Fine and dandy

 

plenty to see in my studio . . .
© Teresa Newham

#HertsOpenStudios is well under way!  Sue and I have been welcoming people twice a week since 18th September, with two more Saturdays and the Wednesday in between still to go.  We've had a pleasing number of visitors and excellent weather so far.

. . . making use of all available space 
© Teresa Newham

The weather has been extremely important this year, as we are keeping everything as ventilated as possible, and sitting outside when we can, in order to give folk more space to browse. My own studio behind the kitchen is their first stop, where they can see most of the watercolours and reduction linocuts that I have made over the past two years.

Sue's display on my dresser, and her display board & browser
© Teresa Newham

Sue's work is laid out in my dining room as usual - a mixture of watercolours and drawings, and her lovely painted hearts.  Like me, she has made good use of her time during lockdown - but we are both absolutely delighted to be meeting people face to face again, some for the first time in ages.

more of Sue's work in my dining room
© Teresa Newham

I have some pieces in the dining room too, along with greetings cards.   Having kept so much of my work to myself for so long (showing it on social media isn't quite the same) I am loving the feedback, the comments, the insights and the interaction which Open Studios brings with it.

my dining room display
© Teresa Newham

We've both made some sales, and I've had the chance to try out my SumUp card machine for the first time - it works really well.  We still accept cash, of course, but it's good to give people the option because we want everyone to feel comfortable when they come and see us.

sketchbooks laid out on the dinner table - for now!
© Teresa Newham

Our demos have been taking place outside while the weather has lasted - although for the last three sessions we'll almost certainly be indoors. The watercolours Sue makes during Open Studios often become exhibits the following year. I've been printing Japanese Woodblock - but that will have to wait for another blog post!

Sue painting in the garden - well wrapped up
© Teresa Newham

Sue and I will be open again from 11am - 4pm this Saturday 2nd October, Wednesday 6th October and Saturday 9th October.  For full details of venue including directions of how to find us, click here.

Framing, fun and far-flung flights of fancy

bound for far-flung shores - my two entries for AIMPE
© Teresa Newham

 

The last few weeks have been busy and extremely enjoyable, as I'm preparing for #HertsOpenStudios while continuing with ventures and projects begun earlier in the year. At the start of July I sent off my two reduction linocut prints to the Awagami International Mini Print Exhibition. Given the situation in Japan at the moment, I was grateful to receive confirmation of their safe arrival within a week or so of posting.

other prints in the two editions, framed up
© Teresa Newham

After this I turned to framing my latest work for Open Studios: two more of the prints created for AIMPE and some small watercolours.  The little pink cordless drill I got last Christmas proved invaluable when tightening D-rings (and unscrewing them when necessary) - and now I've invested in some proper wire cutters rather than struggling to cut the picture wire with scissors. Should have done that years ago . . .

framing small watercolours
© Teresa Newham

I then ordered some greetings cards from Redcliffe Imaging - which arrived promptly and beautifully printed, along with biodegradeable sleeves to wrap them in.  For sustainability reasons I don't really like wrapping cards, but they have to be protected against a lot of handling.  With marketing in mind, I got some smart new business cards and publicity postcards from Moo.

new greetings cards, business cards, postcards
© Teresa Newham

When I have had a spare afternoon or two, I've taken the opportunity to try out a calligraphy set which I was given.  Calligraphy is best done on a sloping surface, so I dug out my Mum's old easel to rest on.  It was fun to try something new. And I've made time to start reading Makoto Fujimura's excellent book Art and Faith, which was recommended to me.

Summer fun - calligraphy and art reading
© Teresa Newham

I've had work in two exhibitions at The Workhouse Dunstable during the last six weeks or so and I've enjoyed a couple of Friday mornings helping out there, too. The gallery is now closed until the beginning of September but I'm looking forward to showing more pieces there this Autumn.  In the meantime I have plenty still to do for Open Studios!

my work in two of the recent exhibitions at The Workhouse Dunstable
© Teresa Newham

Forgotten treasures

 

my Instagram "Advent Calendar", beginning with the cheery robin 
bottom right and finishing with the Nativity top left
© Teresa Newham

From the beginning of December until Christmas Eve I posted an image on Instagram every day as an online advent calendar. I usually get one for myself, but couldn't find any I liked, so I thought: Why not dig out some of my older Christmas/Winter-themed artworks instead, and share them online? 

