Visual Arts Reviews
ART AT THE CRESCENT - PEAK DISTRICT ARTISANS - Peak District Artisans
The Assembly Room of the Buxton Crescent provided a suitably splendid backdrop of this annual event, showcasing the talent of Peak District Artisans. There is a fantastic range of skills on display here, with something for all tastes.
The range of media and styles on offer is impressive, from Sarah Joseph’s bold acrylic compositions, to Ian Patrick Palmer’s classically-inspired sculptures, combining ceramics, metal and wood, to the ‘wearable art’ and subtle shading of Emily Murch’s beautiful textiles.
Amongst the excellent work on display, I was especially drawn to the artists whose work had been inspired by nature. Anita Lomas weaves tiny, delicate baskets and bowls from the dried-out stems of dandelions, daffodils and other plants she finds around her. Louise Edwards creates vibrant linocuts based on the nature she sees around her, including the birds on the feeder outside her window. Alex Jaborre renders beautifully detailed and dynamic oil paintings of wildlife. Diana Green uses pigments foraged from leaves and mosses to paint atmospheric scenes of woodland.
It is inspiring to see the work of these wonderful creators, and long may Peak District Artisans continue to give us this window into art in all its forms.
Robbie Carnegie
ART IN THE OCTAGON - High Peak Artists
The event name of 'Art in the Octagon' leaves the interested party in no doubt as to the venue for this year's Fringe art exhibition. Showcasing work by The High Peak Artists group, the stunning Victorian room is transformed into a giant working art studio as many of the artists sit to paint, draw, sketch, turn pieces of wood or create products from felt in front of your eyes, and then display the fruits of their incredible skills for all to see.
A visit to the exhibition can serve the dual purpose of finding that extra special gift, or even a treat for yourself. Items for sale range from lampshades made from Harris Tweed, pendants embellished with felting wool designs and the most delightful ceramics - to clocks in the shape of a favourite animal or a soothing mandala key ring. Exquisite signed prints of artworks, the original pieces themselves, cards for all occasions and the most incredible photography - all battle for attention in this airy and light room.
The exhibition is open with free entry on the 15th and 16th July from 10am to 5pm. With such a wealth of artistic talent on our doorstep, the exhibition is well worth a visit as is a chat with the artists about their work and in some instances, the workshops they offer if you too fancy trying your hand!
Julie Alexander
BUXTON FLOWERPOT TRAIL - Funny Wonders
'Head to where you see the dots; can you find the flowerpots?'
The Buxton Flowerpot Trail is a cornerstone of the Fringe, organised every year by Funny Wonders, a local community arts group. For residents, the appearance of the first flowerpot faces peeking over walls or through shop windows is a sure harbinger of summer. For our visitors, following the trail is a fun way of getting to grips with the place, finding the festival venues and generally poking into areas that might otherwise have been missed. For anyone with bagging tendencies, the trail offers a satisfying gotta-catch-em-all opportunity.
This is not my first Fringe. It’s not even my tenth. It must be something like my twentieth. And yet I have never followed the trail properly. So I packed up my sandwiches and my flagon of ginger beer and headed into town, to see how many I could bag over one afternoon.
The answer turned out to be - not all of them! Of the 51 dots on the trail map, I ticked off 31, all around the town centre. The rest are spread from Burbage to Fairfield to Harpur Hill.
You don’t have to do the trail this way. You don’t have to do it at all. You can simply smile as you spot yet another flowerpot figure waving at you and understand that you are very welcome here.
The trail map is available from the Pump Room and Poole’s Cavern for £1. You can download it for free from www.funnywonders.org.uk
Anna Girolami
PEOPLE OF THE WORLD IN PICTURES; CUT UP - Hugo Edwardes and Craig Carpenter (soundtrack)
Hugo Edwards came across several illustrated encyclopaedia style books in a charity shop that took him on a global journey through the lens of 1930’s colonialists. He has used the fascinating images to create a 40 minute slide show as well as a display, and a copy of ‘People of the World in Pictures’ (published by Boden) to thumb through. His friend Craig Carpenter composed and recorded a soundscape to accompany the images which helps create an atmosphere of reflection.
A real variety of over 100 black and white images pass quite quickly, all with captions which reflect the attitudes of the time. Images of factories and industry are described as ‘modern’, whilst people of colour in Africa and South America are described as ‘charming peasants’, ‘crude’, ‘sturdy’, or ‘beautiful natives’. Africans described as ‘warriors’ but Europeans in uniform as ‘soldiers’. Apart from one or two ships, no vehicles, but plenty of working animals. Some fabulous costumes from around the world, references to customs and traditions seen as ‘strange’, craft and pre-industrial agriculture, and some sport and leisure images that will intrigue contemporary athletes.
Overall the experience is both interesting and disconcerting. A great deal has changed since these photos were taken nearly 100 years ago and the experience invites questions including; Have some of those changes been for the better? What might change in the next 100 years? What have we lost, and what, if anything, could we re-gain?
