‘Pastoral’ Sixth Symphony.

Find out more at lpo.org.uk, brightondome.org or eastbournetheatres.co.uk

OSCAR WILDE’S THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY

MONDAY 29 APRIL – SATURDAY 4 MAY Bold new production starring Jonathan Wrather.

Summer Days in Alfriston

The Old Chapel : 12th May to 7th July A Celebration of the Fiddle and so much more!

Sunday 12th May – Peter Knight (ex Steeleye Span) with his band, Gigspanner

Saturday 18th May – Eliza Carthy with her father Martin Carthy

Sunday 26th May – Rachel Newton (Fiddle and Harp) together with Joseph O’Keefe and Cole Stacey (The India Electric Co)

Saturday 1st June – Phil Beer (Show of Hands)

Sunday 16th June – Ciaran Algar with Greg Russell together with Ben Paley (bands include The New Deal String Band)

Sunday 30th June – Chris Leslie (Fairport Convention) together with Tim Cotterell (Reluctant Ramblers)

Sunday 7th July – Nancy Kerr with James Fagan

Advance booking ONLY at the Hailsham Pavilion 01323 841414 & www.hailshampavilion.co.uk

www.spyboy.co.uk

MUGENKYO TAIKO DRUMMERS: TRIBE

SUNDAY 19 MAY 7.30PM

The UK’s original Taiko Tribe returns to the road with a brand new show.

AN AUDIENCE WITH PETER JAMES

WEDNESDAY 22 MAY 7.30PM

UK No. 1 bestselling author and creator of the much-loved Detective Superintendent Roy Grace.

www.therudemechanicaltheatre.co.uk

Dinosaur World Live 26 – 28 April | Congress Theatre

Roarsome interactive show for all ages!

Green Day’s American Idiot

21 – 25 May | Congress Theatre

Ground-breaking Tony Award-Winning Musical

Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s Calendar Girls Musical

6 – 10 August | Congress Theatre

“pure gold” The Times

performing arts

VIENNA FESTIVAL BALLET presents two classic ballets

GISELLE

Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne

Wednesday 24th April, 7.30pm

Box Office: 01202 885566

Stag Community Arts Centre, Sevenoaks

Friday 26th April, 7.30pm

Box Office: 01732 450175

Medina Theatre, Newport, Isle of Wight

Thursday 2nd May, 7pm

Box Office: 01983 823884

Mowlem Theatre, Swanage

Tuesday 14th May, 7.30pm

Box Office: 01929 422239

COPPÉLIA

Chequer Mead Theatre, East Grinstead

Tuesday 16th April, 2.30pm & 6.30pm

Box Office: 01342 302000

Epsom Playhouse, Epsom

Thursday 18th April, 7.30pm

Box Office: 01372 742555

Hazlitt Theatre, Maidstone

Sunday 12th May, 2pm

Box Office: 01622 758611

New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth

Saturday 25th May, 3pm

Box Office: 023 9264 9000

For further dates and venues throughout the rest of the UK visit the website www.viennafestivalballet.com

“The entire show was captivating from start to finish” – Welwyn Hatfield Times

VIENNA FESTIVAL BALLET

Classical ballet takes centre stage this Spring when the highly-acclaimed Vienna Festival Ballet bring their beautiful and romantic ballets Giselle and Coppélia to theatres nationwide.

The ultimate romantic ballet, Giselle is a tale of innocence, love, betrayal and madness. With music by one of the 19th century’s best composers, Adolphe Adam, and choreography by the late Nicholas Beriosoff, VFB’s traditional staging of this 1841 masterpiece moves from the sunny optimism of Giselle’s idyllic village life to an ethereal world of mystery and menace.

A lively production, infused with old world charm, Coppélia appeals to audiences of all ages with its captivating story of an eccentric toymaker and his beloved doll. The colourful costumes, lively characters and beautiful music from Delibes all combine to create a magical and comical classic that warms and entertains from start to finish. Coppélia is guaranteed to lift the hearts of all the family.

Peter Mallek founder and Artistic Director says Vienna Festival Ballet are committed to bringing the greatest classical ballets to the widest audience. "Whether you are a ballet fan or an interested

observer we have something to offer everyone. Exquisite and lavish handmade costumes, beautiful sets which project colour and vitality to enhance the workings of the dancers, choreographer and the composer. Our productions have all the elegance and extravagance associated with the best of ballet, and of course some of the best ballet dancers from around the world."

Go to www.viennafestivalballet.com for dates and performance times.

THE OBSERVATORY SCIENCE CENTRE

Herstmonceux

Upcoming Special Events

Museums at Night –‘Travels Through Time & Space’

Saturday 18th May 7pm to midnight

£35.00 per person

Arrive for this unique event and embark on a journey through time and space. The evening will commence with delicious curry, rice and poppadoms. Meat or vegetarian options available, specify when you book.

A cash bar will also be available. Then, armed only with a map and an invitation, be prepared to meet the Captain, Einstein, the Historian and the Space Explorer. Later, you will have the opportunity to view the night sky through our historic telescopes (weather permitting).

Over the Moon – An evening of beautiful music, video and photography

Saturday 15th June – 8pm to midnight

£35.00 per person

As the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing draws near, this fabulous event will bring together both music and astronomy. With a mix of vocal and solo piano performances married together with photographs and video, this promises to be a fascinating evening. The price includes a buffet supper and, later in the evening, viewing of the night sky through the historic telescopes (weather permitting).

For more information visit the new website www.the-observatory.org.

Note: Booking is essential for both these events –please call 01323 832731.

HASTINGS PHILHARMONIC

How do you encourage artists to work more closely together and how do you get audiences to experience artistic fields outside of their regular interests?

Marcio da Silva is leading Hastings Philharmonic into the unknown with his bold venture centring on the seemingly unlikely 80th anniversary of the death of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Unlikely that is until one realises how inspiring Atatürk was in his own time and how the arts today could

come together far more to inspire and encourage the values of democracy and compassion in the face of constant change.

The Challenge of Change will, over four days, draw together a wide range of new works, not only in music but in art and poetry. There will be a greater sense of openness between performers and audience, an encouraged interrelationship which it is hoped will encourage more people to engage with the unfamiliar and hopefully become part of the creative whole not just spectators.

Hastings Philharmonic Chamber Choir will be on hand to work with poets on the first day at The Beacon, while the under-25s art exhibition opens at Kino Teatr. The first musical event brings chamber music by female composers on 1st May again at the Kino Teatr. On Friday 3rd May the six finalist of the Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Composition Competition (from the 140 applicants) will discuss their works at St Mary in the Castle in a session before the final concert, which will allow us to hear the new compositions alongside Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto and Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite –probably the most ambitious orchestral work ever undertaken by Hastings Philharmonic. –Brian Hick pictured above left: Marcio da Silva

6th April 7pm St Mary in the Castle HASTINGS PHILHARMONIC CHOIR

Sonata for two pianos Brahms

Carmina Burana Orff

The Challenge of Change

1st June 7pm and 2nd June 5pm

St Mary in the Castle HASTINGS PHILHARMONIC & ENSEMBLE ORQUESTA

Magic Flute Mozart

30th Apr 7:30pm The Beacon Hastings Poetry Reading

22nd June 7pm St Clements Church Old Town

HASTINGS PHILHARMONIC CHAMBER CHOIR

1st May 7:30pm Kino Teatr St Leonards on Sea Chamber Music Concert dedicated to female composers

An evening of English Madrigals

2nd May Kino Teatr St Leonards on Sea Exhibition dedicated to artists under 25

29th & 30th June 7:30pm St Mary in the Castle

3rd May 7pm St Mary in the Castle Hastings HASTINGS PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

EDIFICE DANCE THEATRE HASTINGS PHILHARMONIC ENSEMBLE

Finals of the Mustafa Kemal Atat ürk Composition Competition

Pieces by Bandera, Bustos, Chandler, Sweres, Tongur and Williamson

Violin Concerto Tchaikovsky

Firebird Suite 1919 Stravinsky

Salome Philip O Meara

6th July 7pm Christ Church St Leonards HASTINGS PHILHARMONIC CHOIR

Petite Messe Solennelle Rossini

performing arts

Art paintings created simultaneously with top-level music performance is the format of the next International Interview Concert at St Paul’s, Worthing, on Sunday 7th July (3.30pm for 4pm). It is entitled ‘Images in Sound’.

