Art at St Dunstan's

WATCH THIS SPACE...

2012-01-25T04:05:00.000-08:00

ART AT ST DUNSTAN'S 2012

Watch this space for info about Art at St Dunstan's 2012. There are some newcomers to introduce to you including two ceramicists, a mosaic artist and a contemporary woodturner. The blog will soon be updated with the line up for this year plus all the new dates, times, etc. Please check again in February.

Meanwhile, for a flavour of what was on offer in 2011, click on Introduction 2011 and on the artists' names in blue to the right. Christine Bass, Violeta Corzo, Mick Randall, Bob Williams and Sarah Wood will all be back at St Dunstan's in 2012.

INTRODUCTION 2011

2011-04-25T12:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Art at St Dunstan's 2011. We look forward to seeing you during our nine open days at this special venue. See the list below for the nine artists showing at St Dunstan's this year. To get a flavour of each artist's work, click on the artist's name in blue, to the right of your screen.

Susan Anderson makes striking black and white lino cuts and wood engravings, as well as producing handmade books.

Christine Bass paints vibrant, contemporary, local landscapes and still lifes, many of which are also available as giclee prints and cards.

Marie Boyle is a sculptor who concentrates on the human form, currently focusing on athletes in particular.

Violeta Corzo is a silversmith creating jewellery inspired by architecture and nature.

Lis Lawrence is a felt maker who creates colourful, tactile bags, hats and other accessories.

Mick Randall's passion is making things out of wood: turned bangles and boxes, bentwood Shaker boxes and small pieces of furniture.

Barbara Shaw is a textile artist whose collaged pictures are distinctive and original.

Bob Williams creates reliefs and drawings which draw on his deeply personal mythology.

Sarah Wood produces handcrafted silver jewellery using traditional skills.

This photo of beautiful St Dunstan's is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons athttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monks_Risborough-_St_Dunstans_Church.jpg.

For more info about the church and the surrounding area, including photos, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monks_Risborough.

SARAH WOOD

2011-04-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

Sarah lives in north Buckinghamshire with her husband and 3 children. After a successful career in the commercial world she wanted a new challenge. She had always been interested in jewellery and, in September 2006, she began a silversmithing course.

She designs and makes one-off handcrafted items using traditional skills. She particularly enjoys creating texture on the silver. She takes inspiration from the way the metal changes under the different blows of the hammer, which she uses to her advantage when designing. In some jewellery pieces, hammer marks are retained and highly polished in order to create a contemporary finish.

Her aim is for her jewellery to be both wearable and affordable.

To see more of Sarah’s work, please visit the gallery at www.silversilversilver.co.uk

BOB WILLIAMS

2011-04-25T09:00:00.001-07:00

Born in Buckinghamshire, Bob Williams studied art at High Wycombe, Southend-on-Sea, the North East London Polytechnic (now University of East London) and the Slade School of Fine Art. Bob has exhibited regularly and his work is in museums and private collections.

Bob produces three dimensional pieces, reliefs and drawings. His recent work celebrates places visited and people met. There are references to the pilgrimage, the summer holiday and annual festivals which reflect the passing of time. Bob has created a deeply personal mythology.

To see more of Bob’s work, please visit the
Online Gallery at www.artsnetbeds.org.uk

VIOLETA CORZO

2011-04-25T08:34:00.001-07:00

Born in the UK to Spanish parents, Violeta has lived in Buckinghamshire all of her life. For as long as she can remember, she’s had an interest in jewellery and, in September 2006, she started an evening class in silversmithing. She now spends all her spare time making jewellery.

Her aim is to create jewellery that can be worn every day or for special occasions. Her inspiration for these pieces often comes from observations of architectural forms and the patterns, shapes and textures occurring in nature.

To see more of Violeta’s work, please visit the gallery at www.silversilversilver.co.uk

MARIE BOYLE

2011-04-25T08:11:00.001-07:00

Marie’s work is highly figurative and concentrates on emotion and movement. At the moment, she is focusing on the forthcoming Olympic games and our medal-winning hopefuls, capturing the athletic human form at its most strenuous and majestic.

WATCH THIS SPACE...

