Old Favourites and New Discoveries
From 2-25 May, the Oxfordshire Artweeks festival opens in more than 350 venues. We’ve cherry-picked 25 to help you get started: some of our regular haunts, others have caught our eye for the first time this year.
Week 1: South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse (2-10 May)
Cumnor: from the beach to the mountains In Archangel Studio in the heart of Cumnor, Sarah Bond’s vibrant mixed media paintings and monoprints convey the beauty and endeavour of renewable energy. Her latest works are inspired by a recent trek in the Alps, on the Tour of the Matterhorn and feature striking animals on bold coloured backgrounds. Alongside you’ll find stunning large mirrors created with shells and extraordinary mussel ‘murmuration’ by maker Annabel Jolly who joins Sarah in her studio.
Artweeks venue 13
Radley: feel the breeze on your face On show in her studio and pop-up gallery, in a beautiful spot close to Radley College, Ros Murphy’s sumptuous land, sea, and sky scapes feel as fresh as a breezy day, and flicking through her sketchbooks you’ll feel as if you’ve been out in the landscape with her.
Artweeks venue 20
Wallingford: strong colours and strong women In a glorious spot alongside the castle in the centre of Wallingford, Christine Bass presents her stylised local landscapes inspired by the Chilterns and the Ridgeway which are characterised by strong lines & shapes, flattened planes and saturated colour. She’s exhibiting with her illustrator daughter, Sophie, whose colourful characters have art activism, music, mythology, politics and symbolism at their heart. Here too, jeweller, Kate Wilkinson is showing elegant contemporary jewellery as she celebrates 30 years of professional making.
Artweeks venue 66
Shillingford: a walled garden of delights In a striking house with a wonderful walled garden tucked away close to the A4074, husband and wife team Robin McClelland and Penny Astrop present Robin’s robust stoneware pots and strong abstract sculptural works alongside Penny’s figurative and landscape which exude gentle atmosphere and intriguing narratives.
Artweeks venue 79
Wallingford: characterful fabrics, prints and more From her garden studio, surrounded by plants and flowers on one side, overlooking fields down to the River Thames on the other, Fay Ford’s charming artwork is inspired by her ever-changing natural environment. After a career as a fabric designer for well-known children’s homewares, Fay will also be sharing her sketchbooks, original artwork, prints and illustrated maps.
Artweeks venue 81
Christmas Common: a feast of creativity The bonkersly-large Tree Barn on Christmas Common (where Christmas trees are stored in their hundreds during the festive season) is transformed into a dynamic and magical art space for Artweeks each year, home to more than a dozen artists and creations in many materials. Look out for Jaine McCormack’s pop-up studio space where she’ll be creating joyful mixed media paintings of floral and domestic scenes.
Artweeks venue 111
Watlington: bursting at the seams with talent In the heart of Watlington you’ll find textile artist Harriet Riddell who draws in thread, stitching the view or person she sees in front of her onto plain raw canvas. She creates the whole picture with a single line, starting at one end of the fabric and stitching to the other end, appliqueing other pieces of fabrics over the top. In her workspace you’ll also find wonderful animal sculptures by ceramicist James Ort. After, take a stroll along the High Street and beyond where you’ll find literally dozens of other artists within a 500 metre radius.
Artweeks venue 141
Week 2: North and West Oxfordshire (9-17 May)
Bampton: inspired by the St Ives art movement Every year designer-maker Tuula Nicholson transforms her contemporary hidden home into a large airy gallery. Self-built by her husband and co-creator Shaun, it’s a surprisingly spacious space where you’ll will find as many as 60 stylised sleek sculptures in stone and metal, organic abstract forms are influenced by shapes from the natural world and a childhood ensconced in the abstract modern art for which Tuula’s grandparents, Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson, were renowned.
Artweeks venue 176
Bampton: Victorian curios, birds and mice In Marjolein Trewavas’ 18th century cottage home and studio, she is presenting a series of textile animals and birds which she creates from antique and vintage fabrics, and then presents on antique items. These include pretty birdcages made from old books and wire, crows and magpies steeped in folklore created from fragments of antique beaded Victorian fabric and lace, and a menagerie of mice.
Artweeks venue 177
Eynsham: Fun characters and chemistry At Chicken Run Studio in Eynsham, Alison Holmans makes a variety of bowls and bird feeders and funky light-hearted characters, in rich blues and swirls inspired by the sea. Artweeks is a chance to see her kilns and hear about the chemistry of the pottery firing process, alongside the sculptural, contemporary, silver jewellery of Artweeks newcomer Serra Malta made using casting and traditional techniques. Her work is heavily influenced by nature and found objects. Artweeks venue 193
Kidlington: welcome to a new barn gallery Lucy Priest, an Artweeks first timer, invites you to her new Garden Gallery, a traditional barn-style exhibition space that Lucy and her partner have crafted over a number of years using local materials and traditional techniques. She’ll be showing gorgeous loose floral forms exploring balance, rhythm, and intuitive mark-making as well as paintings inspired by the kitchen garden.
