REVEAL: Hull & East Riding Open Studios 2011

Over 60 selected contemporary artists and craftspeople living and working in Hull and the East Riding will invite you into their studios, galleries and warehouses on the weekends of 24 & 25 September in Hull; 1 & 2 October in Hull & East Riding and 8 & 9 October in East Riding for REVEAL: Hull & East Riding Open Studios 2011.

There are three Beverley based artists taking part in Reveal on the weekends of 1 & 2 and 8 & 9 October:

Debbie March creates Glass & Silver Jewellery; decorative glassware and glass wall art. She will be exhibiting at The Beverley Minster.

The sculptor Peter Brown, who works largely in stone carvings, will be welcoming visitors to his studio at Calf House Studios, Coldharbour Farm, Bishop Burton, HU17 8QA.

The artist Steve Upton, who creates large acrylic paintings in a realist style, opens the doors to his studio at 9 Nursery Gardens Beverley HU17 8NS

Also, the Melton based sculptor Jeweler and medalist Jacqueline Stieger will be at Beverley Art Gallery between 10-3pm on Saturday 1st October to talk to visitors about her work as part of Reveal Open Studios.

REVEAL Open Studios is now the Humber Region’s premier visual arts event and the largest established visual arts event in the area.

Organised by the regional arts development company, Big Skies, REVEAL 2011 also highlights the stars of tomorrow by showcasing final year students’ from the Fine Art degree course at Hull School of Art and Design (HASAD) at the Art Lab on Humber Street in an exciting new exhibition characterised by the students’ radical perspectives.

REVEAL 2011 offers a diverse range of artists across the region, better opportunities for meeting new customers and generating sales, and offers audiences better viewing opportunities and wider choice in Hull & East Riding’s vibrant and highly creative cultural community.

Speaking about this year’s event, Anna Kirk-Smith, artist and director of Big Skies says:

“We are really excited about the work which the Fine Art students from HSAD are presenting in Reveal 2011. We can expect to be charmed yet challenged by their diverse range of artworks which they hope to make you smile wryly, question reality, blink in disbelief, or make strange connections with your own lives.”

“In turn the support this talented collective of final year students will get from their audiences will give them a chance to forge initial connections with artistic life outside the protective College walls before their graduation next year. They have a lot to say, they are eager to thrive and they are brave in their choice of career – one where their hard earned gains ultimately contribute to enriching all of our lives.”

Paul Holloway, Arts Development Manager, Hull City Council says: “Reveal is a great way to see artists in the raw. I would encourage everyone to seek out the great range of visual arts readily available not just in Hull but across the whole region. Take the kids, take your wallet and have a great day out.”

Councillor Jane Evison, cabinet portfolio holder for rural issues and cultural services at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “It is fantastic that so many artists in Hull and the East Riding will be throwing open the doors of their studios to the public. Reveal is always a successful event and I am sure 2011 will be no exception.”

Rob Moore, Reveal 2011 artist and co-owner of Studio Eleven in Hulls’ Fruit Market says: “I am thrilled to be taking part in this year’s REVEAL Open Studios but I’m sure I share the same nervous feelings with my fellow artists that begin as you put your work forward selection and continue through to awaiting your first visitor.

When artists open their doors to “strangers” both physically and metaphorically we are truly ‘revealing’ ourselves to the world. Most say that they paint or make work for themselves but once the doors open it’s the audience that matters. It’s a great feeling to see people interested and appreciative of your work and being interested to talk to you about what you do. You meet some genuinely lovely people and sometimes even sell some work!”

Adele Howitt, artist and co-owner of Studio Eleven adds: “It’s a very exciting time here in Humber Street. Until now there have been limited opportunities to access studio space and specialist equipment in this region.”

“Studio Eleven will offer studios with kilns, a print workshop and studio space – all available to professional artists and craftspeople wishing to develop their ideas and work supported with high quality equipment in a creative environment.”

“We have a membership scheme where artists and enthusiasts can register as members to be able to access the facilities for a small daily or weekly / monthly charge. Details will appear on our website very soon. We’re also developing workshops for individuals and small groups with technical or tutor support in printmaking, ceramics and drawing including life drawing.”

The sculptor, Saffron Waghorn, whose studio sits on the cliffs at Skipsea says: “The cliff top experience is all about wide open spaces, fresh air. These sculptures are displayed on the plinth foundations of an eco-house, designed by myself. For me that location is mutable and transient. Sculpture is a way of grounding myself as the atmosphere is etheric, a place where the elements meet and interact directly. A place to dream and imagine the unimaginable, this land is my canvas, a place where I am free to create whatever my soul desires.”

Michelle Freemantle, Reveal artist, showing work from her studio in Wetwang says,

“What I remember the most from visiting Open Studios was the journey it took me on, and the changing landscapes I travelled through to get to some of the studios. I was on a trail that took me to parts of Yorkshire I would never have known or seen without visiting some of the participating artists. For me the event is so much more than a destination.”

Pat Thompson from Howden, East Yorkshire is a regular and widely travelled open studios visitor. She says: “Visiting an open studios event is interesting, inspiring and enjoyable. For me, it’s also an excellent way to acquire original local artwork at a reasonable price. I get to meet many talented people – working with clay, wood, metal, glass, oil paints, acrylics, watercolour – who love to describe how they work, what they use and what inspires them. I’ve visited open studios on the Isle of Skye, in Cornwall and in the North East of England, but most of all I enjoy the East Yorkshire event where I live.”

“My first open studios visit was about 6 years ago and it prompted me to start painting again. I enjoyed art at school, but never did anything with it after the age of 16 until middle age. As I wandered around my first East Riding Open Studios, I found myself saying “I’d like to have a go at that” so I bought my first set of paints and had a go. I guarantee you will enjoy your visits – plan your route, take the family along and make a day of it!”

REVEAL is a free day out for visitors to see and discuss the most recent of artists’ projects and preview their new work. Despite the ongoing straightened financial times in which artists and craftspeople are operating, REVEAL continues to attract both artists and public support. Last year 65 artists took part and received over 10,000 visits from the public resulting in more than £16,000 in sales of artworks. The artists received invaluable feedback from visitors who expressed their appreciation and interest in how the work is created, and in turn, individuals and families had a unique experience and brilliant day out.