Internationally-acclaimed David Freud will appear in this event as one of three invited painters. They will be responding in their own different styles on canvases to the stimulus of great Russian piano music played white-hot live by two visiting international artistes. The musicians and painters will be interviewed. The audience will watch, listen, enjoy the results, ask their own questions, and some of the painters’ work will be on sale.

Italian pianist Francesco Comito will play Mussorgsky’s famous ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ in its sparkling, startling original form for solo piano. Then Anna Bulkina, the Russian from Rostov, will perform Rachmaninov’s Opus 39 set of Études Tableaux.

In this excitingly descriptive and often virtuosic music, Francesco will make his Worthing debut and Anna her second return since her successful 2015 Sussex International Piano Competition.

Anna’s solo career crosses Europe, Russia and China. They first presented ‘Images in Sound’ last year in Rio de Janerio, with Brazilian painters. “Irresistible bravery and expressivity – she caught the audience’s breath with magical effect, as though improvised” is one example of reviewing about Anna Bulkina in the German Press.

Italians write of Comito the Calabrian: “One of our most promising pianists. His technique always serves the music, never banal, always daring”.

Tickets available from St Paul’s café counter or seetickets.com.

The Interview Concerts and Worthing Symphony Society will take Francesco and Anna into three Worthing primary schools during the preceding week, presenting music connected with folk tales and fairy stories in a project is funded by Worthing Community Chest. Children will attend ‘Images in Sound’ – and indeed can attend any Interview Concert.

Worthing Symphony Orchestra rounds up its 2018/2019 season in style

WSO has a long history of working with many of the world’s leading soloists, a trend that Artistic Director John Gibbons is happily continuing.

Alfredo Campoli was a regular visitor whilst today’s audiences have enjoyed performances by artists such as Julian Lloyd Webber, Tasmin Little, Rustem Hayroudinoff and the Turkish pianist Idil Biret. BBC Young Musicians both past and present feature heavily including the last four winners – Laura van der Heijden, Lara Melda, Martin James Bartlett and Sheku Kanneh Mason – and such established artists as Nicola Benedetti, Tasmin Little, Emma Johnson, Nicholas Daniel and actress Vanessa Redgrave.

And now we can see wonderful pianist Yi-Yang Chen performing with the orchestra on Sunday 5th May at 2.45pm at the Assembly Hall in Worthing. He is the assistant professor of piano and music theory at East Tennessee State University. Born in Taipei, Taiwan in 1990, he has been playing the piano since the age of 8. He holds a Master of Music from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Robert McDonald and Jerome Lowenthal and has won countless recital competitions across the world. I should add that he won the 4th Sussex International Piano Competition last year with a superb performance of Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto, also winning the Audience and Orchestra prizes.

This programme of popular favourites consists of Antonin Dvoˇak’s ‘Carnival Overture’, Camille Saint-Saens' Piano Concerto No.5 ‘The Egyptian’ and Rimsky-Korsakov’s ‘Scheherazade’.

Set your horizons to the East with an exploration of the exotic. Rimsky Korsakov’s deservedly popular Scheherazade is a fantasy of oriental narratives based upon the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor as recounted by Scheherazade in 'One Thousand and One Nights'. With its dazzling orchestration, seductive melodies and lush harmonies, it effortlessly transports one into distant lands and oceans.

Saint-Saens was another child-prodigy whose legendary skills at the piano can be brilliantly seen in his five piano concertos. The Fifth was inspired by a cruise on the River Nile and includes Nubian folk songs and the throbbing sounds of the steamer’s engines. It is believed Saint-Saens wrote some of the themes on his napkin while on board.

The concert opens with Dvoˇak’s exuberant concert overture Carnival – one of his greatest creations and a brilliant orchestral showcase.

Visit www.worthingsymphony.co.uk for further information or worthingtheatres.co.uk/whats-on.

WEDNESDAY 3RD JULY 2019

Spyboy’s Alfriston Summer Season

All about the Fiddle – and much more!

Seven concerts, each starting at 8.00pm, in the Old Chapel on Alfriston's village green (the Tye) are scheduled between 10th May and 7th July and feature ten of folk music’s most celebrated fiddle players.

The season opens with the ex-Steeleye Span bowman, Peter Knight and his new band, Gigspanner, quickly followed by the twice Mercury Prize nominee Eliza Carthy, who will play a show with her father Martin Carthy. BBC Folk Awards Musician of the Year Rachel Newton (Fiddle and Harp) is next up and she shares the stage with the ever-popular India Electric Co.

The season continues with Phil Beer from the multi awardwinning duo Show of Hands, and there have been more awards (including All-Ireland Championship winning fiddle player) given our next pairing of Ciaran Algar and Greg Russell.

Fairport Convention’s Chris

Three superb gigs this spring and summer from Coastal

Events

plus…

Coastal Events Ltd is a Sussex-based independent promotions company, running quality live shows along the South Coast.

Live concerts promoted by Coastal include productions for such seminal artists as Chris Difford, Easy Star All-Stars, Fionn Regan, Ginger Baker, Grandmaster Flash, John Cooper Clarke, Neville Staples, Newton Faulkner, Nik Kershaw, Ocean Colour Scene, Ryan Adams, Seth Lakeman, Starsailor, The Blockheads, Zero 7 and many more.

Coastal Events have three superb gigs through spring into summer. First up are Ronnie Scott’s All Stars, then it’s The Blockheads and finally The Kast Off Kinks – see the advert opposite for all the details.

And a Coastal event I am eagerly awaiting –although not occurring until late September – poet and all round genius Dr John Cooper Clarke will be appearing at the Assembly Hall in Worthing. Will it be his last tour? Who knows, I hope not!

Visit www.coastaleventsltd.com for further info.

Leslie and Folk Singer of the Year Nancy Kerr round things off and there will be help along the way from local players that include Ben Paley and Tim Cotterell. Advance reservations only at Hailsham Pavilion on 01323 841414 and at www.hailshampavilion.co.uk. Further details at www.spyboy.co.uk

Two multi-instrumentalist songwriters from the USA arrive this spring

Melting Vinyl bring us Julia Holter performing on 3rd June at the Old Market in Hove and Joan As Police Woman’s Joanthology Tour arriving at St. Georges Church, Brighton on 21st June.

Los Angeles-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Julia Holter returns to Brighton to perform songs from her critically acclaimed latest album ‘Aviary’.

Aviary is said to be the her most breathtakingly expansive album yet, full of startling turns and dazzling instrumental arrangements, exploring what Holter describes as “the cacophony of the mind in a melting world”. The follow-up to her critically acclaimed 2015 record, ‘Have You in My Wilderness’, it takes as its starting point a line from a 2009 short story by writer Etel Adnan: “I found myself in an aviary full of shrieking birds”.

palette of violin and viola, double bass and percussion, and drawing inspiration from the medieval world, she adds trumpet and bagpipes into the mix.

Aviary combines her slyly theatrical vocals and Blade Runner-inspired synth work with an enveloping

Critically acclaimed Brooklyn multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Joan As Police Woman returns to Brighton, performing accompanied with piano and guitar, to celebrate the release of her first career retrospective.

Already acknowledged as a thrilling live performer and starkly honest lyricist, her 2019 tour strips her sound down to its true essence, performing her songbook with piano and guitar. This is a concert format her fans have longed to hear since her much-loved solo shows in support of her 2006 classic debut album Real Life. Joanthology highlights Joan’s remarkable first fifteen years of writing and recording music that has continually defied categorisation. Famously a collaborator and muse to artists as diverse as Anohni, Rufus Wainwright, Lou Reed and Beck, this show will see Joan re-imagine many of the key songs and play material from her upcoming album of covers. Visit www.meltingvinyl.co.uk for full details of these and other gigs.

above: Julia Holter

left: Joan As Police Woman

fabulous festivals

Before we know it this winter will transform into spring, summer and autumn! And here is an array of festivals of all genres of creativity near and far, to nourish you as the weather improves.

