Swindon Open Studios tour Sun 04/06/06

OPEN STUDIO TOUR - Sunday 4th June

Yet again the sun was shining in a cloudless sky when we headed off on another round of Open Studios. This time I left Andy to enjoy the peace and quiet and took the girls with me instead. We grabbed some food at the garage in Chisledon and had a bit of a picnic before we descended on Mary Reynor's studio.

Poor Mary had been a bit left out of the loop so Kashna put her skates on (literally) and went off round the neighbourhood delivering brochures whilst Esina collected leaves and I explored Mary's wonderful garden. I was so enchanted by the colours outdoors I almost forgot that I was here for the paintings. I immediately felt at home when I saw the wooden Thai figure guarding the front entrance.

Two hallways of paintings leads you into a room laid out with books and cards. I knew that Mary had been an illustrator but had no idea of the extent of her work or that she had written her own books. Certainly a lady of many talents. The room was filled with watercolours and sketches and I particularly liked this 'african corner'. I was also attracted to a painting of waves that made me long for a beach. In the hall there is a great one of cows from a nearby field, who had came to investigate the intruder in thier midst. Armed with a book about a crafty alley cat for Esina we reluctantly took our leave of the idyllic Chisledon Cottage.

From there we raced across town to the butterfly farm in Wroughton to see Christine Antoinette's studio in her new shop. Esina was disappointed that the children's play area was closing for the day but soon cheered up when she saw that Christine was doing face painting. Whilst the girls had a go at painting I had a look at Christine's extensive range of work.

From the now familiar butterfly designs which are so vibrant to intricate pen and ink drawings, striking black and white prints and colourful paintings. Kashna's favourite was an underwater view of dolphins poking their heads out and she was also interested in a collage of turquoise faeries. I liked the delicate water colours painted in Prague but fell in love with a gecko design that had better not sell before I get a chance to get out there again!

Christine is in the middle of setting up a space to promote not only her own work but that of other local artists. Already, five of our Open Studio artists are bringing work down to sell. I can't wait to see it when it is filled up with art and I'm told that the food in the cafe is worth a trip on it's own. Added to the attraction of butterflies and face painting for the children Christine's shop is a 'must visit'. There is enough there to make a day of it.

Back in Swindon with just enough time to whiz through Old Town our next stop was to Damien Daly's studio. Esina was thrilled to find a couple of kittens in residence and was entertained for the rest of the visit. Having been lulled into thinking of Damien as a monochrome artist I was immediately struck by the splashes of vibrant colour amongst his work. Especially by one of a naked young man splashing in water (no rude comments please!).

To one side was a room filled with images, from floor to ceiling. There was an intriguing experimental book that Damien had superimposed his own images onto. Most impressive though, was the graphite picture of 'Sisters' that I had assumed was one average size picture only to discover it comprised of a wall's length of individual A4 size sheets.

I loved all the colourful ladies but the Japanese one was my favourite simply because I love finding Asian influences in Western art. I was also strangely drawn to Damien's work in progress of a mechanical womb encasing lifelike twins.

Just enough time left for one last look at my naked man over the fireplace, Damien says it isn't finished but I like the idea of leaving it with the potential for more. The hardest part of leaving was getting Esina away from the kittens. Andy will be disappointed to have missed this studio as I'm sure he would have had a great philosophical discussion about humanity and machinery, so I've promised to bring him on my next visit.

The last but not least was Paula Sullivan's studio. A big black cloud followed us down the road and it began to belt down with rain. Paula's Open Studio sign in the window was like a beacon of refuge from the deluge. We received a warm welcome and were ushered into the conservatory which was a riot of colour. It's a shame that we missed the display in the garden as I'm sure it would have been lovely to see Paula's plant paintings in amongst their inspiration.

Glimpses of the wet garden through the windows made the work in the conservatory seem all the more cozy and there was certainly plenty to see. It was hard to choose a favourite between the acrylic lifelike plants, delicate silk flowers and vibrant mosaic tiles. Esina made a beeline to a yellow sunflower mosaic and I was attracted to red flower one sitting on a complimentary burgundy table cloth. I could imagine both in my living room quite easily.

Yet again I found a painting that reminded me of Hong Kong. That particular pink and blue being a favourite chinese combination and the various leaves are all ones I'd collected as a child in Malaysia. Even the delicate flower designs along the side could pass for calligraphy from a distance.

Time to go before I bankrupt myself 'taking photos of open studios'. The skies cleared as we said our goodbyes and we headed for home tired but happy having indulged in another artistic feast with a bit of an Asian twist here and there.

PS. Gallery of studio images coming soon!

For more information please contact us at

info@swindonopenstudios.co.uk

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