2011-03-11T15:20:00.000-08:00

ART AT ST DUNSTAN'S 2011

Watch this space for info about Art at St Dunstan's 2011. There are some newcomers to introduce to you including a sculptor, a relief artist and two new jewellers. The blog will soon be updated with the line up for this year plus all the new dates, times, etc. Please check again in May.

Meanwhile, for a flavour of what was on offer in 2010, click on Introduction 2010 and on the artists' names in blue to the right. Susan Anderson, Christine Bass, Lis Lawrence, Mick Randall and Barbara Shaw will all be back at St Dunstan's in 2011.

INTRODUCTION 2010

2010-03-25T02:09:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Art at St Dunstan's 2010. We look forward to meeting all our visitors, old and new, in the twenty-fifth year of Bucks Open Studios! This year there are nine artists exhibiting:

Susan Anderson makes striking black and white lino cuts and wood engravings, as well as producing handmade books.

Xuella Arnold creates delicate and organic silver, bronze and gold jewellery and also works in precious metal clay.

Christine Bass paints vibrant, contemporary, local landscapes and still lifes, many of which are also available as giclee prints and cards.

Graham Brant works in stained glass, producing luminous panels, sometimes with painted images.

Lis Lawrence is a felt maker who creates colourful, tactile bags, hats and other accessories.

Mick Randall's passion is making things out of wood: turned bangles and boxes, bentwood Shaker boxes and small pieces of furniture.

James Sansome sculpts steel birds which soar and which are inspired by the birds of the surrounding countryside.

Barbara Shaw is a textile artist whose collaged pictures are distinctive and original.

Nicki Tullett is a botanical illustrator painting watercolours of great precision and gentle beauty. Some of Barbara's textile pictures and Nicki's illustrations are also available as giclee prints and cards.

To see more of an artist's work, click on the artist's name in blue, to the right of your screen.

This photo of beautiful St Dunstan's is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monks_Risborough-_St_Dunstans_Church.jpg.

For more info about the church and the surrounding area, including photos, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monks_Risborough.

NICKI TULLETT

2010-03-18T05:04:00.001-07:00

Nicki Tullett is a botanical artist who has lived in the Chilterns for many years. Nicki has always drawn and painted but took up botanical art seriously in 2005 when she studied with the Society of Botanical Artists completing their Diploma Course and passing with credit in 2007. In 2007 Nicki was invited to exhibit with the Royal Horticultural Society at their winter show held in the Horticultural Halls, Westminster. She was awarded a Silver Gilt Medal for this exhibition. Nicki's work is in the collection of Dr. Shirley Sherwood, the world's foremost collector of contemporary botanical art whose latest gallery recently opened in the grounds of Kew Gardens.

Nicki always paints from life and uses many layers of watercolour paint to match the colours found in nature.

BARBARA SHAW

2010-03-18T05:02:00.001-07:00

Barbara’s collages capture the essence, texture and energy of her subjects. She ‘paints’ with textiles creating her pictures by sticking or hand-stitching small pieces of fabric together in layers, sometimes adding real paint to achieve the effect she wants. Barbara’s use of patterned and tactile materials in vibrant or subtle colours is distinctive. Drawing inspiration from her surroundings, Barbara’s art, whether abstract or traditional, has a universal appeal and is original and fresh.

Barbara is a self-taught artist. She has exhibited and sold her work in galleries in the south of England, Wales and The Mall Galleries (London) and is a member of the Oxfordshire Craft Guild. Based on the images from her artwork, Barbara produces a successful range of handmade cards. Limited edition giclee prints of Barbara’s original work are also available.

To see more of Barbara's work, please visit:

http://www.artintextiles.co.uk/

JAMES SANSOME

2010-03-18T04:58:00.000-07:00

James draws inspiration from the Chiltern countryside in which his workshop is situated. Each piece of work is individually crafted and is unique. All of his designs are as bold as they are simple. His sculptures can be left to weather naturally and, after time, turn a fantastic soft orange colour.

