Artist | Designer | Maker
I’m currently exhibiting, with the sketchbook collective SEVEN, at the Leigh Art Trail, Leigh-on-sea. 8-15 June at Planet Leasing.
This year we have each chosen an artist or art movement to develop our sketchbooks. Its a varied selection including Matisse, Hundertwasser, Rauschenburg, Surrealism and Oceania.
We’ve also made the decision to make our own books to work in – a challenge in itself!
We’re open all week Monday-Friday 12-5pm and Saturday 10-4pm.
Do pop by!
I’ve started to make my own paper-cut greetings cards. I first got the idea from the book House of Cards by Sarah Hamilton which included artist Sarah Morpeth, whose work involves very detailed paper-cuts.
For the cards above, I began by tracing an outline of a design onto the back of a card, using a light box. I then found a pattern that I could use to ‘fill’ the shape, which I also traced onto the card. Using a sharp craft knife I cut out all the intricate pieces, which although it did take time, I found it very relaxing. My only problem was when I realised the tip of my finger had gone numb from several hours of cutting!
For this year’s art trail SEVEN has chosen an estuarine theme.
Definition:
1.formed or deposited in an estuary: estuarine muds
2. growing in, inhabiting, or found in an estuary: estuarine fauna
Throughout the year, SEVEN met every two weeks where a member of the group would run a workshop of their choice. In the following weeks each artist would incorporate these ideas into their own sketchbook. During the following weeks it was interesting to see how each artist interpreted and developed the original brief into their own style.
We each used an A5 concertina style sketchbook, and as with the estuary, the pages all flow into one another – there is no need to ‘turn the page’.
As part of the art trail, each artist donates a piece of their artwork for the Secret Auction. Visitors to the art trail place bids on the work and if they are the highest bidder they win an original piece or art (or an experience). All monies go back in to supporting the art trail, which is a not-for-profit organisation.
Leigh Art Trail is on from Saturday 9 to Saturday 16 June 2018. SEVEN are exhibiting at Venue 49 at Planet Leasing.
The time has arrived and the Leigh Art Trail 2017 has begun! Now in its 20th year, the Art Trail is on from 10-17 June with over 70 artists exhibiting in over 50 venues around Leigh on Sea.
SEVEN, a creative journal collective, are exhibiting at Planet Leasing, Leigh Road, and day one has been a real success with over 60 visitors.
The display includes one sketchbook from each artist and there is a blank sketchbook for visitors to add their own contribution. SEVEN have been developing the sketchbooks for four months in the run up to the Art Trail and its a real inspiration to see the final result.
SEVEN have been meeting on a bi-weekly basis and each artist has run a workshop which focused on one of their favourite processes including blind drawings, one-minute sketches, assemblage, maps, abstract and threads of thought. Each artist then developed their own work and shared their developments on Instagram.
You can download the workshops from the SEVEN website and if you would like to follow the developments of SEVEN go to instagram/sevenartistsuk.
Read more about the Leigh Art Trail and discover the work of some amazing artists.
I’ve been attending Creative Journal workshops held @MetalSouthend, since 2015. In January 2017, a small group of artists, who had attended these workshops, decided to form a creative sketchbook collective, called SEVEN.
As part of the Creative Journal workshops we had been invited to exhibit at the Village Green Festival in 2015 and 2016. We had all enjoyed the experience so much that we were keen to explore other exhibitions.
Locally there is an event called the Leigh Art Trail (LAT), which in 2017 will be its 20th year. The trail takes place in shops and venues in and around Leigh on Sea in Essex. To celebrate the 20th anniversary LAT were keen to increase the number of venues and to invite more artists. SEVEN got together to submit our application and we were successful!
We are now getting the creative juices flowing in our bi-weekly creative sessions…
In the first session we began with quick 1 minute sketches that we can use to develop further work…
Here’s a taster of how the work is progressing…
SEVEN will be exhibiting at the Leigh Art Trail 2017 in the Planet Leasing venue.
You can follow SEVEN on Instagram.