OPEN STUDIOS COMPLETED

9 days of Open Studios in Cheltenham is now over. The exhibition at Hampen Factory has been taken down and it is now back to a normal life, well as normal as can be!

Hampen Factory had a very successful show, we had 280 people come to visit us, new friends were made and we caught up with old friends.

Carolyn and I found it a valuable time to play with colour in printmaking, so for 3 days all this experimenting was done. These little plates are collagraphs made from card, tile cement and wood glue about 4 inches by 2 inches.

It was a controlled experiment with colour separation inking. These will be a useful resource when I next come to print with colour. I would never allow myself to sit alone and experiment like this in my studio and Carolyn is more daring than me when printmaking with colour, many of the most exciting examples are her suggestions.

More fun with friends and more feed back!!

Worth doing an Open Studio? With good friends, yes! If people come to see artists at work, yes! If you are visited regularly by a Woodpecker...YES!

OPEN STUDIO IN PROGESS

3 days into Open Studios at Hampen Factory and much to our relief we have had people come to visit us. In fact our 'Meet the artist' event was very lively and I met lots of friends. I hope a good time was had by all.

Carolyn's mixed media collagraphs have been well received.

Sharon's garden sticks have been popular.

Caroline's sewn narratives have been much admired.

Lesley's ceramic sculptures have caused quite a stir.

I spent the weekend at Hampen Factory with other members of the group happily working in my sketch books. While setting up the show on Thursday we found a baby blue tit, Sharon and I

took lots of photos. Sadly it was found dead on Saturday morning because we had heavy rain on Friday night. So it is immortalised in a couple of my sketch book pieces, and I can feel a

collagraph coming on. I will report how the rest of the week goes, but so far so good!

CHELTENHAM ART FESTIVAL & OPEN STUDIO

All over the country, all through the year, artists open their studios and homes to the public for Open Studio events.

Saturday 6th June, Hampen Factory Arts Centre opens it's doors as part of the Cheltenham Art Festival & Open Studio.

After hours of cleaning, painting, sign and label making, publicity creating, and hanging the work, we are ready! And still friends! Preparing for an exhibition certainly makes creating the work for it feel easy...my arms never ache like this after editioning!

Let me give you a tantalizing preview of Five at the Factory, an exhibition of five artists

Lesley Maddox McNulty's ceramic sculpture welcomes visitors at the studio door and although the studio now looks like a chic gallery space the press will be in operation all week as there will be artists at work.

Carolyn Foulkes set up Hampen Factory 4 years ago to host printmaking and painting courses. Carolyn uses the studio to make her own mixed media collagraphs and etchings.

I look to Carolyn's advice when it comes to using colour and we are looking forward to a week of experimenting with colour and collagraphs while we are stewarding the exhibition.

Caroline Mc Catty has made a series of sewn narrative pieces for the show, yes, this frog is all fabric and thread. I am sorry the photograph does not do it justice because of the glass reflection...all the more reason to take a trip out to Cheltenham to see it!

I am showing new collagraphs and etchings which have not appeared in galleries yet. These collagraphs are Great Tits that come to the many feeding stations dotted around the studio.

Hampen is in the middle of the Cotswold country side and at this time of year surrounded by baby birds. Hopefully we will see the Woodpecker that visits regularly.

Sharon McSwiney's metal hangings shimmer around the studio, they picked up the light and make the exhibition rich and textural.

I am so lucky to have such a talented group of friends and that we have been able to put this show together without a cross word or artistic tantrum. I am sure I have been bossy, but everyone seems to still be talking to me.

Well, lets hope we have a few visitors after all this effort, but what ever happens, so far the experience of it all has been worth it and we are all really pleased with the way it looks.

FIVE AT THE FACTORY an exhibition of 5 artists. 6th-14th June

http://www.hampenfactory.co.uk/

SKETCH BOOK PRACTICE

I have been working in sketch books for about 10 years now. My sketch book is where I jot down ideas and play around with techniques. I wish I was the sort of artist who could sit down at a cafe and record what I see, but I do not work like that.
I sit in my studio and play with materials and images working out ideas for collagraphs and etchings. Here are a few sample pages where I have used acrylic paint, quink ink, bleach and printed textured wall paper.

I would be lost without textured wall paper, my idea of a good day out is a trip to the local DIY store, (I must get a life).

I facilitate workshops using these techniques encouraging sketch book practice, the next

weekend workshop is :-

October 17th-18th 2009

Mixed media techniques and Gum Arabic Transfer Printing
Using Gum Arabic and the humble black-and-white photocopy as your ‘plate’, you can make prints of hand-drawn or photographic images.
Together with a variety of mixed media techniques using ink, oil pastel, bleach and acrylic spend 2 days learning how to create personal sketch book pages.
( please bring strongly contrasting toner photocopies and sketch books).

Hampen Factory Arts Centre, Nr Cheltenham

http://www.hampenfactory.co.uk/

For further details contact:
Sue Brown
T:01242 511941
E: sb.brown@talk21.com

COLOURFUL COLLAGRAPHS

I have been experimenting over the last few weeks with collagraph plates made with tile cement and carborundum. With the plates made I have spent happy hours playing with colour and inking them up using a viscosity technique. The most exciting discovery for me is using gold leaf under the ink. This changes the nature of the ink making colours brighter and adding glitz.

This work is a departure for me, but still uses all my favourite plate making and inking techniques.

OPEN STUDIO EVENT AT HAMPEN FACTORY

The 6th of June will be the opening day of the third Open Studio event at Hampen Factory Arts Centre, nr Cheltenham.
I have been running printmaking courses from Hampen Factory for almost 5 years now and I am really looking forward to the week long Open Studio Exhibition as I am showing with really talented friends.

I am showing a series of new collagraphs and etching inspired by Venice and corvus.

Sharon has developed a set of gorgeously coloured metal hangings.

Carolyn has been experimenting very successfully with mixed media collagraphs.

Caroline is making the most amazing narrative stitched applique; textile with attitude.

Lesley has strong figurative ceramics.

The event will look fabulous and while we are sitting in the studio for the week we will experimenting with viscosity inked plates and running classes so we can be seem in action.

PRINTMAKING COURSES AT HAMPEN FACTORY

the next one will be a Non Toxic Etching Weekend. September 26th-27th 2009.

The 2 day course will cover etching aluminum with copper sulphate using Gum Arabic Transfer as a photographic style resist. This is the technique I outlined in the Winter 2008 edition of Printmaking Today and I am showing work using this way of working at the

Five at the Factory exhibition on the 6th June

Contact sb.brown@talk21.com for more details about the course.