Artists and Makers Revealed for Scotland’s Top Open Studios Event
Spring Fling 2016 to feature 94 artists, makers and designers all across beautiful Dumfries and Galloway
Spring Fling has revealed the 94 artists and makers who have been selected to take part in Scotland’s premier open studios event.
There are 17 newcomers among the painters, potters, photographers, jewellers, print-makers, fabric designers, glass-makers and others who will be opening their doors to welcome in the public from 28 to 30 May.
As ever the studios are spread across Dumfries and Galloway and special colour coded routes have been designed to help the thousands of visitors make the most of the 14th annual Spring Fling.
All have been chosen for the quality of their work, so visitors can be sure of a superb experience as they tour the studios and enjoy the fabulous land and seascapes of south-west Scotland.
They include distinguished artists and makers such as landscape painter Hazel Campbell, abstract painter Bea Last and willow sculptors Lizzie Farey and Trevor Leat (known for the huge figures he creates for festivals such as Wickerman).
Many have national and international reputations such architectural and sculptural blacksmith Adam Booth who recently forged new gates for the Annandale Distillery or glassmaker Amanda Simmons.
Then there are people who work with textiles such as Kay Ribbens, a maker of amazing hats, and Alex Rigg whose performance company Oceanallover is celebrated for its strange and beautiful costumes.
Clara Hanna, Director (maternity cover) for Upland which runs Spring Fling, said: “Dumfries and Galloway has a huge reputation for the quality of its contemporary visual artists and craft makers – and Spring Fling is a chance to meet some of the finest and talk to them in their studios and homes.
“The range of people we have taking part is amazing and, as ever, we are looking forward to welcoming many thousands of visitors to enjoy the bank holiday weekend touring studios and enjoying our beautiful countryside.”
This year there will also be photographers like Laura Hudson Mackay, who has a fascination for Arabian and Celtic folklore, and jewellers Michael Pell and Shona Guthrie who were among the team who made the medals for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. There are also potters and ceramicists such as Douglas Fitch and his wife the renowned slipware maker Hannah McAndrew and leading Scottish ceramicist Andrew Adair.
Spring Fling features the work of many established artists and makers at the peak of their careers. Most are based within the region, but it also invites neighbours from adjoining regions and Springbacks – people with a connection to Dumfries and Galloway who are currently based elsewhere. It also encourages emerging talent, providing a showcase for up-and-coming generations of creative talent.
The project was supported by the National Lottery through the Creative Scotland Open Project Fund.
Spring Fling is supported by a variety of other organisations.
Helena Ward, Creative Industries Manager at Creative Scotland said: “Spring Fling provides an invaluable opportunity for artists and makers to develop their skills and practice, whilst offering them the chance to engage with a wider audience.
“Creative Scotland is delighted to support Upland this year as an organisation that is aiming to attract, retain and grow the creative talent in visual arts and crafts in Dumfries and Galloway and beyond. The event provides the public a rare glimpse inside the workplace of artists and makers in their communities and allows them to explore what they do.”
This year’s artists and makers and where they are
Blue Route
• Davy Brown: Painter inspired by Galloway landscapes. Wigtown.
• Lisa Hooper: Printmaker inspired by Scottish wildlife and landscapes. Port William.
• Kevan McGinty: Scottish landscape painter. Whithorn.
• Emily Nash: Multi media artist. Wigtown. (New)
• Kay Ribbens: Maker of extraordinary hats. Mochrum Park House Street, Kirkcowan.
• Helen Ryman: A painter with a love of Belties. North Kildarroch.
• Andy Priestman: Wood fired porcelain and stoneware. Bargrennan.
• Sarah Stewart: Printmaker and surface pattern designer influenced by found and vintage objects, Wigtown.
• Peter Wareing: Maker of decorative earthenware ceramics. Whithorn.
• Gill White: Digital creative, writer, director and producer of design and film led interactive experiences. Wigtown.
Green Route
• Jane Blair: Painter with a love of the landscapes of Dumfriesshire and the Western Isles. Thornhill.
• Melville Brotherston: Landscape paintings of Wester Ross, Sutherland, Arran, the Solway coast and the glens around Moniaive. Moniaive.
• Anne Butler: Landscape painter. Durisdeer.
