Tag Archives: suffolk

Valerie Armstrong : printmaking school workshop

Each year Artworks offers the opportunity for local schools to apply for one of four fully-funded one-day artist workshops, with the schools selecting an artist of their choice from the Artworks exhibition. The four workshops are then planned, organised and run by the selected artists.

Schools are encouraged to visit the annual Artworks exhibition in September, and this is often the time when teachers (or the children!) decide on which artist they would like to work with later in the school year.

In 2011, Artworks artist Valerie Armstrong was selected to run a one day workshop with Great Whelnetham Primary School:

This year I was invited to Great Whelnetham primary school to run a printmaking workshop with eight and nine year old children.


Realising I would need considerable time to turn an organized multi purpose classroom into a printmaking studio, it was agreed that I should run the workshop in two sessions; an afternoon workshop followed up by a workshop the very next morning, giving me time to set up and clear up in the two lunch breaks.



I planned several ambitious techniques for the children to explore. To my delight they had just begun a classroom project on India, a country I have a deep involvement with, so I was able to provide lots of images and material to work from.



The children embraced the experience with focus, joy and enthusiasm and produced some vibrant and thoughtful pieces of art. The results of the two half day workshops will be on exhibition in the schools section of the next Artworks exhibition in September 2012.

Visit Valerie Armstrong‘s website.

www.valeriearmstrong.com

More information about planning school visits and applications for artist workshops is available on the Artworks Schools page. While some school groups simply enjoy looking at the exhibition, other groups come to sketch, paint and draw. There is always someone from Artworks on hand to offer more information on the art, encouraging the children to study, enjoy and absorb all the art in the exhibition.

N.b. To avoid possible clashes with other school visits please contact our Schools Coordinator who will assist you in planning your visit to the Artworks exhibition.

The Artworks exhibition this year runs from the 8th to 30th September 2012 at Blackthorpe Barn, open daily 10am to 5pm.

Janet French : Deckchair art on show at Hospice

Artworks artist Janet French was recently invited to the St Elizabeth Hospice in Ipswich for a special viewing of the deckchair design she created for the Suffolk Coastal Deckchairs project.

Suffolk Coastal Deckchairs was a fundraising project in 2010 featuring over 40 deckchairs designed by invited celebrities and local artists to raise money for St Elizabeth Hospice. The charity deckchair auction raised £35,000 for the Hospice.

Artist Janet French with Jane Petit, Chief Executive of St Elizabeth Hospice

When Janet French submitted her deckchair canvas design for the fundraising Suffolk Coastal Deckchairs Project in 2010, a campaign was launched at St Elizabeth Hospice to get enough donations to keep the deckchair at the Hospice for patients, visitors, staff and volunteers to enjoy.

Chief Executive of the Hospice Jane Petit hosted Janet French for the special viewing and gave her a tour of the Hospice, including the deckchair in situ, before sitting down to join the Larch Group celebration.

Janet French’s deckchair canvas

Janet French’s deckchair canvas mirrors an aerial view of the Hospice garden and it is currently on show in the Day Unit at St Elizabeth Hospice.

Janet French is a printmaker whose work explores the fragile symbiotic relationship between man and the natural environment.

www.janetfrench.co.uk

About St Elizabeth Hospice

St Elizabeth Hospice provides palliative care by improving life for people living with a progressive illness.

Their work is centred around an individual’s needs, which means specialist support, wherever it is required, whether at home, in the community or at the Hospice.

They help people deal with problems such as pain, anxiety and fatigue, as well as offer practical advice and family support.

The Hospice is an independent charity which provides its services free of charge. The Hospice currently has fifteen charity shops throughout Suffolk and a distribution centre in Ipswich. The funds raised through the shops enable St Elizabeth Hospice to continue to provide services free of charge to the local community.

www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk

Christine McKechnie : solo art exhibition at the Edmund Gallery

The Artworks blog are pleased to inform you that Christine McKechnie is having a solo exhibition of her collages by kind permission of the Dean and Chapter at the Edmund Gallery, St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, from Saturday 13th November to Wednesday 17th November 2011.

Christine McKechnie is a well-known collage artist who uses watercolour painted papers, which are cut into intricate shapes and pasted onto board in many layers, using many hundreds of pieces. See this example of her work below.

Christine’s wonderfully detailed collages mostly depict the many places she has visited, including Egypt, Hong Kong, Morocco, and Italy (especially Venice), as well as the countryside of Suffolk.

If you are intrigued by the artform of collage why not go along and see the exhibition. You can also have a go at making some collage yourself as Christine will be giving collage demonstrations and tuition throughout the exhibition at the Edmund Gallery.

Christine has had a busy year in 2011, starting with a solo exhibition at the Chelsea Arts Club in London. She was also one of the featured artists at the Glyndebourne Opera Season showing new collage works depicting in the South Downs landscape. She also participated in Suffolk Open Studios 2011, and most recently exhibited at Blackthorpe Barn in the Artworks 12th annual exhibition in September 2011.

Christine McKechnie trained at Southampton and Kingston Schools of Art. She has been a regular exhibitor at the Royal Academy Summer exhibition. She has also been involved in art projects with local schools in addition to other artist demonstrations and workshops. She is also a regular contributor to The Artist & Leisure Painter magazines.

You can see more of Christine McKechnie’s collages on her own website, christine mckechnie.co.uk. We wish Christine much success with her new exhibition!

CHRISTINE McKECHNIE
The Edmund Gallery,
St Edmundsbury Cathedral,
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK.
12th – 17th November 2011