Harpenden Common in the snow
photo © Teresa Newham

Putting the calendar together was a lot of fun, and I found plenty of work which doesn't often see the light of day nowadays: I'd love to make a watercolour of a snowy Harpenden Common, and it may be that this ten-year-old photo would make a suitable starting point. I'd almost forgotten it . . .

Christmas Carol cards
© Teresa Newham

When posting the calendar I also suggested a Christmas carol of the day; which was easy for this trio of watercolour Christmas cards which originally had the words of Silent Night, O Tannenbaum and O Come all ye Faithful printed inside them.  I've always thought of the little red-haired girl as me, even though I don't have red hair. Or a dog.

linocut Christmas cards
hand printed by Teresa Newham

I was somewhat surprised to find that I'd made ten linocut Christmas cards over the years; sadly I don't have a decent image of the first one to include here.  Foolishly I limited the edition for that one so it's a bit of a collector's item - I sold the last one a year ago and didn't keep one for myself.  You live and learn.

miscellaneous watercolour Christmas cards
by Teresa Newham

It was good to revisit some of the watercolour Christmas cards I made before I started producing them in  linocut.  I still have some of the originals, although the dove and the poinsettia have both found new homes.  And I'd forgotten all about this experimental snowscape from 2010, which was one of three I made back then. I really should get round to making some more wintry art!

snowscape - one of three similar
watercolours by Teresa Newham

An unusual way to spend September

 

taking over the dining room
© Teresa Newham

The annual September routine is now well-rehearsed: after a hectic August framing, mounting and labelling work for #HertsOpenStudios, we clear the dining room of ornaments, rearrange the furniture and set up our exhibition in there and in my studio. The bunting goes up on Saturdays and Wednesdays and we welcome our visitors.

mounted photos wrapped for sale
© Teresa Newham

But not this year.

Thanks to Covid, Open Studios has been online, with just a few hardy souls opening to the public in a handful of Covid-secure venues.  The participating artists spent August making videos for social media and preparing to post throughout September on the daily themes.  It has been just as hectic, but with a completely different emphasis.

I love using the tab driver!
© Teresa Newham

Should I even bother with mounting and framing, I wondered? Well, we will be able to exhibit again at some point, and in any case, I advertise pieces for sale on my website, so the work needs to be ready. And it gave me the chance to use my favourite bit of framing kit, the tab driver, when I put the paintings into their frames.

framed watercolours ready to hang
© Teresa Newham

So as things turned out, I've taken over the dining room this September, after all - just not in the usual way.  I've spread out in there and taken my time.  Paintings, prints and photographs are now securely in their frames or mounted for display. Everything looks lovely! I just wish you could see it . . .

prints ready for sale - two framed, one mounted
© Teresa Newham

. . . . and breathe!

paintings, prints, cards in the dining room
© Teresa Newham

The last print is mounted and framed for display, the browsers are filled, the cards are neatly stacked in their racks.  Everything that should be ready is ready, and on display.  #HertsOpenStudios has begun!

my studio, crammed with stuff
© Teresa Newham

We can finally relax, breathe a little, and settle down to demonstrating watercolours (Sue) and Inktense pencil sketches (me, with some lino printing thrown in).