To see more of James' work, please visit http://sites.google.com/site/jssculptureworks

MICK RANDALL

2010-03-18T04:52:00.000-07:00

Mick retired in 2005 after 37 years in the oil and gas industry. Whilst building a sailboat, he discovered his love of working with wood. He produces turned wooden jewellery and boxes, as well as bentwood Shaker boxes and small pieces of furniture. He started selling his woodwork in 2007 and has exhibited at art and craft events in and around the Chilterns. He is fascinated by the beauty and qualities of wood and enjoys days out sourcing timber.

To see more of Mick's work, please visit

www.michaelrandallwoodcraft.com/

LIS LAWRENCE

2010-03-18T04:41:00.000-07:00

Lis has been involved in textiles all her life, discovering felt making about 12 years ago after a career as a handwork teacher in a Rudolf Steiner school. She is attracted by the physicality of the craft - the way she can feel the soft woollen fibres transforming into a solid piece of felt beneath her hands. She specialises in seamless felted accessories, mainly hats and bags, but also makes scarves, necklaces and brooches. As well as the magical qualities of felt, Lis loves its green credentials: it is strong, warm, lightweight, non-fraying and washable, as well as being fire-resistant, biodegradable and from a renewable source. It is the ultimate low-tech product, made using only hot, soapy water, a bamboo mat (even that's not essential) and lots of elbow grease.

GRAHAM BRANT

2010-03-18T04:36:00.000-07:00

Graham first entered the arts on a professional level as an apprentice in stained glass. He worked as a stained glass artist for seven years whilst also completing one year ‘A’ level art, one year art and design and two years painting with the Open College of Arts.

Over time, his interests led to other forms of work, such as advertising display work, mural painting, picture frame restoration and colouring, teaching stained glass and drawing, and a variety of painting and drawing commissions.

Although he found this work to be both interesting and educational, it did not allow the freedom to explore his own ideas. Therefore, he decided to go into full time education and subsequently completed a BA (Hons) degree in Fine Art.

He continues to take stained glass commissions and now works in the craft full time, mainly as a designer and glass painter.

To see more of Graham's work, please visit http://www.graham-brant.co.uk/

CHRISTINE BASS

2010-03-18T04:08:00.001-07:00

Christine produces vibrant, stylized, contemporary paintings which are highly decorative. She uses tissue to loosely block in areas of colour; the original composition is then brought back into focus by applying acrylic paint.

She draws inspiration from her environment: the Chiltern Hills, the patterns of fields scored by furrows and bounded by hedgerows, winter’s bare trees, the colours of crops and the seasons. She also paints still lifes, often including flowers for their exuberant colours and organic shapes.

Her background is in illustration and design and includes a tailfin design for British Airways during its Global Images campaign. She now concentrates on landscape and still life painting and exhibits in Open Studios, local galleries and at various art fairs and festivals, including the Affordable Art Fair in London this March.

To see more of Christine's work, please visit http://www.christinebass.blogspot.com/

XUELLA ARNOLD

2010-03-18T04:02:00.000-07:00

Xuella creates silver, bronze and gold jewellery. Using song lyrics and poetry as inspiration, she creates organic and individual pieces. She has been a designer-maker for 20 years and has had a book about Precious Metal Clay published in 2008 . She also teaches traditional silver and PMC classes at a variety of places, including Missenden Abbey, Oxford Summer School and Craft in the Bay.

To see more of Xuella's work, please visit http://www.xuella.co.uk/

SUSAN ANDERSON

2010-03-18T03:56:00.000-07:00

Susan’s interest in exploring texture, pattern and symmetry through printmaking began whilst gaining a BA (Hons) Degree in Graphic Design & Illustration. This has led to projects inspired by the River Thames towpath at Richmond, rooftops of Haute Provence, fishing huts of Charente Maritime and, recently, her local Chilterns woodland. One of Susan’s lino prints of ‘Sandwich Wood’ was included in an exhibition celebrating the Special Trees and Woods of the Chilterns organised by the Chilterns Woodland Project in 2008/09. She practises wood engraving, lino cutting and book arts and is a member of the Society of Wood Engravers.

Susan enjoys investigating various forms of book binding through book structure and book art which provide a way of ‘packaging’ ideas within the book form. She is particularly interested in traditional Japanese, Coptic and other exposed bindings and makes sketch and blank books using handmade papers.