Broadstairs Folk Week 9th to 16th August

Whetheryou are a family looking for child-friendly events, have lots of energy to burn off dancing, or singers and musicians seeking out a session – with around 70 events a day, you’ll find something to entertain you from early till late at the festival.

Two fine examples of the quality of music on offer are Megson and Kitty Macfarlane.

Three times nominated in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and double winners of the Spiral Earth Awards, Megson draw heavily on their Teesside heritage to create a truly unique brand of folk music. The husband & wife duo of Debs Hanna (vocals, whistle and piano accordion) and Stu Hanna (guitar, mandola and banjo) bring an infectious mix of heavenly vocals, lush harmonies and driving rhythmic guitars.

Kitty Macfarlane is a Bristol-based songwriter and accomplished guitar player. Her sharply observed narrative songs are pure poetry, rich with visual imagery and written with an eco-eye – bound loosely by the theme of mankind’s relationship with the wild.

Visit broadstairsfolkweek.org.uk for all the details.

fabulous festivals

Cornwall Folk Festival

22nd to 26th August

The Cornwall Folk Festival is a wonderful summer event taking place in the picturesque town of Wadebridge. The festival boasts five nights of the finest in folk, three days of back-to-back regional music at the FAR Stage, live music in the streets, sessions in pubs and dance and music workshops.

Headlining along with the Unthanks and others on the Main Stage, Steve Knightley, long-serving troubadour of the folk and acoustic music scene, master songwriter and storyteller, has spent much of his life on the road, collecting songs, stories, anecdotes and observations. And 2019 is Wizz Jones’ 80th year. Inspired by Big Bill Broonzy, Rambling Jack Elliot, Alexis Korner and Ewan MacColl, he learnt his guitar licks from the likes of Davy Graham and Long John Baldry while playing in the coffee bars of London’s Soho during the late 1950s.

There is also non-stop music at the FAR Stage with around 35 regional and national performers, plus a bar and great food options.

Visit cornwallfolkfestival.com for full information.

Harp On Wight

International Festival

Ryde, Isle of Wight – 25th to 29th October

Adefining feature of the five annual Harp on Wight Festivals has been the extremely high standard of

the concerts across a wide range of genres and countries. This is reflected in the new name of the event – Harp on Wight International.

This year will see Irish harp featured for the first time with a welcome visit by Grainne Hambly from County Mayo. Leading Scottish harpist Ailie Robertson also makes her first appearance at the festival, and there are two European acts – the classical jazz of Monika Stadler from Austria, and the exciting Harp and Hang duo of harpist Marianne Gubri and percussionist Paolo Borghi from Italy.

In another exciting first for the event, the opening concert will feature Welsh harpist Eira Lynn Jones, who is the Head of Harp at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, and who will be bringing with her a Harp Ensemble of students from the College to join her in the performance.

Full details of the festival can be found at www.harponwight.co.uk. If you require any further information please ring 01983-730930.

opp

Deal Music and Art Festival

28th June to 13th July

The Town of Deal will be given a welcome boost when Deal Music and Arts present their ambitious programme of top quality entertainment this summer. A highlight of the town’s social calendar, this year’s festival includes popular free outside concerts as well as unique opportunities to get “up-close and personal” with an impressive array of international and rising stars.

One of the highlights will be Keyboard Evolution, a two day mini Festival within the festival, which explores the development of the keyboard instrument from early clavichord to today’s cuttingedge technologies. This event will start on 7th July with international pianist Freddy Kempf performing works to include Chopin’s Etudes Op 10 and Rachmaninov’s Etudes-Tableaux Op 39. This will be followed by 21st Century Hyper-Bach on synthesizers with Art of Moog. 8th July sees pianist Dinara Klinton, winner of innumerable international prizes, playing Liszt Transcendental Studies and one of the world’s foremost music scholars and early music performers, John Irving, on Clavichord, Harpsichord and Fortepiano. Acclaimed composer Rolf Hind, one of Britain’s foremost exponent of modern keyboard music, will be playing the Magnetic Resonator Piano. Full details www.dealmusicandarts.com

Lewes Chamber Music Festival

6th to 8th June

Nowin its eighth year, the festival has become a highlight on the calendar of the East Sussex county town. The festival’s founder and Artistic Director, Beatrice Philips, was born and raised in Lewes and first picked up a musical instrument as a child whilst at Sunday School at St John’s Sub Castro church, which is now the main venue for the annual festival.

Beatrice went on to study the violin locally, then at Kings College London, The Royal Academy of Music, The Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and the Conservatoire National de Superior de Music in Paris. She now travels the world playing with symphony orchestras and in chamber ensembles including the Eusebius Quartet which she founded in 2015.

Every June Beatrice returns to her home town along with some of Europe’s greatest professional chamber musicians. This creates an outstanding opportunity for the people of Lewes to experience world-class music in intimate venues on their doorstep. Performers include Maria Włoszczowska, Tim Crawford, Beatrice Philips, James Boyd, Adam Newman, Hannah Sloane, Vashti Hunter, Alasdair Beatson, Matt Hunt and many more.

www.leweschambermusicfestival.com

fabulous festivals

South Downs Folk Festival

19th to 22nd September

The 2019 line-up for 7th South Downs Folk Festival is probably one of the best ever.

Featuring the brilliant folk-rock legends Lindisfarne, the hugely popular Oysterband, BBC folk multi-award winners The Young ‘Uns, with a very special and unique whole evening show, plus the highly entertaining 3 Daft Monkeys and the sensational Blair Dunlop. All these concerts take place at Bognor’s Alexandra Theatre.

There’ll also be some great support acts including hi-energy The Jigantics, superb duo Red Shoes, acclaimed band Palmerston and USA troubadours Friction Farm, who combine storytelling, social commentary and humour to create songs of everyday life and quirky observations with many more accomplished artists.

The festival will also incorporate the second eagerly awaited South Downs Ukulele Festival plus the return of the Big Seaside Sing and a new feature, ‘Come & Sing’.

Visitors and participants can also expect scintillating music sessions in several different venues, an expanded dance programme, festival food and craft markets, the Sussex Young Folk Competition, the Real Ale Festival plus excellent workshops and children’s entertainment, with the whole of Bognor Regis Town Centre hosting and enjoying four days of the very best folk, roots, acoustic music and dance.

Visit southdownsfolkfest.co.uk for full information.

Littlehampton gets festive

Two free art and music events in Littlehampton Arts in the Courtyard 18th May at Evans Garden Courtyard 12-5pm

An afternoon of art with live music; watch South Coast artists at work, with a chance for visitors to ask artists about technique & materials. The artists

selected will create live and all are specialists in their work, from spray painters, ceramicists, painters, etchers and illustrators.

There will be plenty of free art activities for all ages & abilities to participate in. All materials will be provided and artists of all ages and abilities are welcome to bring along their own sketch books, canvases and join in too.

Beachcombers Heritage RetroRoadshow 2nd June at the Stage by the Sea on the Seafront 12-4pm

Live performances including Dr Dotty’s Old Time Marionettes, Professor Edwards Punch & Judy plus a portable display of images and information panels about seafront entertainments in Sussex during the 1920s and 30s. There will be a live 'Children's Corner', performances at various times during the day, which will also include Uncle Tacko's Flea Circus!

Visit www.evensi.uk/page/littlehamptons-organisation-of-community-arts-loca.

Petworth Festival

16th July to 3rd August

Fresh from a record breaking 40th anniversary year, Petworth Festival hits fine form again with a characteristically wide ranging series of events that includes classical superstar MILOŠ, top comedian Julian Clary, rock legend Rick Wakeman and Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening bringing sounds of Ancient Northumbria.

There are atmospheric concerts in Petworth House’s Stable Yard featuring Georgie Fame and Ray Gelato and the Giants who top the bill at the hugely popular Jazz in the Stables. Describing a programme that will run for 19 days Artistic Director Stewart Collins enthuses over the range and quality of the performers who are taking up their invitations to perform at the festival: “With the track record we have established over many years, it’s hugely gratifying to be able to attract stellar talents. From classical music’s top drawer we are thrilled that Sir John Tomlinson, Imogen Cooper, Viktoria Mullova and MILOŠ will be joining us, but it’s when you add in the fine jazz, world-roots music and comedy talents that contribute so much to the programme that you begin to get a full picture of what the Petworth Festival’s about.”

www.petworthfestival.org.uk for further details. Box Office opens 9thMay, call 01798 344576.