Sue is making use of every available surface
 © Teresa Newham

As usual we're offering our visitors coffee, tea and cake while they browse; many of the people who come to take a look have been before, and it's good to catch up with them, as well as making new friends.

room for demos and a charity sale
© Teresa Newham

I've even found room to display a couple of A4 sketchbooks - my regular one I use when working up paintings and linocut prints, and the visual diary I made last winter.  I hope people enjoy them!

my sketchbooks, getting an airing
© Teresa Newham

. . . and Festival Fun!

a visitor to our exhibition
© Teresa Newham

It was difficult to miss the Cultivate Arts Festival last week.  For four days there were huge flags outside every participating church in town, courtesy of Harpenden Churches Together; at Our Lady of Lourdes my bunting made its second public appearance in a month, and my newly-acquired A-frame its first.

signage everywhere!
© Teresa Newham

Each church had its own take on the Festival: the  High Street Methodist Church became Narnia for a production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; St John's had an installation about man's effect on the environment; the Quakers showed some paintings from New Zealand depicting the life of their founder; St Nicholas's put on a quilting display and a choral concert. There was photography, art and ceramics - and nobody wanted to miss any of it . . .

art in the Undercroft
© Teresa Newham

Our Lady of Lourdes' contribution was art and live music in the church and an art exhibition in the Undercroft, with our Summer Concert rounding off the whole event on the Sunday evening.  There's plenty of art in our church already - Stations of the Cross, icons, stained glass and statues - so we printed off some guides, set up our easels and tables downstairs and our mini exhibition and a keyboard upstairs - and prepared to greet our visitors.

mini exhibition in the church
© Teresa Newham

The Flower Group did us proud with a wonderful topiary display at the entrance to the church; inside, the choir had produced an amazing piece incorporating a music stand, a violin, a vase of flowers, a photo and a mobile of paper flowers and birds made from recycled hymn sheets.  In the entrance to the Undercroft we were delighted to be able to display some posters of works by the late Elizabeth Wang, a parishioner whose art enjoys an international reputation.

topiary, the choir display and art by Elizabeth Wang
© Teresa Newham

Our main exhibition was in the Undercroft itself, displaying the work of eight artists and several of their children.  I had no idea we had so much talent within the parish: oils, acrylics, illustration, watercolours and monoprints.  The Festival organisers had encouraged interest from non-churchgoing artists, too - a couple showed with us, while several more exhibited their work in Wesleys Cafe at the High Street Methodist church.

a variety of work on show in the Undercroft
© Teresa Newham

St Dominic's Primary School joined in with the art and the music. We were thrilled with Year 4's interpretation of the theme "Beauty Abundance Order" - a tree of clay tiles, each one representing an insect or other creature.  It made an excellent centrepiece and when the school choir came to  perform at the concert, they had great fun picking out their own tiles on the tree.

clay tiles on a tree made an attractive centrepiece
© Teresa Newham

I'd tried to find appropriate quotes to go with my watercolours and prints - some from the Bible, others favourite poems and hymns.  I'd popped the last print of  Morning Has Broken and the salt-spattered watercolour Cosmos back into frames for the occasion; they were so popular that I might have to show them again somewhere else soon.

my own display - old and new pieces
© Teresa Newham

The musical items in the church were a joy - I even managed to make a couple of discreet sketches while skulking at the back. The concert on the Sunday evening was standing room only. I was singing with the choir and bagged a seat behind a handy floral display so I could flop a bit when we weren't needed.  Everything was starting to catch up with me . . .

some sketching in the church
© Teresa Newham

All in all the first Cultivate Arts Festival was a resounding success, with our church receiving tremendous support from the parish - from the artists and performers, those who volunteered to help with refreshments or greeted visitors to the church, and those who came to look at the exhibition and listen to the music, and made such lovely comments.  Yes, it was tiring - and like most of the organisers from the various churches, I never did get round to see everything - but it was worth it!

the Bella Mamas' turn to entertain
© Teresa Newham

pictures, pictures, pictures . . . cake!

photographs and watercolours jostling for space
© Teresa Newham

With more than forty visitors through the door already, it's difficult to believe we're less than half way through this year's #HertsOpenStudios.  The teenager considering doing Art 'A' Level, the elderly woodworker, the printmaker from Northern Ireland, friends old and new: so many interesting conversations and excellent feedback! 

rediscovering my sketchbooks . . .
© Teresa Newham

This year I've put all my sketchbooks on show; some I'd forgotten I still had.  The little one below, for example, is three-quarters empty, and definitely worth keeping out once Open Studios is over. I can't quite remember why I put it away in the first place . . . 

