2018 Cover to Cover

From November 2017 to May 2018, twenty four Open Studios artists of various disciplines from West Berkshire and North Hampshire are working in their sketchbooks. This year we are not exchanging them, each artist is following and developing their theme privately.

The overarching themes were proposed as starting points by our host, the West Berkshire Museum:

Collecting and Value, Photographs (and drawings), Maps, Pattern and Detail, Purpose, Messages, Feathers and Fur and Cabinets of Curiosity.

Cabinet of Curiosities at West Berkshire Museum

Newbury Map by Katherine Kingdon

Messages exploration by Angela Hugget Willis

Each artist was given a sketchbook book to work on by pasting, cutting, painting, drawing, in short, transforming it and exploring the given theme as they saw fit.  The artists were free to develop their themes in any direction they wished according to their understanding and practice and interacting with members of their group.  Group sizes varied and each group of artists will provide a small surprising output to give back to the museum on their chosen theme.

Artists taking part are: Wendy Lloyd, Ben Norman, Vivian Pare, Charles Burns, Isabel Carmona, Pam Hardman, Katherine Kingdon, Kirstie Dedman, Lenny Cornforth, Yvonne de Savigny, Christine King, Mary Eighteen, Diana Barraclough, Valentina Tikhonova, Hilary Arnold-Baker, Arty Pumpkin, Angela Hugget Willis, Jane Baikie, Julia Kellaway, Lone Hudson, Sarah Scott, Lorna Goldsmith, Joan Millard and Rosemary Derwent.

Messages by Angela Hugget Willis

During May 2018 you can come and see the result of this innovative collaborative project, and browse calmly through all the participating sketchbooks on display. Enjoy the richness of exploration and inspiration created by the artists.

Cover to Cover 2017 is a little bit different

We keep playing with the way we work.
This year 30 artists are taking part on Cover to Cover sketchbook exchange as part of Open Studios 2017. They chose each a theme and we gave them a second hand book to use as a "sketchbook".
Artists have worked on their chosen theme for a while and have already exchanged books with a second artist and are playing with new themes, exploring, cutting, modifying and transforming those books into something special. Some samples below.
Watch this space and look forward to 2017 exhibition at the West Berkshire Museum showing all the books.

2016 Cover to Cover - sketchbook exchange and more

In 2016 we have asked the artists to do more.. than the normal sketchbook exchange.
First they made the book, a concertina book of 24 double pages of various papers that could take a different range of media. Then they worked in groups of six artists.

Thirty six Open Studios artists have taken part in this years project divided into six groups : Scale, Materials, Texture, Local History, West Berkshire places and Colour.
Each group had an overarching theme and explored it in six different ways. For instance the group that did Colour looked into primaries, contrast, white, muted colours, value and favourites. 

As well as changing sketchbooks every three weeks, each groups had to design a poster that would summarise the essence of their theme. And they will print a silkscreen 25 copy series of their poster. A few copies of each poster will be available for sale during Open Studios to cover our costs and raise funds for next year's project.
The sketchbooks and posters will be on display at the West Berkshire Museum during May 2016 for visitors to peruse and indulge in the creativity of the artists and the different ways that they have explored a given theme. Each book is different and they eventually go back to the artist that started them.
Above some of the photographs of the sketchbooks work and below some of the first of the posters.

To experience the books in full glory the best would be to go to the Museum in Newbury and see them for yourself.  It is open Wednesdays to Sunday from 10 am to 4pm .

The books are back!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of getting the artists sketchbooks back so that I can start preparing our Cover to Cover 2015 publication. This book of books will collect all the themes from the participating artists and the interpretation of those themes by some of the artists that took them on board.

I feel humbled and amazed at the amount of creativity and experimentation that has taken place and feel just slightly daunted by the task ahead of choosing the images for the publication.

Thank you to all the artists for taking the challenge of this sketchbook exchange that has kept you busy (on top of your normal workload) for the past five months. My most sincere congratulations for achieving something so special.

I recomend a visit to West Berkshire Museum this May during Open Studios to see the Cover to Cover 2015 exhibition of all the original books.