Celebrating Shakespeare

Shoreham Wordfest’s fourth annual Shakespeare Festival 25th to 28th April

The Festival will be a feast of diverse events at venues in Shoreham, following on from the previous three highly successful and much enjoyed Shakespeare Festivals.

This year there is a varied and much larger programme which includes a lively and challenging performance of Macbeth in the ancient St. Mary de Haura Church by acclaimed theatre company This Is My Theatre; ‘Sweet William’, a one man talk by renowned Shakespearean actor and scholar Michael Pennington; a free concert of songs, sonnets and soliloquies; an illustrated talk by Jeremy Barlow, leading expert on music and dance in the time of Shakespeare; a singing workshop and a drama workshop; a Shakespeare film, and the renowned Shakespeare Night Revels – an Elizabethan ceilidh for all to celebrate the great Bard’s birthday with dance, food and entertainment.

The celebrations begin at West Street Loft in Shoreham on 25th April with the film ‘The Merchant

of Venice’ an enthralling 2004 film starring Al Pacino, Joseph Fiennes and Jeremy Irons. Various events follow on, all leading up to the convivial ceilidh of Elizabethan country and courtly dances with Kate's Kitchen Band and rustic ploughman's vittles. Come and enjoy the celebrations!

Visit www.shorehamwordfest.com for all the information you will need.

above: Macbeth, This Is My Theatre

West Dean Arts & Craft Festival

Friday 31st May to Sunday 2nd June, 10am–5pm

Live arts and craft at a unique arts destination. Get hands-on with drop-in workshops and crafts, watch demonstrations, buy unique handmade items, meet the makers and see the work of emerging artists at West Dean College of Art and Conservation, just north of Chichester.

Discover the legacy of College founder Edward James (1907–1984), who inspired generations of artists, makers, designers and writers as "… the greatest English patron of art of the early 20th Century." BBC Arts Online.

What’s on:

• Get hands-on in a creative workshop and learn a new skill with over 1000 workshop places throughout the festival.

• New for 2019 pick up a pencil or a paintbrush and try your hand at drop-in drawing and painting on an easel overlooking the surrounding parkland and havea-go at tapestry weaving on scaffold poles and make your mark on our collaborative tapestry.

• Watch craft demonstrations from blacksmithing to pottery and woodworking to jewellery making.

• Step inside West Dean House, only open once a year, home to Salvador Dalí's iconic Lobster Telephone and the famous Mae West Lips Sofa, both created in collaboration with College founder Edward James.

• Browse and buy handmade items and artworks from outstanding makers and designers.

Book online now to save 20% on admission tickets: Adults £10.50, Students (with ID) £5, Children under 16 free. (Offer ends 23/05/2019). www.westdean.org.uk/artsandcraft

Spring Sundays at Pickhams

Pickhams, the home of Summer Trifle, is in Wilmington, East Sussex and comprises wonderful rambling gardens and many interesting performance and exhibition areas.

For Easter Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday there will be an egg hunt with a difference – it’s in reverse! Bring the kids to decorate craft eggs then follow the map and nature trail to find the hidden nests. Artists are creating wonderful nests and your eggs complete the art installation. Get creative with our craft workshops, local children’s authors will be reading from their books which you can buy, the gardens and gallery will be open to explore and refreshments will be on sale.

On 12th May our Garden Event features gardening talks and workshops, with pots, garden features and furniture to buy as well as botanical art and refreshments. For Sussex Day on 16th June there will be a garden concert of traditional Sussex music with a delicious meal, talks about the local area and the launch of the Pickhams award.

Visit pickhams.com for further information or call 01323 705153. You can follow Pickhams on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Torbay Festival of Poetry

17th to 23rd October

Asusual, the Festival is held in the Livermead Cliff Hotel, situated on the waterfront with stunning views across Torbay. The long weekend celebrates all things poetic with readings, workshops, events and some fun events. The Festival starts with a party-style opening in the historic Torre Abbey where a wide-ranging poetic feast will be washed down with liquid refreshments.

Highlights of previous Festivals have been readings

by Carol Ann Duffy

and Roger

McGough

and events about the life and work of Charles Causley and other well-known poets.

The Festival’s aim of concentrating a packed schedule of events, mainly in one comfortable venue, has established an inspiring literary weekend by the sea with the added advantage of the beautiful English Riviera as a backdrop. Torbay is famous for sunshine ... it also has a reputation for poetry.

More details at torbaypoetryfestival.co.uk from early May.

Winchester Writers' Festival 14th to 16th June

This year's Winchester Writers' Festival takes place at the University of Winchester. The annual Festival offers three days of talks and workshops for writers at all levels of experience and working in a wide variety of forms and genres. The Festival provides inspiration, support and unparalleled networking opportunities for creative writers working in all forms and genres. The three-day weekend is packed full of workshops, talks and one-to-one appointments with over 70 literary agents, commissioning editors, authors, poets and publishing experts.

This year’s Festival Keynote, ‘Why You Should Read Children’s Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise’ will be given by award-winning children’s author Katherine Rundell. Katherine will explore how children’s books ignite, and can re-ignite, the imagination; how children’s fiction, with its unabashed emotion and playfulness, can awaken old hungers and create new perspectives on the world.

Friday night events are free to attend and include an open mic and readings with new authors. Visit writersfestival.co.uk for all the information.

top right: Torbay sea view; above: Katherine Rundell; right: Will Pound and Eddy Jay, Redwood Photography

Tenterden Folk Festival

3rd to 6th October

Theannual festival of folk song, music, dance, crafts and traditions is now in its 27th year and goes from strength to strength, the 2019 Festival taking place over four days. The emphasis remains on traditional English folk arts but always includes contemporary material with its roots in the tradition. Dynamic duo Will Pound and Eddy Jay are among the many acts performing and there are dance teams visiting representing Slovakia, Bulgaria, Asia and other dance traditions, performed in full traditional costume by dancers whose families have known the dances for generations.

On the song side the tradition continues to change and develop as it has for hundreds of years. English folk can include a song sung 200 years ago by a Sussex farmer, a sea shanty from the days of the sailing ship, a work song from the cotton mills or coal mines, a traditional carol, a broadside, a protest song from the folk revival of the 1960s or something more contemporary performed by a new generation of folk singers.

www.tenterdenfolkfestival.org.uk

The Shipley Arts Festival

Various venues and locations throughout 2019

The Shipley Arts Festival is one of the most inclusive and diverse music festivals in the UK. Internationally based musicians return year on year to perform in schools, pubs, country estates and churches, making the festival central to Horsham Year of Culture.

Selecting highlights of the festival is difficult, but would definitely include Sunday 5th May, 6:30pm at St Mary the Virgin Church in Shipley, a programme of music as celebration of community, performed at the idyllic final resting place of composer John Ireland. The performance will include The Shipley Arts Festival commissioned Great Hills, by Grammy nominated composer Cecilia McDowall, along with Bach, Handel and Whitbourn.

We must mention also on Friday 21st June at Lackenhurst, Lackenhurst Lane, West Sussex, RH13 0JL, the Bernardi Music Group will perform some great tunes from the Jazz and Classical repertoire. Tickets include canapes and refreshments.

For all the details about this year’s performances throughout spring and summer and to book visit www.shipleyartsfestival.co.uk www.thecapitolhorsham.com

Winchester Chamber Music Festival

3rd to 6th May

Winchester Chamber Music Festival proudly presents its 12th Festival comprising 10 public events plus two schools concerts all taking place in venues throughout the city. Buoyed by the thrill of performing the Mendelssohn Octet to a full house in the Theatre Royal in May 2018, the Artistic Directors, Kate Gould and Daniel Tong, have chosen to feature chamber music written for a wide range of larger chamber ensembles, performing the pieces for the first time in the Festival’s history: Mozart’s joyous Sinfonia Concertante, Bruch’s romantic Octet and the atmospheric Metamorphosen by Richard Strauss.