. . . some of which are only part-full!
© Teresa Newham

Sue and I are opening on seven days during the event, which lasts until 25th September.  But it's not worth taking everything down in between; so effectively my long-suffering husband and I are living in a gallery for three weeks or so.  My studio is crammed with stuff, and the kitchen is full of cake, biscuits and crisps for our guests!

now . . . how do I get to those drawers?
© Teresa Newham

The dining room ornaments have been stashed away in the most unlikely nooks and crannies, to be replaced by all sorts of artworks, such as  Sue's photo of her hand, which is displayed to full advantage on the dresser, along with some of her other pieces:

my dresser, Sue's paintings and photos  . . .
© Teresa Newham

The display board is dismantled at the end of each session, which means putting away Sue's lovely paintings - I do like that tiger!  But at least we can get to the bureau behind it when we need to . . . 

. . . and her display board
© Teresa Newham

I'm really pleased with my new linocuts in their cream-coloured frames, and I've managed to put virtually all my greetings cards out on display.  Sue also has masses of cards, and a whole range of unframed original watercolours.  So there's plenty to see.

the new linocuts and a lot of greetings cards!
© Teresa Newham

Once again we're raising money for St Luke's Hospice in Kenton, who looked after my Dad so well during his final illness.  This year we're selling second-hand art books, some which were my Mum's and some of mine.  So if you know of any art lovers looking for books on watercolour, drawing or calligraphy, send them round - and let them eat cake!

books old and new - on sale for charity
© Teresa Newham

Details of our #HertsOpenStudios sessions are shown in the side panel of this blog.

view from the cash desk . . . .

the Alban Street Festival, seen from the cash desk at our pop-up Open Studios
© Teresa Newham

To everyone's relief the sun came out for the Alban Street Festival last Sunday.  Along with a dozen or so other artists from St Albans and Harpenden, I was in a marquee outside Waterstones - a pop-up Open Studios to encourage folk along to the main event in September - and great fun it was, too!

the HVA marquee, with some of Sandy Andrews' oil paintings
© Teresa Newham

Some of us had set up our work on a gridwall along the front of the marquee -  I managed to cram nearly a dozen paintings and prints into my space, including some old favourites I haven't shown for a while.

part of my display in the marquee
© Teresa Newham

It wasn't just about watercolours and oils though - as visitors made their way round the gridwall they found stalls showing examples of illustration, textiles, jewellery and glass.

artists' stalls inside the marquee
© Teresa Newham

Opal Seabrook of Starburst Glass was working on stained glass throughout the day, while Hillary Taylor was weaving paper for one of her mixed media pieces.  There was also silk painting, and I managed to produce a sketch or two during my stint at the cash desk!

Opal demonstrating stained glass
© Teresa Newham

The Festival itself was an eclectic mix of music (there were two sound stages), some amazingly varied street food, children's activities and much more, all flagged up by the cheerfully painted signs which proliferated the length of St Peter's Street.

signs advertising the various events
© Teresa Newham

Venturing out with my camera, I was nearly mown down by Garden City Samba - that's twice in the space of eight days - my own fault for getting in their way!

Garden City Samba . . . again!
© Teresa Newham

The performance highlight for me - and for many I suspect - was this amazing wheel made from recycled materials, which was moved to music up and down the roadway.

performance wheel made of recycled materials
© Teresa Newham

Fighting my way through the crowds back to our tent - the streets were packed by now - I found our interactive area in full swing, with children making and decorating cut-outs for the I Love St Albans collage.

HVA artists helping children make street art
© Teresa Newham

We had many, many visitors to our marquee during the course of the day and it was lovely to chat with them about Open Studios and art generally.  Well worth doing!

manning the cash desk - with my cards behind me!
© Teresa Newham