Artweeks Venue 201
Sibford Ferris: Always worth a visit In a gorgeous cottage studio in the heart of this small village, mixed media artist Nicola Durrant welcomes you to see her semi-abstract paintings alongside the work of a jeweller, potter, and a forged metal garden sculptor for Forged, Fired & Framed. And while this might sound crazy, look out for the water butt. It’s quite something to behold. Artweeks venue 253
Charlbury: Mouth-watering semi-abstracts on a great art trail Elaine Kazimierczuk’s studio in Charlbury, just along the road from a printmaker to world-class music acts, abounds with colourful semi-abstract paintings inspired by the natural world: wildflower meadows, hedgerows, cottage and botanic gardens and, after a recent visit to Rwanda, tropical rainforests. Plus, Elaine’s lunches often match her paintings… Elaine is just one of sixteen artists exhibiting along a walking art trail in this pretty Cotswold village.
Artweeks venue 309
Great Rollright: Stunning stained glass, and more There’s a charming garden studio tucked away in Great Rollright where Anuk Naumann, who is known for her vibrant mixed media paintings is presenting a new collection of stained-glass pieces. Here too you’ll find handmade block-printed fabrics and bags, and while you’re in Great Rollright, within walking distance there are there are two talented collectives and an exhibition inspired by the nearby neolithic monuments. Artweeks venue 259
Bladon: A magical glade in a secret spot Tucked away off the road between Woodstock and Bladon Church Suzanne O’Driscoll’s gallery-cum-studio is probably one of Oxfordshire’s most extraordinary studios. The glorious setting was once part of the Blenheim Palace estate; a lush secret glade with hidden nooks and terraces. A long drive leads you to the heart of the old quarry, in which a brightly light art space with a floating ceiling seems to hang in the canopies of the trees. It’s a world of fronds, foliage and birdsong where you’ll find colours and gentle curves to match in Suzanne’s art.
Artweeks venue 333
Week 3: Oxford (16-25 May)
Jericho: flaming-haired beauties Rachel Ducker’s extraordinary sculptures on show in her small home and garden are gloriously alive women made from wire, some encased in painted porcelain, some life-size, others evoking Tinkerbell, and all with flying flaming hair – perhaps inspired by her own striking locks. They’re on show along with jewellery displayed amongst a collection of intriguing curiosities that would look at home in the Pitt Rivers.
Artweeks venue 383
Jericho: an Aladdin’s cave of natural wonders Jeweller Tony Thomson’s workshop is an Aladdin’s cave of fossils, china and silver, small chests of drawers (labelled pearls, opals, sea glass, shells) and other curiosities, tucked in the basement of his terraced home. His pieces are striking and unusual, each created with various silver and gold working techniques and incorporating cuttlefish casting, fabrication, stone cutting and setting.
Artweeks venue 389
Walton Manor: Astonishing mathematical marquetry In his quiet Oxford home, Roger Nathan designs and creates wooden objects and small furniture pieces decorated with striking patterns based on mathematics sequences and shapes and handmade from wood veneers. Look out, too. for a new range of kinetic sculptures in brass powered by low-temperature difference Sterling engines.
Artweeks venue 393
Wolvercote’s wildcard: A curious canal boat You’ll find Karis Harrington on a narrow boat, just to the north of the bridge over the canal. Her art, illustration and visual storytelling encompass magic and folklore. Her theme this year is Into the Nettle Patch, and it promises to be combine plant lore and theatre.
Artweeks venue 425
Wolvercote: Portraiture with personality It’s always a pleasure to visit professional portrait artist Tom Croft’s small garden studio, where you’ll find him working throughout the week. He’s a Royal Society of Portrait Painters exhibitor and also the Initiator of Portraits for NHS Heroes for which he was awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2021 New Year Honours. You might have seen him on Extraordinary Portraits on BBC One, Sky’s Portrait Artist of the Year or even on the cover of this magazine. In person, he’s brilliant, friendly and funny, as you will already know if you follow his Instagram (@tomcroftartist).
Artweeks venue 432
East Oxford: Two storeys of surprises Visit Emma Davis’ Victorian terrace in East Oxford, and discover collage, found objects, book covers, text and curios in a two-storey Victorian studio. Emma’s two-storey back-garden studio includes a surprising wall of six old William-Morris-esque stained-glass windows which she discovered unexpectedly when renovating this old structure. Upstairs, they infuse the studio with coloured light and downstairs is a treasure trove of 70s & 80s memorabilia. You’ll want to move in.
Artweeks listing 516
East Oxford: Unspoken stories in a popular set of artist studios In the busy Magdalen Road Studios, you’ll find classically-trained Toby Michael – a Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year Finalist – who is showing his new narrative figurative paintings which focus on people and the unspoken stories between them. Around him, other artists will be presenting a wealth of contemporary and multidisciplinary work, ceramics and more in this hotbed of creativity.
Artweeks venue 483
East Oxford: 200 years of print-making history You’ll find three printmakers hidden away at 50 Hurst Street, the cosy two-storey working print studios of Richard Lawrence, Robin Wilson, and Rosie Fairfax-Cholmeley. It’s a rare opportunity to see 200 years work of printing machine technology, all still in use. They’re showing cards, maps and books and offer alongside a range of pots from Oxford Kilns, a wood-fired ceramics project Robin runs in Wytham Woods.
Artweeks venue 506
Oxford Centre: Mixing wood and clay We’re looking forward to visiting the new studio of Artweeks first-timer Jim Nelson who describes his work as a dialogue between earth and tree, and the grounded permanence of clay and the living grain of wood. His innovative pots and pieces combine wood turning and ceramics, and we’re looking forward to seeing them for ourselves.
Artweeks venue 522
For more details on these and hundreds of other venues, including exhibitions by collectives of artists and makers, visit artweeks.org