• Florencia García Chafuén: Photographer and filmmaker will be showing pictures that explore the idea of nostalgia. Moniaive. (New)
• Joanne Garner. Creates glamorous tactile, linear jewellery using precious metals and gemstones. Thornhill.
• Myer Halliday: Maker of decorative and functional ceramics with hand-drawn decoration. Thornhill.
• Robert Jarvis: Maker of arts and crafts influenced bespoke furniture. Penpont.
• Alison Macleod: Maker of delicately patterned earrings, necklaces, rings and brooches handmade in precious metal, selected stones and curiosities. Thornhill.
• Silvana McLean: Creator of paintings, etchings, books and mixed media artworks. Moniaive.
• Clare Melinsky: Harry Potter book cover illustrator, printmaker. Gatelawbridge.
• Max Nowell: Sculptures for inside and outdoors. Auldgirth.
• Alex Rigg: An exhibition of spectacular costumes and design drawings. Moniaive. (New)
• Kaz Robertson. Jeweller mainly working in resin. Thornhill. (New)
• Katharine Wheeler: Painter, showing everything from small portrait studies, life drawings, explorations in movement and mixed media to larger compositional ideas. Moniaive.
• Philip Wilson: Furniture maker and designer. Penpont. (New)
• Joyce Woodcock: Textile maker who creates scarves and rugs and will be demonstrate weaving and natural dyeing. Moniaive.
• Denise Zygadlo: Mixed media artist showing remarkable life-size, detailed pencil studies of the upper body clothed in lace. Auldgirth.
Orange Route
• Helen Acklam: Mixed media artist exploring the Scottish islands with their rich history, culture, archaeology, geology and Norse links. Dumfries.
• Andrew Adair: Leading Scottish ceramicist. Dumfries.
• Gwen Adair: An exhibition of current paintings, life drawings. Dumfries. (New)
• Ailsa Black: Acrylic paintings of animals and people that convey a sense of timelessness through contemporary rural and coastal life. Kirkbean.
• Jim Buchanan: LabLab – a laboratory for exploring the labyrinth form. New work in clay, prints, plaster, a light projection and large-scale labyrinth. Dumfries.
• Steven Burnie: Landscape painter reflecting the character of Dumfries and Galloway. Dumfries.
• Deborah Campbell: Prints and constructed textiles inspired by Scotland’s coastal landscape. Newtonairds.
• Shona Guthrie: Wearable hand-made jewellery. Dumfries.
• Morgan Hardie: Paintings that explore human emotion. Dumfries. (New)
• Christine Hester Smith: Ceramic artist. Kippford.
• Jane Howe: Showing a selection of acrylic and oil paintings, monotypes and plate lithographs for sale as well as charcoal/ink life drawings. Haugh of Urr. (New)
• Fraser Irvine: Landscape painter drawing inspiration from everyday life. Dumfries.
• Wendy Kershaw: Ceramicist whose work tells stories – often about the joys of life. Kippford.
• Bea Last: Painter producing impressive large-scale abstract works. Dumfries.
• Pattie Lean: Abstract painter with a love of the wild. Newtonairds.
• Val Macadam: Drawings inspired by inspired by country life, memories and wordplay. Kirkbean.
• Laura Hudson Mackay: Photographic artist fascinated by Celtic and Arabian folklore. New Abbey.
• Archie McCall: Maker of richly decorated stoneware pottery. New Abbey.
• Michael Pell: Designer, maker of jewellery and small silver objects. New Abbey.
• William Spurway: painter of Scottish landscapes with a focus on the forests, lochs and skies of Dumfries and Galloway. Dumfries.
• John Threlfall: Landscape and wildlife paintings. Rockliffe.
Pink Route
• Adam Booth: Master blacksmith who designs and making architectural and sculptural work. Kirkpatrick Durham.
• Clare Dawdry: Maker of bowls, mugs, cups and jugs for the home. Kirkpatrick Durham.
• Jo Gallant: Textile artist who will be showing cushions, scarves and wall hangings. Mossdale.
• Pamela Grace: Painter and printmaker who captures the changing seasons of the Galloway countryside. Kirkpatrick Durham.
• Angela Lawrence: Painter with a love of the Galloway countryside. Castle Douglas.
• Lucy Hadley: Illustrator with a love of the natural world. Threave Garden and Estate, Stranraer. (New)
• Susan McKay: Glassmaker. Partmore.
