Six in the City!

I've been meaning to blog this all week but wanted to wait until I'd got a few photos before so I could show you what we're up to.  Since last Monday (17th), I've been exhibiting at the Oxmarket Gallery in Chichester with 5 of my arty friends.  We've all known each other since meeting at the Festival of Art in Southsea in 2007 where we formed a small artist network and have been working together on projects ever since.  This is our third visit to Chichester as a group, the last one being in 2009, but our group has been somewhat depleted since then and we are now an all female bunch.....girl power!  I love the Oxmarket, it is such a beautiful old building and the light in the galleries is just amazing.  It boasts the John Rank gallery, a large exhibition space which is currently being occupied by the West Sussex Art Society, the small Wilson gallery where we are and also space within the lobby and foyer, also being taken by us at the moment.  My products and artwork are on display in the lobby, it's a really intimate space and I'm really pleased with how it looks.

So far I've been successful with a few scarf sales but it's really nice to have some of my artwork on display for a change, a first for me.  My little hand loom is also there to hopefully put the craft into perspective.  I only use it for demonstrations, I don't actually use it to weave scarves, it would  take forever.  I've also got a couple of lampshades hanging in the Wilson Gallery alongside Chantelle Cheshire's hand drawn cushions and a hand embroidered lampshade (a work in progress).

 

Chantelle likes to use recycled and alternatives such as bamboo and hemp to create products like lavender bags, dolls and cushions which she screen prints with her quirky designs and doodles.  She takes her inspiration from many things but especially old children's books.  

Some of Chantelle's screen printed lavender bags

Also in the Wilson gallery you will find ceramic artist Rose Bates' collection of chrystaline and raku glazed ceramics, pit fired pots and garden poppy heads and urchins.  Rose has a passion for colour and an interest in both human form and animals.

Rose's pit fired pot

Rose's  raku glazed torso

Rose's garden poppy heads

More of Rose's raku work

Samm Mackinnon specialises in marine scenes, painting with acrylic she works from photographs, sketches and her own extensive archive of images.  Samm's work is visually stimulating, evocative and colourful.

Samm's paintings

In the window of the foyer is the work of Katherine Webber, a Southsea based jeweller who uses semi-precious stones, freshwater pearls, glass, sterling silver and gold vermeil beads to create distinctive styles from  the subtle and delicate to the bold and dramatic.  

Katherine's semi-precious jewellery

Our last exhibitor is Di Wren,  working in ceramics, printmaking and mosaics Di is exhibiting artwork in foyer and three dimensional work in the Wilson gallery.  She is inspired by twentieth century artists such as Matisse and Picasso and she also has a taste for the gothic.   

Di's raku glazed fish

The exhibition continues until Saturday 29 October 2011.  Opening times are 10am - 4pm and admission is free.  Hope you get the opportunity to come and see it.  If you do make it to Chichester pop along to Pretty Scruffy on Cooper Street, a lovely little shop selling only hand crafted goods, where you will find a few more of my scarves for sale.