February exchange

We have just done the first sketchbook exchange in February and are over half way on this year's project.
It is very exciting to see others people's take on your theme and how themes you thought difficult actually challenge you and make you think, provoking an unexpected reaction in you.
Other themes you thought "that's easy " but in the end you are not too happy with the result.
The photo is from group 4 and themes include "water", "human impact" "landscape" "quotations" "hedgerow hodgepodge" and "who are you?"

More themes and contributions to C2C15

We had a exchange of books recently and have contributions from some new Open Studios members : Dan Obrien introduces himself, Nuala Whales loves landscapes and Walter Koch's theme quotations is tackled by Helen Peake.
Adeliza Mole presents various themes in her very personal style.

Cover to Cover 2015

In 2015, Cover to Cover is a bit different; the 42 participating artists are taking part on a sketchbook exchange that will last five months and will culminate on a joint publication. 
Each participating artist has chosen a theme for their sketchbook and collaborates with other eight to ten artist within their group. There are five groups in total.

After explaining their theme with a few "sketches" (there is no rules as to what constitutes a sketch but an intervention on a page), the artists exchange books with others in their group and work on each others themes, thus, thus, learning from each other and enriching their thought process.

Themes are varied, forty two in total and below you can see some of the artists interventions to date.

Roche Court - Sketching visit

The New Art Centre at Roche Court was a great venue for a sketching day.
We did a Group tour with their education department and learned loads of stories about the sculptures. Thank you Emma!

Laura Ford's bronzes have a misterious unsettling quality, The mixture of hyperrealism (finely textured bronze looking like plastic or fabric) and incongruence (friendly animals with children legs), makes a big impact.

 

 One of my favourites was also the carved stone plaque by the House of an Artist, sketched below

 

More sketches here and here

Sketching at Douai Abbey

Sketching at Douai Abbey was fantastic. The space is magnificent and at one point the organist started practicing, filling the space with music. Magical.
The image below is a composite of the work of a few of us who went to Douai Abbey. it includes work by Hillary Arnold-Baker, Jane Vaidya, Chrys Healy, Pearl Hailstone and Isabel Carmona Andreu.

Third Sketching day - Saturday 18th January 2014

Saturday 18th January - 10am to 4pm

Hillary Arnold Baker has contacted Father Oliver at Douai Abbey who has confirmed we can have a day sketching there on Saturday 18th January 2014 - Thanks Hillary for organising this!

Meet for a day sketching at Douai Abbey near Woolhampton - www.douaiabbey.org.uk 

 

Douai Abbey

Upper Woolhampton

Reading

Berkshire, RG7 5TQ

We will meet in the morning there and find where can we go and sketch in the grounds and Abbey.
It is very important that we respect their prayer time in the church - they have Midday prayer between 12:45 and 13:05 (you can join them in prayer if you wish).
We are able to use the Guest Refectory to have our packed lunch and drinks (bring some thermos flasks) at around lunchtime where I suggest we meet to show each other what we have done so far.

 Remember to bring:

• your Cover to Cover sketchbook or collect it on the day (by arrangement with Isabel Carmona)
• your own materials (but see list above for restrictions)
• packed lunch and drink

You are welcome to bring friends and family along but each person is responsible for themselves.

Let me know:

• if you are coming as it would be good to give them an idea of numbers and also
• if you are willing to drive and give others a lift so that we can minimise the numbers of cars going.

Visit to the Ashmolean

Ten of us wen to the Ashmolean on the 8th December and had a great time sketching in the different rooms, from the typical object to the current exhibition (Bacon Moore).
For me one of the highlights was also sharing lunch with everybody and having a look at what others had done. Below you can also see some of my sketches of the day.

Jane Vaidya's sketching

Hi,  This is Jane Vaidya’s writing.  Here are some current sketches from recent months which are in an on-going sketchbook, and relate directly to my Cover to Cover work.