• Phil McMenemy: Photographer whose images are inspired by nature. Laurieston.
• Amanda Simmons: High-quality kiln formed glassmaker. Corsock.
• Suzanne Stuart Davies: Painter influenced by poetry, history, philosophy and the work of other artists and writers. Corsock.
• Michal Šúr: Striking images from the Highlands using black and white infrared photography. Castle Douglas.
• Catriona Taylor: Painter whose work responds to the Scotland’s land and seascapes. Threave Garden and Estate, Stranraer.
• Natalie Vardie: Jeweller who loves to combine frosted silver and the warmth of polished gold. Corsock.
• Amy Winstanley: Mixed media artist fascinated by emotion and memory. Crossmichael.
Purple Route
• Maggie Ayres: Artist who works with beeswax, inks, oil colour and tree resin. Kirkcudbright.
• Jenny Ashmore: Collages using pressed leaves and flowers collected from the woods and gardens of south-west Scotland and beyond. Auchencairn
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• Claire Cameron-Smith: Woodcut, vinylcut and stencilled prints. Kirkcudbright.
• Ian Cameron-Smith: Furniture-maker, woodworker and sculptor. Kirkcudbright.
• Hazel Campbell: Well-known Dumfries and Galloway painter. Kelton.
• Alison Critchlow: Oil paintings. Gatehouse of Fleet. (New)
• Lizzie Farey: Internationally celebrated sculptor who weaves beautiful designs with here own willows and other local woods such as ash, hazel and birch catkins. Kirkcudbright.
• Fitch and McAndrew: Husband and wife Douglas Fitch and Hannah McAndrew team of internationally renowned potters. Kelton.
• Ryan Gillan: Digital artist and animator. Kirkcudbright.
• Janet Ibbotson: Maker of pure wool coats and jackets and embroidered scarves. Auchencairn.
• Kathryn King: Designer jeweler working with precious metals and gemstones. Kirkcudbright. (New)
• Trevor Leat: Figuritive sculptures from willow and other coppiced wood – sometimes very large including for the Wickerman Festival. Auchencairn.
• Morag Macpherson: Internationally renowned textile designer who will be showing a one-off patchworked pieces including kimonos, skirts, throws and wall hangings in fine silks and wools, linens and cottons. Kirkcudbright.
• Linda Mallett: Abstract painter who makes her own pigments from local rocks and clays. Borgue.
• Heather M Nisbett: Display of Original paintings, framed prints and greeting cards. Kirkcudbright. (New)
• Suzi Plunkett: Creates illustrations inspired by children’s stories, fairy tales and Galloway life using thousands of little dots and circles. Kirkcudbright.
• Dorothy Ramsay: Paintings and etchings – an exhibition of sea land, and shore. Gatehouse of Fleet.
• Rosie Reid: Textile artist and painter whose studio studio filled with colourful collages, fabric and other creative designs. Kirkcudbright. (New)
Red Route
• Michael Batey: Painter working in oils to create dramatic and ethereal landscapes. Claygate.
• Minette Bell Macdonald: Watercolours of wild animals and landscapes. Hightae. (New)
• Colin Blanchard: Original printmaker with a love of British wildlife. Waterbeck.
• Heather Blanchard: Painter whose inspiration comes mainly from walking beaches or exploring local woods and tracks. Waterbeck
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• Diana de Gruyther: Paintings and drawings. Canonbie.
• Daniel Lacey: Internationally recognised sculptural contemporary furniture maker using native woods. Langholm
• Rory Laycock: Installation Artist. Langholm.
• Lisa Rothwell-Young: Quality hand-made jewellery. Langholm.
• Cathy Sidhu: Watercolour illustrations, pencil drawings and mixed media on wood. Canonbie. (New)
• Jo Walker: Ceramics that celebrate a love of nature, using the technique of sgraffito. Langholm. (New)
• Margaret Walty: Paintings in oils and in acrylics which are inspired by her garden, wild nature, landscapes, myth and fairytale. Langholm.
• Beth Watson: Designs and makes contemporary and stylish jewellery and tableware, working mainly in precious metals. Langholm.
• Clare Williams: knitted cushions and accessories with unique patterns inspired by medieval monastic and ecclesiastical architecture. Langholm. (New)
• Barry Young: Photographer, who will be showing his recent Rural Portraits. Langholm.
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