The London Bridge Trio are joined by violinists Esther Hoppe and Timothy Crawford, Max Mandel and Simone van der Giessen viola, Graham Mitchell double bass and the Sacconi Quartet. In contrast to the larger scale string works Kate and Dan have also programmed piano trios by Schumann and Beethoven, and there will be a concert of exquisite duet repertoire by Debussy, Pärt, Schwertsik and Beethoven.

Visit www.winchesterchambermusic.com for further information about the festival.

Torbay festivalof poetry

17th – 23rd October 2019

a poetry-filled weekend at Livermead Cliff Hotel readings • workshops • poetic conversations • meet the poets

Keep this date in your diary and check website in May for details of all events www.torbaypoetryfestival.co.uk

SHIPLEYARTS FESTIVAL 2019

A CELEBRATION OF MUSIC AND THE ARTS

Spring and summer 2019 at a variety of fabulous and unusual venues throughout West Sussex

Led by violinist Andrew Bernardi, the Shipley Arts Festival is a most highly regarded classical music festival, which has become nationally renowned for its innovative performances and commissioning of new music.

Concerts regularly sell out in advance. Becoming a Friend will enable you to book early for the 2019 Festival. Visit www.bmglive.com/shipley-arts-festival to join our Festival Friends group. To book tickets call 01403 750220 or go to www.thecapitolhorsham.com

Details of the delights awaiting us in 2019 coming soon to www.bmglive.com/shipley-arts-festival

‘One of the most highly regarded Classical Music Festivals in the UK’ – West Sussex County Times

Keynote speaker:

• Book up to four appointments with literary agents and editors

•

•

BARNETT’S of WADHURST Independent Bookseller

Refurbished dedicated children's area, extensive stock of children's books, both new releases & classics

Classical music cds and music scores · Book tokens

Children's loyalty cards · Out-of-print books obtained

Greetings cards · Regular author talks

We're friendly, knowledgeable and efficient

Open: Mon-Sat 9am-5pm; Wed 9am-1pm

Dogs and prams welcome! Proprietor: Richard Hardy-Smith

Gordon House, High Street, Wadhurst, East Sussex TN5 6AA 01892 783566 · enquiries@barnettsbooks.com www.barnettsbooks.com

Torbay festival open poetry competition

Judged by Nancy Mattson and Michael Bartholomew-Biggs, who organise ‘Poems in the Crypt’ (Islington). Michael is the poetry editor of online magazine The Poetry Grip.

• £1,000 first prize plus Festival Pass & accommodation at the 2019 poetry festival - 17th to 21st Oct

• £400 second prize plus a free Festival Pass

• £200 third prize plus ticket for the Festival supper for two

• Entrance Fee: £5.00 per poem, or 5 poems for £20.00 • Closing date: 21st August

• Winners to be announced at the Torbay Poetry Festival Prize-Winners’ Party, Saturday 19th October, Livermead Cliff Hotel, Torquay, where shortlisted poets will be invited to read their poems

• Enter at www.torbaypoetryfestival.co.uk after May or request entry form from 6 The Mount, Furzeham, Brixham, Devon, TQ5 8QY

HAVE YOU READ IT?

HAVE YOU READ IT?

CHRISTMAS 1943 - DEVON

75 YEARS AGO

‘The only thing new in the world is the history we don’t know.’

‘The only thing new in the world is the history we don’t know.’

US President Harry Trueman

US President Harry Truman

War is hard when you have to leave everything you know and love.

The Secret Rehearsals for D-Day...

The Secret Rehearsals for D-Day...

The Secret Rehearsals for D-Day...

“A wonderful book...”

At your local book store now Paperback: £8.99

At your local book store now Paperback: £8.99

Michelle Magorian

“A wonderful book...”

‘Goodnight Mr Tom’

Michelle Magorian

“A wonderful book...”

Michelle Magorian

“A jewel!...” Actress June BrownDot in EastEnders

‘Goodnight Mr Tom’

‘Goodnight Mr Tom’

“A jewel!...” Actress June BrownDot in EastEnders

“A jewel!...” Actress June BrownDot in EastEnders

ISBN 978-0-9535123-2-4

ISBN 978-0-9535123-2-4

www.wightdiamondpress.com

At your local book store now Paperback: £8.99

www.wightdiamondpress.com

ISBN 978-0-9535123-2-4 www.wightdiamondpress.com

The Bridport Prize 2019

“I'm looking for a first novel that will keep me guessing, that will deliver tension in the story and pleasure in the sentences. Debuts depend on voice: I'd love that voice to be fresh and different and unfamiliar.”

So says novelist Naomi Wood, one of the judges of the 2019 Bridport Prize international creative writing competition.

The Bridport Prize is much coveted by writers keen to follow in the footsteps of previous winners – now household names – such as Kate Atkinson, Helen Dunmore and Kit de Waal. It has an international reputation and attracts entries from across the globe each year with its prestigious judges and generous prize money. In 2018 over 12,500 entries were received from 79 countries.

The competition has four categories: poetry, short stories, flash fiction and first novel. The top poems, short stories and flash fiction stories are published in an annual anthology. An exciting development for 2019 will see the publication of a second anthology, containing extracts from the twenty longlisted novels.

In addition to Naomi Wood for the novel award, the other two judges for 2019 are Hollie McNish for poetry and Kirsty Logan for short stories and flash fiction.

The 2019 competition is open until 31st May. The website www.bridportprize.org.uk has lots of useful information and is also the simplest way to submit your entry, though postal votes are of course also welcome.

'The only thing new in the world is the history we don't know.' –President Harry Truman

Do you know about rehearsals for D-Day going badly wrong in Devon, five weeks before D-Day?

On 6th June it's 75 years since 7000 ships gathered at the western end of the Isle of Wight, the area of water code-named Piccadilly Circus – ships from Scapa Flow, Falmouth, Dartmouth, Poole, Portland, Southampton, Portsmouth, Shoreham, Felixstowe... 1,200 warships, 4,100 landing craft, 735 auxiliary ships and 864 merchant ships. A local man of 15 then described it: "Such a sight! The sea was black with

ships." It was the greatest amphibious landing the world has ever seen. Like the Kent and Sussex coastline the south Devon coast is picturesque. Slapton beach follows a wide curve. So peaceful. But it closely resembles the coastline of Normandy in France. Ideal for practice. And what of the people making way for those secret rehearsals? The Kid on Slapton Beach follows twelve-yearold Harry, one of 3000 people leaving the South Hams coast without knowing why. Wars have many secrets and this story will intrigue you. "A wonderful book," says Michelle Magorian, author of Goodnight Mister Tom, "superb on so many levels." Actress June Brown says "This book is beautiful. A jewel!"

Order it at your favourite bookshop.

poetry prose & illustration

book reviews

The Christopher Daring Adventures Spirits of the Dead

by Stephen J Willis

When twelve-year-old Christopher Daring and his best mate Jason have a spooky encounter with a ghostly girl from another century they set in motion a chain of events that were to change more lives than they could have imagined.

Disturbed by the recent sudden disappearance of his father and elder brother, Christopher found his sense of the mysterious further heightened by a strange spectral figure in a black cloak cycling past his house in the dead of night on a penny farthing, three nights in a row. Who was this shadowy figure and what did it mean?

Spurred on by his innate curiosity and the prospect of a late-night adventure, Christopher enlisted the help of his good friend Jason and together they set out to find some answers.

What followed, they could not have imagined, however, as one ghostly encounter led to another and character after character bled through the fabric of time as they found themselves caught up in situations beyond

Death in Durrington

by Derek McMillan

Crime fiction and humour are unlikely bedfellows but in the hands of author Derek McMillan they are a winning combination.

Death in Durrington is the second collection of short stories from the Durrington Detective Agency, using fictional characters in the real surroundings of Durrington, a neighbourhood of Worthing sandwiched between the sea and the A27.

The Durrington Detective Agency comprises Craig McLairy, who tells the stories, his wife Micah, the brains behind the team whose 'dark arts' with a computer gain them access to the police network and other highly encrypted information, and their dog Barker. Add in dull-witted police inspector Ben Tillotson (think Inspector Japp in the Poirot stories) and you have the key dramatis personae.

