Photographs From the 2009 Art Trail

8 members opened their studio doors to give you an opportunity to see professional artists at work. click on an image to see larger

Jackie Mackay

Richard Beattie

Kathryn Pettitt

Paula Hamilton

Frances Townley

Averil van Rensburg and Jan Gay

Mark Tilley

Mark had an exhibition at the Solihull Arts Complex and therefore he was based there for the art trail

Look out for details of next years art trail 25th and 26th September 2010

Happy Hours at Avril's Studio

On Thursday evening members were invited to Avril Elward’s studio in Maxstoke and for some it was like going on a mystery tour! She talked about how she became to be an artist, graduating from BIAD, and then she discussed her work based around industry ‘on the edge’. Avril quite often uses bitumen, and the cracked/corroded appearance fits in very well with her current subject. Playing with materials is also a very important component in the realisation of her paintings or sculpture - the result often being serendipitous.

Some works using bitumen

With so many folk at the studio when one person had to leave unexpectedly the moving of cars was like a shunting yard, but that did not dull the proceedings and more coffee and lively conversation was the order of the night. All in all – a great evening. JM

Hilary Poole at Preston Bagot

SAF member Hilary Poole has some of her glass in the Autumn Exhibition at the Old Rectory Barn, Preston Bagot. The current exhibition is of quite traditional work and looks very good in the space. Car parking is at the side of the barn but can be a bit of a hassle if there are quite a few visitors.

If you have a spare couple of hours this weekend have a trip out there since we are considering this venue for a possible exhibition (also the farm opposite sells Dexter Beef – excellent with a full-bodied red). The exhibition runs until Sunday 18th 10am-6pm. JM

Green Water Preview

Laurence Smith the Arts Manager and Mayor of Solihull with Mark Tilley

On Thursday the Mayor of Solihull, Norman Davies, attended the preview of Mark Tilley’s Green Water Exhibition at the Arts Complex. The evening was a very lively affair, assisted by the imbibing of free wine, with spirited discussions about the work. Do many men dream about nuns?

Cabinets show nautical memorabilia

Mark will be giving a talk about his work at the G1 Gallery on Thursday 24th September 6-7pm. Jackie Mackay

Lickey Hills Sculpture Trail

Avril Elward is currently exhibiting with the ‘Out Yer Tree’ Organisation in the Lickey Hills Country Park. It was a fabulous opening day on Saturday with plenty of visitors and the 11 contemporary artists involved discussed their work during a walk around the sculpture trail in the Bilberry Hill area of the park .

Below are two works created specifically for the park by Avril.

Blobulous, wire paper mache, industrial paint, canes

Blobulous is about fun and individuality. Some obscure colourful objects are placed outside of a gallery space to observe how the colours interact with the space, and how it effects our perception of a space.

Totem Poles, wood, industrial paints

These poles pay homage to the deminuition of industry, the black bitumen paint references the production industry, and the bright acidic colours reference the colours of our contemporary cities. Painted in a quick spontaneous way to evoke speed of our cities growth.

If you would like to visit the show is on until 4 October at Warren Lane, Rednall. JM

A Sunny Artsfest

Yesterday I went to the Birmingham Institute of Art & Design MA show. The works were extremely varied and SAF member Caroline Pigden's work, which discussed the interplay between the brutal and the beautiful, looked striking in the foyer in Margaret St.

Birmingham Artsfest was in full swing and I popped along to the Museum and Art Gallery to see father and daughter duo Barry and Chloe Hunt perform in the Round Room. They were excellent despite the acoustics. I especially enjoyed Chloe's own composition 'Strikeout' - fantastic for an 18 year old. Listen to her on myspace. Jackie Mackay

Green Water Exhibition

Today I went to see Mark Tilley's autobiographical exhibition at Solihull Library Gallery. Several sculptures and artefacts were on display along with some fantastic large scale charcoal drawings on old navigation charts based on his dreams.

The Sunken Forest - made in ceramic
'I have stylised the sea - remembering those huge swells you meet off Ushant'

My favourite drawing was 'The Little Horse in my Green Suit' but you will have to trot along there to have the pleasure of seeing it for yourself. Full details are on the Solihull Gallery Website Link. Mark will be in the Gallery on Saturday 26th September as part of the Art Trail. JM