	My sketches, paintings, relate to the big inspiration in my life which is our garden.  The work is frequently seasonal, showing ever changing conditions in nature, particularly at the moment when autumn scythes through the garden creating  glorious colours, and then falling back to the muted shades of winter.
	All seasons are fascinating, and winter shows us the bones of the garden and the intricate patterns of branches and twigs laid bare,  highlighted by frosts and sometimes a cold, pure light.
	These sketches use pen, pencil, watercolours, collage, for effect and sometimes are further developed and worked up into paintings.
	This size of sketchbook which is 21 x 15 cms. is easy to carry around if wanted.  The size I find,  also helps spontaneity, particularly when sketching with watercolours – it is quick to go from one idea to another, and easy to leaf back at previous work.
	I hope you find these interesting to look at.

Second Cover to Cover sketching day

8th December 2013 - 10am to 2pm

Meet for a day sketching at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
Meet at reception area at around 10am and at the café (if you are running a bit late) at around 10:30am
Sketch in the Museum during the morning, wherever you wish, till around 1pm when whoever is left can regroup at reception, have a group photo by the entrance and then we can go for a spot of lunch if you fancy it.

Please note there are a few restrictions on materials - see link:  http://www.ashmolean.org/documents/education/ArtMaterialsInTheGalleries.pdf

 

Remember to bring:

• your Cover to Cover sketchbook or collect it on the day (by arrangement with Isabel Carmona)
• your own materials (but see list above for restrictions)
• any food or money for refreshment

You are welcome to bring friends and family along but each person is responsible for themselves.

Let me know: if you are willing to drive and give others a lift so that we can minimise the numbers of cars going.

First Sketching day - 3rd November

Cover to Cover got to a good start on the first Sunday of November - the sun came out, the location was beautiful and full of people - Newbury's Farmer's market.
There were nine of us to start with, which helps with "security in numbers" and gives more authority to our enterprise.
Initially some were a bit more intimidated by the stoppers by, but we had a great reception from the market people and also from the coffee shop where we descended on mass to have our first coffee of the day.

As usual a few stories came out - I learnt that the people running the vegetable stall were not brothers but "mates". 

I drew the bicycle stall run by Spokes and the lady who runs it kept glancing over at me while I sketched; she was very pleased when she came over to check what I was doing, she commented "people don't sketch very often these days, it is nice seeing you here".

Later on we started to feel the cold and we took refuge back in the café.

At the end there were only  three of us - Pam and Kate in the photo bravely showing their sketches....

First Cover to Cover sketching day

3rd November 2013 - 10am to 2pm

Meet for a day sketching in the centre of Newbury.

Meet at the Corn Exchange for coffee and quick chat.

Sketch around Market Square (it is Farmer's market day) and Newbury centre.

Meet up at Victoria Park - by the bandstand at 2pm if you are still around for a group photo.

Remember to bring:

• your Cover to Cover sketchbook or collect it on the day (by arrangement with Isabel Carmona),
• your own materials, chair etc for comfortable sketching,
• any food or refreshments you may want (or there are plenty of cafes around to buy some).

You are welcome to bring friends and family along but each person is responsible for themselves.

Open Studios Facebook page - Event 3rd November

Cover to Cover launch

Open Studios West Berkshire and North Hampshire artists needed to take part in this project that will explore our creativity and inspiration.

 

whether you are a painter, jeweller, textile artist, potter, sculptor, video, silhouette, cake artist or calligrapher,

we want you to help us communicate how we develop our ideas from sketch, doodle or maquette to fully fledged pieces of Art.

 

Open to all Open Studios (West Berkshire and North Hampshire) artists (you do not need to take part in Open Studios 2014 scheme)

 

Entry costs £10 for which participant artists will:

• Receive an A5 landscape sketchbook to personalise, fill in and exhibit at Arlington Arts Centre in May-June 2014,
• Have the opportunity to exhibit as well one other sketchbook of their choice and artwork of any medium resulting from sketchbook studies,
• Enter into a prize scheme judged by a well known artist (the results will be announced a the exhibition private view)
• Receive information about sketching events that will be organised from November 2013 to March 2014 - if you can volunteer to organise a sketching day let us know,
• Share your activities and sketchbook progress on this Cover to Cover blog

To register and collect your sketchbook get in touch with the Arlington Arts Centre box office