The stories are inhabited by a range of local characters; familiar types – the sullen teenager, the nosy neighbour, the old soak down the local – and less familiar (unless you frequent the shadier underbelly of society) – the local madame, the sinister Polish 'businessman', the sadistic mother – all expertly drawn by the author.

From carefully planned out revenge killings to crimes

their comprehension. A little girl, trapped, her life in mortal danger; a grieving, remorseful father; a broken-hearted lover; a little orphan boy, imprisoned and terrified; and a malevolent priest and his vicious hound – all peopled Christopher and Jason's adventure and while the fates of these characters depended upon the boys' actions, Christopher and Jason, propelled out of their own time, were fighting for their lives.

With plenty of twists and turns and a few nailbiting edge-of-the-seat moments, Spirits of the Dead scoops you up, draws you in and leaves you wondering. Intriguing and unexpected, it will capture the imagination of mystery lovers of all ages.

Available from Amazon or via Stephen's website www.stephenjwillis.co.uk/books where you can find details of the second Christopher Daring book, The Forest of Riddles, and his other books.

of passion, there is no murder to which the DDA is not equal. Despite their fair share of red herrings and blind alleys (or should that be twittens), in the end the DDA always get their man.

The stories are told with dry humour and slick economy that moves the action along smartly. There are more laughout-loud moments than your average crime fiction generally provides. Here's one of my favourites:

‘"My name is Viktor Price," said the neatly turned out man in his mid-fifties with a central-European accent. ... Micah wrote something in her notebook and let me see it.

'Victor Price, Polish.'

I looked briefly at his shoes. Micah scribbled 'from Poland' in case there was any confusion.’

Lively and engaging, Death in Durrington is the perfect book to dip into. Available on Amazon, along with its precursor, Durrington Detective Agency, and several other books of varying genres by McMillan.

The Small Shop

by Sue Hitchcock

Sue Hitchcock’s first novel The Small Shop is a real charmer, a genuine treat that grew from homework pieces written for the Bourne to Write creative writing workshops, based in Lewes and Eastbourne.

Bourne to Write has published anthologies of its writers' work in the past, Strangers in Paradise being the best known, but this is the first novel the workshop has published.

Hitchcock worked in visual arts related fields, in the Print Room at the British Museum, as a costumier in a theatre school, and running the mailing list at Saddlers Wells. During this time she wrote poems and plays, but she credits the writing workshop with enabling her to make her mark in fiction.

And quite a mark it is. The honest clarity in her work makes The Small Shop a delightful, transport-

The Love Detective

a Clarry Pennhaligan mystery

by Angela Dyson

‘"I need you Clarry." And that was that. When your oldest and best friend in the world asks for help, then you give it, if you can.’

And with that, Clarry Penhalligan, a 20-something, single, middle class part-time waitress from Wimbledon begins her foray into the cloak and dagger world of sleuthing.

Best friend Laura (a solicitor) has doubts about the intentions of her new beau (an estate agent) and asks Clarry to do a little digging. Was he really interested in her or was it all just business? What Clarry discovers is more than she bargained for. Never mind inside information in the probate/housing market, Clarry finds herself embroiled in the dark sordid world of human exploitation and trafficking.

From a relatively gentle start the action escalates rapidly and settles into a steady increase of pace and intrigue. Clarry becomes adept at tailing her quarry through the streets of south London; there's the adrenaline rush of breaking into a house in search of evidence, or finding herself in danger at a seedy nightclub in pursuit of a lead. But she is not alone. Among her supporting cast of well fleshed-out characters there's a stylish and unflappable septuagenarian great-aunt who brings a sense of decorum and stability to the proceedings.

With this invitation to escape from the ennui of a

ing read. It's also packed with memorable characters that come alive on the page.

What starts out as a possible piece of chick-lit turns into a heartwarming homage to HG Wells. When Polly opens a shop selling second-hand clothes she doesn't expect to become part of its history. The Time Machine and The History of Mr. Polly begin to resonate as our heroine builds relationships within the past. It’s a time travel trip that is highly recommended.

Published in paperback and Kindle by Bourne to Write and available on Amazon.

–Roddy Phillips

dead-end job and throwing herself into challenging situations with more determination than judgement, Clarry is what authors in times past would have called plucky. But this is no Famous Five adventure, there are hard-hitting issues at the heart of this story.

The Love Detective is quite the page-turner, a thoroughly enjoyable read. I was reeled in by the unlikely combination of chick-lit and derring do. Looking forward to Clarry's next sortie.

Available from most branches of Waterstones. You can also find it in The Bookshop, East Grinstead, where Angela has been invited to speak on an author panel in June to link in with Independent Bookshop week, or order online www.troubador.co.uk

My career has been a mixed bag. Like my heroine, Clarry Pennhaligan, I have been a waitress. I also worked for a record company, was briefly a plus-size model, an estate agent and then, for twenty years, I owned and ran a business in Central London. This last just about covered my mortgage (but not always) and proved to be a deadly combination of endless stress and mind numbing boredom. Two years ago, I took a huge risk and gave it up to concentrate on my writing. –Angela Dyson

Book two, The Love Detective: Next Level will be published this autumn. www.angeladyson.com

Grounding

Shoes slipped off, feet solemn as prayers on the damp grass, I wait for the promised rush but all I feel is time slow to an untasted stillness as my heart’s drum reverberates silently in the uncharted interior that opens up behind my ribcage –a sky tremulous with stars numerous as cells.

A clutch of bulrushes lifts their heads, turns toward me in a slow-motion arc and all boundaries dissolve into a split second’s sweetness as they whisper the secret I might not tell.

–by Jo Hemmant

Pictured above: 'Autumn Gold' by photographer and Parhelion Group member Lorraine Heaysman, which won this year's South Downs National Park Photography Competition. Lorraine said: “Mornings have always been my favourite time of the day and I spend so much time searching for these conditions – mist can be fickle! I am bowled over that the judges liked my image enough for it to win. Moments like these on a hill top are filled with beauty, peace and tranquillity and my heart skips a beat whenever I walk along the Downs and see scenes like this.”

See page 35 for more about Lorraine and Parhelion.

Interview with a Chilean Miner

What kept me sane? Astral travel. You look skeptical but I’m not the only one to have talked of how it is down there:

go far enough, you actually feel the earth throb –she’s like a wound; a banged gong. At night I’d lie on the floor, nothing between me and her, a tablet on a tongue, meditate until every bone and muscle dissolved and I could float on a raft of magnetic waves through 2,000 feet of rock into the night, the air clean and cold as spring water. I’d only to point my arms towards Copiapo’s lights and out I’d fly; over the desert scrub into town, over luckier men stumbling home till I was the wrong side of our door

which I’d rush like blood through a valve –greeted by the smell of rice and beans still warm on the stove, the radio on for company.

She’d be asleep in our room, a series of bumps under the quilt. I’d slip in, spoon to her egg, giddy at the peppery nape of her neck, the nest of damp curls.

I’d fight sleep but it always won. That was the worst of it: to wake up next to Gomez, his arm across my chest, strapping me in.

–by Jo Hemmant

Interview with a Chilean Miner was first published in Jo's poetry collection The Light Knows Tricks (Doire Press 2013).

Karin Moorhouse, painting workshops

Welcome to my latest workshop dates – fingers crossed they will be outdoors!

I am also introducing something completely different – a couple of weekend workshops. These will follow the same format as the single days but will hopefully help to reinforce what you are doing and make it easier to consolidate your practice and so really concentrate on your painting. I hope I have chosen the sunny bright warm days, but we shall see!

Another exciting new venture will be ‘Sketch and Stroll’ days, areas and dates to be confirmed.

poetry

From Saturday 4th May till Saturday 11th May I will be running a week-long residential workshop in a beautiful big old house (formally the village school) in Vorno, Italy, which is very near Lucca. Details are on my website. Non-painting partners and friends are also very welcome.

Later on in the year, possibly in September, I may be running another residential week-long workshop, this time in Scotland… think of the colours! I will publish details when it has been finalised.

