Meet the artists at Art Walk Porty this weekend

MORE than 35 of Portobello's resident artists throw open the doors of their studios to the public this weekend as part of the 2018 Art Walk Porty.The concept is simple, pick up a programme, which comes in the form of the free 'newspaper' Pleasure Ground, available from Bellfield Community Centre, and take a walk around Portobello, popping into the studios as you pass.
Peter JonesPeter Jones
Peter Jones

Along the way, watch out for a interactive events taking place in and around The Prom, ranging from live music to film screenings and talks.

Highlights of this weekend include an Artist Talk from Sarah Knox at Venue 26, Seaview Terrace, on Saturday at 2pm, and One Blue Pigeon, an artist performance at Venue 39 on John Street Lane West, at the same time.

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On Sunday, from 11am to 4pm, you can visit Perimeter, an installation by Art Walk organiser and artist Rosy Naylor at Bellfield, while at 3pm IL Mare Driftwood Violin give a talk/performance on The Prom, near the Swim Centre.

From 9pm to 10pm a screening of At The Fair, part of the Prom Film & Fish n’ Chip Nights series, will bring this year’s event to a close.

Highlights of this year’s Open Studios

HANNAH ASHWELL: VENUE 28, 10 SEAVIEW CRESCENT

HANNAH ASHWELL exploits the colour, texture and pattern of fine cottons and silks, combining traditional and modern origami folds to create unique objects and installations.

Since 2008, Hannah has developed her techniques, scoring, bonding and stitching squares of fabric into 3d objects.

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The endless possibilities of using textiles in place of paper has lead to a variety of bespoke commissions.

In this, her tenth anniversary year, Hannah is collaborating with fellow creatives to push the practice further.

Her current focus is on researching natural geometry and using plant-dyed fabric to mimic real flowers.

Alongside this study, Hannah’s work also looks to exploit scale, colour and pattern to do what nature cannot.

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Visitors during the Art Walk will be invited to fold paper insects to add to a botanical installation – suitable for all ages.

You can also join Hannah tomorrow morning for an Origami Flower Making Workshop, between 10am and 12 noon.

Participants will be guided through folding a unique oversized origami

flower using cottons and silks.

All materials will be supplied and are included in the workshop fee of £35 per person. Open to anyone aged 16+, advance booking is required, e-mail [email protected].

JENNY MARTIN, 7 ESPLANADE TERRACE

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JENNY Martin’s paintings and screenprints respond to this year’s Art Walk theme of Pleasure Ground and focus on seaside pastimes, the beach and the ever-changing face of Portobello and its surrounding coastline.

Jenny works in painting and print-making, winning awards in both fields.

Having exhibited widely throughout the UK, she is also a well known face at the Leith School of Art, where she teaches.

Her prints are known for their painterly quality, with many layers built up to create pieces which are almost like paintings.

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In turn, the themes explored through the prints get absorbed into her paintings, with the rich colours and compositions inspired by the prints.

In each art-form, drawing plays a central role in her work which explores what our culture values, what we treasure, what we venerate or hold dear, and what we might overlook. Objects and architecture are often the subject of her attention.

Collections of objects, overlooked corners of our environment and museums are particular themes that Jenny likes to revisit again and again.

For the Art Walk, Jenny will be returning to her theme of documenting the seaside nature of Portobello.

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For more information about her work visit www.jennymartinartist.co.uk

ALISON STEWART, 11B JOHN STREET

ARTIST Alison Stewart will be showing a group of her collages and paintings depicting everyday objects from chairs to oil cans.

Brought up on the family farm, after completing a psychology degree at St Andrew’s University in 1989, Alison then studied ceramics at Camberwell College in London, where she graduated in 1993.

Subsequently she has exhibited ceramic sculptures in galleries across Britain.

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However, a desire to explore drawing and painting led her to Leith School of Art in 2008 and since then she has exhibited her 2D work at various open exhibitions, including the RSA.

Last year, Alison was shortlisted for the Lynn Painters Stainers Prize at the Mall Galleries in London.

She explains: “My work starts with drawing. The experience of intense observation followed by open-ended exploration of the subject using a variety of media allows new, salient images to arise.

“These distilled images transform the work from mere observation to an expression of an emotionally charged world.

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“Set in a generalised environment the attention is on the psychological undertones of the work rather than any attempt at realism or a specific narrative.”

Drop in on Alison this weekend. For more info, visit www.alisonstewartartist.com

PETER JONES, THE RAMPHOUSE, BELLFIELD LANE

PETER Jones works mainly in pen and watercolour. His work focuses largely on houses and historic buildings, which he draws and paints on the spot with the subject in front of him.

Introduced to watercolour by the late Ann Dallas, Peter writes, “I am interested in the simplicity and purity of line and wash; crisp, freely made marks with pen, and clean, single washes on pure white paper.”

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His work has captured many aspects of Portobello life and sights.

“I am interested in houses and buildings, particularly the older ones, because they express so much about time, place, and the people who live in them and use them.

“I have also found that the buildings possess a character of their own and drawing them is a way of getting to know the building and the place more intimately and sharing this with others.”

Inspired by his local environment, Peter recently published a book of drawings of the area entitled Portobello, A Book of Paintings by Peter Jones. Available priced £6 from www.etsy.com/uk/shop/peterjoneshouses

From 10am on Saturday, Peter will be giving a

Prom painting demonstration by the Swim Centre.

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OTHER art house artists participating this weekend are Sarah Knox, Claudia Nocentini, Olivia Doherty, Rachael Scott, Zoe Kean, James Kean, John Thayers, Jenny Martin, Fiona Bailey, Amy Dennis, Mike Kinane, Karl Stern, Javier Ventura, Cat Bell, Dylan Bell, Stephanie Mann, Faith Limbrick, Denise Horn, Mary Drummond, Lee Patterson, Greta McMillan, Caroline Convey, Lindsay Perth, Jude Nixon, Robin Baillie, Fay Donnelly, Esther Donaldson, Emily Ingrey Counter, Peter Standen, Teresa Gordon, Claire MacDonald, Fiona Bissett, Simon Jackson and Jane Angel.

For full details of all the weekend’s events visit www.artwalkporty.co.uk/2018/events-map.html

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