Monday 26 August 2013

Herefordshire Art Week

It's not just history that's being celebrated in the early part of September - from the 7th to the 15th it's Herefordshire Art Week as well. This is something that happens every year - galleries are open all over the county, exhibitions are put on, and there are workshops at 119 different venues. Look for the pink signs!
This year Tracy Thursfield, one of the ladies who goes to Hay Stitch and Bitch, will be exhibiting her hand-knitted hats, scarves and jumpers, and her prints, in Clifford, at The Workshop, Paddock House, along with Benjamin Hill's furniture and Clarissa Price's pen and ink drawings.
Meanwhile, at her home Romilly in Brilley, Maureen Richardson will be exhibiting her hand made paper and book art. Her home is worth seeing as well - it is self-built, with a turf roof. The Self-Build Book, written by Maureen's late husband Brian, talks about how it was built.
The exhibition at The Courtyard in Hereford is based around the A49 Lime Trees, which local people are trying to save from being felled.
In Presteigne, Marijana Dworski (who used to be a bookseller in Hay specialising in foreign languages) has teamed up with Clare Keil to produce Books4Looks - furniture, books, posters, cards and so on based around vintage book designs.
At Wickton Court, Stoke Prior, Jenni Stuart-Anderson is exhibiting her rag rugs as one of a group of artists in various media, with ragwork demonstrations through the week. She taught me how to make rag rugs many years ago when the Hourglass Gallery in Hay was Rogues Gallery, and hosted workshops for different crafts.
Adam Watson, who weaves (and used to be a book binder) is exhibiting at Aardvark Books at Brampton Bryan with a group of textile artists.
I've picked out these particular artists because I've met all of them, and I admire their work, but the h.Art booklet is full of artists producing wonderful things - art, ceramics, furniture, textiles, metalwork, photography, stonecarving, sculpture, wood and willow, and more.
Looking for the exhibitions and workshops is a fun way to explore the county, too.

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