Paths of discovery

A couple of weeks ago I embarked on a little tour around some of the artists' studios in Norwich, as part of the annual Norfolk & Norwich Open Studios initiative.

It's one of those things I seem to always miss - either I forget to check the dates and then discover it's been and gone for another year, or it coincides with some other event that has to take priority. Heritage Open Day is another classic <makes mental note to add to diary>. But this year, I succeeded in making an impressive 11 studio and gallery visits, and I'm so very glad I did.

First came a lunchtime stroll to the Fairhurst Gallery. I'd walked past the sign so many times, but never actually ventured down the little passageway between the buildings, under the bunting, to the entrance. Inside was a display of twisting, foreboding, knarled and evocative tree portraits in mixed media by Alex Egan, who had really captured their essence - not to mention the very reasons why trees are so special to me.

Next on the agenda was the Anteros Arts Foundation, alongside the King of Hearts cafe. It's a venue I know well having attended several talks there and it has the most wonderful atmosphere, so I was eager to explore the gallery space during this event. As it turned out, I was also able to meet one of the resident artists there - Annie Hudson, whose work was on display.

Cliff faces - somehow simultaneously smooth and textured - rose majestically from pastel seas, while others plunged downward like waterfalls; craggy crevices succumbed to coastal corrosion; sky merged with plant life, plant life with rock, and rock with sea. I absorbed it all with wide eyes, before wandering up the stairs to the studio, having failed to formulate any kind of constructive questions or conversation before reaching the door. Luckily, this proved to be no hindrance, and I enjoyed a thoroughly inspiring chat with Annie. I left the building feeling quite excited about life and its possibilities.

 

During the following week I viewed, among others, an exhibition of various artworks inspired by climate change at the Greenhouse Trust (a completely new discovery); a selection of paintings and ceramics at The Jade Tree and the Buddhist Centre; and a whole network of studio spaces at the Muspole Workshops, which housed printmaker Sally Hirst, painter Martin Laurance (whose postcards have made a perfect memento of my visit!), jewellery-maker Hazel Davison and intaglio and relief printmaker Martin Mitchell.

 

So, the moral of this story is: take every opportunity you are presented with to discover new things. You never know what you may find or how it may influence your life path!

 

www.anniehudson.co.uk

www.muspoleworkshops.co.uk

alexegan.co.uk

greenhousetrust.co.uk

www.thejadetree.co.uk/studios

 

Featured painting: Winter Trees by Annie Hudson