This free to attend unique audio visual experience may leave you with different questions and a few of the images will linger in your minds eye. Well worth finding the slightly obscure Venue 98 for 40 minutes of stimulating images and ideas.
Jean Ball
POP UP ART IN THE GARDEN - Catherine Serjeant and Suzanne Pearson
It may have rained through the first day of Catherine Serjeant and Suzanne Pearson’s Pop Up Art in the Garden, but the indefatigable pair were undeterred. Putting their creativity to use, they still managed to pop up, making good use of a gazebo, the greenhouse and the garage to present their work. Greeted by a couple of artworks by the front door celebrating the Fringe itself, visitors are guided down the side of the house to the lovely garden.
The garage features mainly Suzanne’s work. I’m a fan of her evocative ghost pictures and there are a couple here featuring Mary Queen of Scots and the last lead miner in Derbyshire. What really intrigues are the folders available to flick through which show how Suzanne works and experiments. There are woodcuts, linocuts, collagraphs and etching plates, with notes on how she works in stages, using different techniques and different papers.
Both artists are adept at not allowing work to go to waste, and find ways to reuse material in other works, Suzanne mines leftovers from her woodcuts to use in collages, and Catherine incorporates earlier pieces and collected material in her textile work, which could be found in the greenhouse. This allows her to tell stories in the work, particularly a lovely hanging incorporating a favourite dress of her daughter’s when a child.
Under the gazebo, I had a chance to look through some of Catherine’s projects. They include a series of wonderful sketches of '12 things I did today', and an upcoming book project, documenting with sketches the walk she takes every day around Corbar Woods. In her lockdown book, compiled through spring 2020, every day is a collage of sketches, text and cutouts recording what she was doing, listening to on the radio or seeing on her walks. It is a fascinatingly vivid record of the time, indicating an urge to document and be creative.
Indeed, the exhibition speaks of the importance of creativity. Suzanne and Catherine’s work, and the evidence of how they go about it, plus the chance to engage with their enthusiasm is an inspiration. The weather didn’t deter the visitors today, and quite rightly. With better weather forecast for Wednesday 16th, don’t miss the opportunity to visit this delightful exhibition, with lots of great artwork for sale.
Stephen Walker
SIP, SIT AND SKETCH - Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust
Amid the fun and bustle of the Fringe there are some surprising opportunities for a little peace and quiet.
Sip, Sit and Sketch at the Pump Room invites you to buy a drink then take your pick of some very decent art materials and do a little sketching taking inspiration from your surroundings, which at this venue are as magnificent inside as out.
I took some pencils and watercolours to an outside table where my eye was immediately caught by the sight of a cut glass vase filled with delicate pink and blue flowers. If you are ever wondering what to paint, your first thought is probably the right one so I began sketching in pencil realising that I could bring the background a little closer in order to hint at the extraordinary Crescent with its so regular arches.
Even better, when I picked up my paintbrush and began creating some shadows on the vase, I looked closer and realised that there was a perfect upside down reflection of the Crescent in there complete with blue sky and fluffy clouds.
The 15 minutes I had to spare whizzed by and I definitely want to return to this painting, this scene and this whole experience. As an event it was well organised and there were even helpful photos of some of the Crescent’s architectural details, so plenty to get you going.
Run by Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust, Sip, Sit and Sketch requires no booking and is open every day through the Fringe so choose your moment and be sure to savour it.
Stephanie Billen
WE ARE ALL NATURE - Steve Wells Art
It’s always a treat to visit an artist’s studio and this colourful exhibition is well worth the ascent up the black staircase opposite the Kwei Lin restaurant.
Local artist Steve Wells says he has been “taking art seriously” for the past three and a half to four years but thankfully not too seriously as he is clearly somebody who enjoys playing with different media and techniques to create fascinating textures and teasing ambiguities in his subject matter. He welcomes ‘happy accidents’ when he paints.
The title We Are All Nature refers to his understanding that despite the limitations of our language and misleading phrases like “being out in nature”, there is in fact no distinction between humans and everything else.
Steve conveys this visually in the way his backgrounds often leak into his human and animal subjects. By using techniques such as letting ink run through acrylic pouring medium, he creates a sense of fluidity while at the same time wowing us with his choice of vibrant colours.
Steve is happy to talk about any of his pictures, some of which are completely abstract, and he enjoys the fact that each visitor tends to home in on a particular work that speaks to them.
The event makes use of a light-filled exhibition space and corridor walls as well as Steve’s actual studio which is full of amazing works in progress some of which, I maintain, are finished. Steve likes to keep various projects in play however and I like the Lao Tzu saying he offers me: “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished”.
He is well travelled and his portrait work includes soulful depictions of people he encountered in Africa. In one arresting picture, two faces merge into one. There are also paintings of wild animals that he has met and even touched. The beautiful turtle that caught my eye was one he encountered while diving in the Caribbean.
This stimulating show is open from 4-7.30pm on Wednesday 16th and at the same times on the 25th and 26th July so do take the opportunity to meet the artist and learn all about his processes and inspirations.
Stephanie Billen