Go to www.karinmoorhouseart.com for further details, you can also keep up to date with all of the above and my own work on my Instagram account: Karin_Moorhouse_Art.

unlimited creative

INSPIRING WORKSHOPS & COURSES

PAINTING | DRAWING | GLASS FUSION TEXTILES | PRINTING | KIDS STUFF

creative courses

Come and paint with Arundel artist

Karin Moorhouse

Alla prima art workshops. A mixture of plein air painting and studio-based work in and around Arundel

April: Tues 2nd,Thurs 18th,Tues 23th, May: Thurs 23rd; June: Thurs 6th; July: Thurs 4th

NEW for 2019 – Weekend Workshops

April 27/28, June 8/9, July 6/7

visit website for details and booking www.karinmoorhouseart.com

MARY CRABB BASKETRY & TEXTILES

unlimited creative

TALKS & WORKSHOPS

adults | schools | family learning

INSPIRING WORKSHOPS & COURSES

PAINTING | DRAWING | GLASS FUSION TEXTILES | PRINTING | KIDS STUFF

experimental | techniques | materials mathematical | creative | making info@marycrabb.co.uk www.marycrabb.co.uk

Summer School Courses 2019

Textile & Art Classes

www.studio11eb.co.uk Tel: 07941 399479

Tutors: Christine Chester & Roz Nathan

ANATOMY FOR ARTISTS

Tutor: Ben Laughton Smith

Dates: June 15th & 16th. 10am-4pm

2 days – £80

PORTRAIT HEAD IN CLAY

Tutor: Hazel Reeves SWA FRSA

Dates: June 17th to 21st. 10am-4pm

5 days – £355

LIFE MODELLING IN WAX & PEWTER CASTING

Tutor: Andrew Brown

Dates: June 25th to 28th. 10am-4pm

4 days – £298

SCULPTING A TAWNY OWL

Tutor: Lyn Merrick

Dates: June 29th & 30th. 10am-4pm

2 day weekend workshop – £160

DRAW BIG - Life size life drawing

Tutor: Marji Talbot

Dates: July 1st to 5th. 10am-4pm

5 days – £260 including paper and model fees

GARDEN SCULPTURE

Tutor: Marji Talbot/ Chaz Wyman

Dates: July 8th to 12th. 10am-4pm

5 days – £390 (includes all materials)

To book or for more info: sussexsculpture@btinternet.com 07765 892864 / 01403 786224 www.sussexsculpture.co.uk

A range of classes for beginners or the more confident practitioner – check website for details.

Small classes and expert tuition: all in a fully equipped, light and airy studio.

Want more colour in your life? Tired of things being dull?

Then brighten up your day with the only regional arts & culture magazine in the South East. For just £9.95 a year you can have ingénu/e magazine delivered to your door each quarter.

Visit www.ingenuemagazine. co.uk, or email subscribe@ ingenuemagazine.co.uk

Ben Laughton Smith

In the last thirty years or so the mood has shifted and many have realised how close we came to losing time-honoured techniques for producing pictures like the ones I saw in the National Gallery. The revival began with a pair of American artists who had trained in the old style and set up school in Italy. Those artists, and successive generations of their students, have led a quiet revolution – bringing the practice of painting from the nude model back to the centre of artistic training.

I am a Sussex-based artist and part of the younger generation of that lineage. Knowing how important figure studies were in my own development, I want all artists to have the chance to grow in their own practice by unlocking the principles of creating believable figures. So in June I will be giving a two-day intensive workshop at the Sussex Sculpture Studio focusing on artistic anatomy. Artists of all abilities can join me as I introduce this fascinating subject.

Artistic Anatomy will run from 15th to 16th June at Sussex Sculpture Studios, Daux Rd, Billingshurst RH14 9TF. www.sussexsculpture.co.uk

When I was twelve years old my grandfather (etcher and art educator Robert Ball) took me to the National Gallery for the first time. Seeing the late Renaissance and Baroque paintings left me dumbstruck.

The longer I looked the further the paintings unfolded, revealing a myriad of complex thoughts and emotions. From that point I was obsessed with understanding how paintings like these had been made; it seemed impossible.

I found it frustrating, in those early days, that in virtually all mainstream art schools the tradition of painting from life had died out, willfully forgotten – ridiculed even, after a backlash against classicism (with its associations with the imperialism and martial sensibilities of ancient Greece and Rome) that came after the First World War.

creative courses

Eastbourne

Eastbourne

ART CLASS

ART CLASS

St John’s Parish Hall, Meads

Tuesdays 7.45 - 10pm & Wednesdays 11am - 1pm

St John’s Parish Hall, Meads

Led by acclaimed figurative artist Catriona Millar. All media taught, beginners to advanced welcome.

Tuesdays 7.45 - 10pm & Wednesdays 11am - 1pm

Led by acclaimed figurative artist Catriona Millar. All media taught, beginners to advanced welcome.

If you’d like to join call Catriona on 07758 367479 or check out our website for more details.

catrionamillar.com

If you’d like to join call Catriona on 07758 367479 or check out our website for more details. catrionamillar.com

Situated in Shoreham’s West Street, this stunning venue plus art studios holds many events from art, jewellery and health & fitness classes to food & film evenings. www.weststreetloft.co.uk

CafÉ Artisan Gallery

As well as holding regular music events, Café Artisan is now the shop window for West Street Loft artists, with ongoing exhibitions through the spring and summer. Look for Café Artisan on Instagram and TripAdvisor

café artisan

Relax in Shoreham-by Sea’s lively, fully licenced café with delicious freshly prepared, locally sourced food with the accent on healthy. Vegetarian, vegan and ‘free-from’ options available.

@artisancafeshoreham

“First visit and it certainly won’t be our last. Lovely friendly staff, varied menu and food was absolutely delicious. Can’t recommend highly enough”

creative lifestyle

Are you an artist or crafts person passionate about their subject?

Would you like to pass your skills on to other people but are not sure how? Would you like to have an additional income?

LET US TEACH YOU HOW TO TEACH.

The Teaching Entrepreneur Association is an innovative on-line platform covering all the teaching basics, with modules so you can pick what’s relevant to you, learning flexibly, in your own space and at your own pace.

Uckfield Picture House Restaurant

– a break from the hustle & bustle

While distributing the last magazine we popped into the Picture House Restaurant in Uckfield for a pause in our mad dashing around. We had coffee and cake and relaxed in a very calm space, a sort of oasis, away from the hustle and bustle outside.

Situated opposite The Picture House, with which it operates in tandem, and using locally sourced ingredients where possible, The Picture House Restaurant provides freshly cooked food throughout the day, from simple bar snacks, coffee and cake to full three course meals and delicious cocktails.

For those visiting The Picture House, the restaurant offers a Movie Meal Deal available with a film ticket and also holds many special events.

I think the word ‘oasis’ sums up the restaurant. We enjoyed our short stay, the ambience, cake and coffee were all first class. www.picturehouseuckfield.com

Neighbourhood – Brighton's new cool eaterie

Neighbourhood is the new vegan/vegetarian restaurant-cafe in the heart of Brighton's North Laines, serving sustainable, local and hearty plant-based food.

Offering a great food and drink experience, Neighbourhood is a cosy place with a relaxed ambience for enjoyment, conversation and sensational organic food – and at its heart a mission to be part of the conversation around looking after our planet and its people.

This neighbourhood cafe-bar is open all day Wednesday to Sunday for innovative and delicious plates of food, speciality coffee, local wine & beer and a unique and friendly atmosphere.

95 Gloucester Road, North Laine, Brighton www.neighbourhoodbrighton.co.uk

Littlehampton Town Artisan Market

2019 will be The Artisan Market's 4th year of bringing vibrancy to Litthampton High Street.

For one Saturday each month, from 10am to 4pm, they welcome local producers & creators, artisan craft makers, antiques, antiquarian books, busking, performance and all the colourful characters which make up the local coastline & downlands around us along the South Coast.

