Would you love to meet up and chat with artists in their studios, but are too scared to do it?
What will they be like? Will I get halfway down their path and turn around in trepidation?
Can I think of anything to say and will we have ‘anything’ in common? Will I be expected to buy something?
Do you recognise these thoughts? Have you been there? Would you prefer to visit the dentist?
I’ve been there, many times, – and I’m an outgoing sort of fellow. I love to visit Artists in their Studios and in practice, it never takes long to establish friendly conversations, and I rarely buy a work of art. So why all the scary thoughts?
I think it will take a psychiatrist to explain all these feelings, but suffice to say, do go along, with a friend if you like, and meet up with your local artists. You’ll be amazed at the variety and scope of their works, and wonder how they were made. If you’re very lucky, the artist may have an item on the easel, and be working on it as you arrive.
Needless to say, once past the front door, I’ve always had fascinating experiences at open studios and met some really wonderful friendly and creative people. So what are you waiting for. Almost every area in the country now has an annual Open studios event or an Art trail as they are sometimes called. You first need to get hold of the booklet for all the details of times and addresses of venues etc. The booklet will usually have an example of each artist’s style of work, so first of all you need to choose two or three studios, not too far away, who seem to have works that you might like. Some studios show the works of several artists, so it’s almost like two for one. Choose a day and time when those studios are open, and take a friend along for the trip.
I guarantee you wont regret it, you’ll see lots of artworks, meet lots of creative people, perhaps consume lots of tea and biscuits, and maybe make some new friends. You may even acquire a permanent reminder of your day out and I bet you will want to do the same again soon.
In my area of Kent, there are three organisations who run open studios,
South East Open Studios – more details here held in June each year.
Thanet Open Studios – more details here held in August each year,
East Kent Open Houses – more details here held in October each year.
This year I’m sharing the studio of another local artist, Andrea Chappell whose work is really exciting. Here’s our leaflet, with all the details:
To check out some of the works in my studio click here