Artisan are very open and keen for buskers and performers to grace the High Street with a kaleidoscope of entertainment. A chance for locals and visitors alike to gain a fresh understanding of the many community organisations, clubs and goods available within Littlehampton Town. @LittlehamptonArtisan

The themes and dates for this year’s Artisan Markets

April 6th ‘Spring into Life’; May 4th ‘May the 4th Be With You’; June 1st ‘Weddings Special’; July 6th 'Love Festival Special’; Aug 3rd 'British Seaside Special’; Sept 7th ‘Back to School’; Oct 5th ‘World Teachers Day’; Oct 26th ‘Bonfire Special’; Nov 2nd ‘Day of the Dead’; Dec 7th ‘Small Business Saturday / Christmas Market’; Dec 21st ‘Christmas Market’

Coda

Canada is getting high

Justin Trudeau became Canada’s 23rd Prime Minister in 2015. He is a liberal, extremely so it would seem, and has been instrumental in various new laws and programmes in the country. Last year Canada's parliament passed a law legalising the recreational use of marijuana nationwide. The Cannabis Act passed its final hurdle in a 52-29 vote in the Senate.

It’s now quite legal to be stoned in Canada.

And in February this year, Prime Minister Trudeau announced that Canada is to go to the Moon. It sounds grand, but in fact Canada will just be contributing a robotic system to a NASA project, which includes a next-generation robotic arm called the Canadarm3.

So Canada is going to the moon. Methinks that trip has already been taken!

It’s all too beautiful

Once, many moons ago in my long-forgotten youth, I was a passenger in a car off to a music festival in the West Country. There were four of us all high from smoking grass (yes, even the driver I’m afraid) and we became stuck in a mile long traffic jam. Evening was falling and somehow we all became fascinated with the bright silvery moon high in the sky above us. “Wow man!” and “Far out!” and such phrases echoed around the car as we watched, bewitched, at this beautiful silvery manifestation in the heavens. We were transfixed; time simply disappeared.

We were all gradually awoken from this enchantment by the sound of car horns blaring and people shouting. It started to dawn on us, as we came back to reality, that the cars that had been queuing in front of us were all gone, the road was clear all the way to the horizon. But behind us were hundreds of cars, those nearest to us in a state of extreme frustration and anger. We hit the accelerator pretty quickly!

Over the Moon

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing, Saturday 15th June sees ‘Over the Moon’ performed at the Observatory Science Centre in Herstmonceux. It will be well worth the visit, the event brings music and astronomy together with a mix of vocal and piano performances married with photographs and video. There is also a buffet supper and, weather permitting, a chance to view through the telescopes. (But don’t spend the whole night gazing at the moon!)

Nostalgia versus progress – or a millennial bug?

I often hear the assertion that social media is the way forward and print advertising is dying. To me this debate has parallels to the books versus Kindle, high street versus supermarket and vinyl versus CD arguments. I think there is a place for all these modes of existence, they do not have to be mutually exclusive.

I must declare, however, I am a fan, and I presume this applies to many readers, of not only the humble book, but also shopping for items I can see and touch and also sitting with a latte or a beer and relaxing while reading through a magazine.

Although magazines such as Glamour, She, Arena and NME have closed or moved online in the last few years there are many still thriving, including, I humbly suggest, ourselves. Over five years ingénu/e has gradually expanded its size and distribution and is, albeit with a gentle slow burn, gaining in popularity.

I often glance through other magazines and sometimes wonder who actually buys them. I recently looked over a recent Glamour magazine which contained a huge six or eight page article on Kylie Jenner, recently named by Forbes as the youngest self-made billionaire of all time at the age of 21. If you are unfamiliar with who she is, she is one of the Kardashian clan, and if you are unfamiliar with who they are I bow before you and applaud you! The headline quoted Kylie as saying her greatest insecurity in her life had been her lips. Her lips?! I’m lost for words!

She has now apparently turned her biggest insecurity into a billion-dollar company and has 128 million Instagram followers. About to lose the will to

live, I mused that if this is an example of Glamour magazine’s insight into what we really need to be informed about, no wonder it is near closing. That kind of article is the sort I’d maybe expect to see on the web, but not in print! Print media should have individuality and depth, not be running shallow editorial that is nothing more than an advert for the ‘star’ of a reality TV programme, who is apparently a billionaire. Also, I have misgivings about that ‘billionaire’ label. As Hercule Poirot himself might say, it is, perhaps, not the exact truth, n'est-ce pas?

‘A book is a dream that you hold in your hand’ –Neil Gaiman

I’m pretty sure Kindles and the like will never see the end of books. A Kindle doesn’t have the texture, the feel that a book in your hand gives you. Even the smell of a freshly printed book or the musty smell of a second hand bookshop cannot be duplicated by a mere machine. It’s the same with vinyl and CDs. A CD is a soulless thing with a small, hardly readable insert and an overproduced, clinical sound. Vinyl not only provides a warmer sound, but the covers are also (usually) works of art. There’s no comparison really, if you are looking for a complete and satisfying visual and sonic experience.

The death of the High Street –a myth or a trusim?

Travelling around Sussex and West Kent regularly, we see some High Streets that seem to be doing fine and others which obviously need a hand. But from talking to various business owners, a few of whom are closing down and some who are apparently getting along fine, one or two things are very apparent. One is local councils that seem to have no idea what they are doing as regards the High Street. In just one year we’ve seen free car parks in various small town centres change from free to paid parking, hear of business rates increases, landlords’ rent increases and little or no innovative action by local government. Another aspect of this decay in some towns is down to local business forums, who meet and plan but end up in fact doing nothing effective about the situation. In one small town we heard of a general apathy towards any new ideas advanced at meetings, a sort of entrenched inertia pervading the group.

In contrast, one example of a smart idea is East Grinstead High Street’s annual ‘Big Reveal’ event, which launches the town's Christmas celebrations. Each shop creates innovative and surprising window displays that are hidden until 5pm on the big day, when they are unveiled with a great fanfare. The public then vote for the best display. This year there was live music and various food stalls, the shops stayed open late and all the streets and surrounds were packed full with shoppers and merry-makers. It was quite a sight!

Although I do both, I much prefer that personal experience than shopping online.

And we do see signs of improvement in some places, despite what the media says. Close to where we live, although a couple of shops have closed, there has recently appeared a really cool bakery shop and café, Flint Owl Bakery, which appears to be thriving (and has our magazine for their customers to read or pick up of course). Perhaps there is a clue here; make yourself visible, provide excellent products at a reasonable price that are actually desired by consumers, be friendly and helpful, value your customers and build a reputation via word of mouth.

A gallery packed with consumers...

As an addendum to the previous segment, Artichoke Gallery in Ticehurst, East Sussex, is a contemporary gallery featuring quarterly exhibitions of painting, sculpture, ceramics, textiles and jewellery. While distributing the magazine in January we were lucky enough to stumble into the gallery’s opening night of their ‘Imbalance’ exhibition. We stayed for an hour or so and were delighted to experience such a busy night; there were so many people coming and going, lots of sales occurring and a thriving, upbeat atmosphere. I theorise this was an example of the concept in the last paragraph, as the gallery has a welcoming feel, plenty of space for people to wander about viewing the art works, and marvellous work at reasonable prices. Kudos to Louisa, Liz and Vicky for creating such an oasis of creativity in the village.

…and a gallery wins an award!

Recently The Green Tree Gallery at Borde Hill were thrilled and honoured to win the Chestnut Tree House 'Outstanding Small Business' Award at the charity's biennial awards dinner at South Lodge Hotel. Well done to all involved and a perfect way to celebrate the Gallery's 10th anniversary. Jill and Sam who run the gallery thanked their many customers for helping engage the local community in raising awareness and fundraising.

Situated in the beautiful surroundings of Borde Hill Garden, The Green Tree Gallery is a contemporary art and crafts gallery featuring a wide range of

work from both local artists and those further afield. Their upcoming exhibition 'And Then Came Spring', inspired by this line from the translated works of Omar Khayyam, runs from 13th April to 27th May. www.greentreegallery.co.uk

A new café find

If you find yourself in Sevenoaks, wander a little further south down the High Street than you usually might and you will come to a small, cute and friendly café in a building that might have been built by M.C. Escher. It houses Otto’s café, which has won awards both locally and nationally and been featured in the Sunday Times.

If you are a fan of delicious coffee, fragrant tea and mouth-watering cakes and like a slightly unusual space to while away some time it is well worth a visit.