Through May and June, you can meet the artists and view their art and craft. Their varied work includes painting, ceramics, jewellery, textiles, photography, sculpture, glass work, wood carving, printmaking and more.
Alongside these artists events are a trio of exhibitions at Southwell, West Bridgford and Worksop libraries, running from Sat 27 April to Sun 9 June 2024 - as curated by Inspire: Culture, Learning Libraries. These exhibitions shine a light on the creative process using photographs of selected participating artists in their studio workspaces, together with examples of their work, all alongside details of where and when studios are open.
Look out for the Open Studios Notts brochure available from April in local libraries and other outlets around the county and city such as tourist information points, museums, cafés and independent shops. The brochure lists all the events, art trails, participating artists and venues and includes a map so you can find them.
Full details: www.osnotts.co.uk
Follow Open Studios Notts on Instagram @osnotts, Facebook @openstudiosnotts, YouTube @openstudiosnotts2027 and X @OSNotts
The Open Studios Notts initiative is organised and co-ordinated by volunteers and operates on a not-for-profit basis. It is supported by Inspire: Culture, Learning and Libraries on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council.
Upton Trail
The Upton Trail includes seven artists at four different venues to explore in the village.
Upton Studios this year is over the late May bank holiday (25-27 May) and involves seven artists and makers at four venues. Visitors will be able to meander around this beautiful historic Notts village (with its unique 9-pinnacled church) to meet the artists, to see their work and discuss their working practices.
At High Farm, Susan Isaac is a well-known landscape painter and a maker of sculptural ceramics. She will have two guests - Elsa Rickett-Trueman, a painter and illustrator of whimsical animal characters and pet portraits, and Mark Greene, who makes bespoke functional pieces from reclaimed wood and materials.
Nearby at Meadow View (overlooking the church) Susan Morton makes stoneware ceramics (mainly woodfired) for the home and garden. Her guest will be glass artist Naomi Stewart who takes inspiration from the innate qualities of coloured glass.
Charles Beaumont is a painter whose work ranges from landscapes to still lives, and who will be showing his work at the Cross Keys Inn. Opposite him, at Rookery Nook, is Jude Rawson - a painter of landscapes and portraiture inspired by the Pre-Raphaelites.
Retford Arts Hub
11 Churchgate, Retford, DN22 6PA.
4, 6, 11, 18 & 25 May
10am – 4pm
Artists will be in their studios on 4 & 6 May to demonstrate work and meet visitors. There is a café and artisan shop at this venue.
Instagram: retfordartshub
Facebook: retfordartshub
Dovecot Gallery
Poplars Farm, Styrrup, Doncaster DN11 8NB.
11 & 12 and 18 & 19 May, 10am - 4pm
Exhibiting work by Hilary Cartmel and Michael Johnson. You will also find Mike and Hilary in the Open Studios exhibition at Worksop Library which runs from the end of April to early June.
www.dovecotgallery.co.uk
Cath Ray Gallery & Studios
Cath Ray Gallery and Studios on Bridgegate in Retford will be opening up the whole building to visitors on 4 May & 9 Jun this Summer as part of Open Studios Notts.
All six resident artists who work at the studios throughout the year, will open their doors and visitors will be able to meet the artists and talk about their work, methods, and materials.
The premises is set back in a quiet corner of St. Michael’s Place, off the main street and opposite the Church. It is the perfect place for artists to work in the ground floor studios and is a tranquil refuge for art in the busy town. William Boulby has a Fine Art studio here and specialises in Portraiture, but also enjoys painting and drawing landscapes and still life. His current work is based on tiny drawings and sketches that are then re-drawn on a much larger scale and developed into finished artworks. Cath Ray and Andy Hill are both painters who also love using oils. Their adjoining studios will be open for visitors to see their paintings and both artists at work.
Tracey Page produces intricate lino-prints and drawings based on the natural world of plants and sea creatures. She shares a large studio with Alison Beevers, whose botanical prints on fabric and paper, and collographs are made from flowers and plants that she grows on her nearby allotment. Bev Ramsbotham’s tiny textiles and needle-felt assemblages will also be on display in the studio where she works. In the teaching and workshop space, information will be available on classes and courses at the gallery and visitors will be able to have a go at plant-based monoprinting. In the main gallery, people will be able to meet and chat to Retford Artist, Jayne Day Williams, whose exhibition ‘Draw My Town’ is on display there throughout May and June. The whole building is ground floor, so accessible to all and can accommodate wheelchairs.
Further details www.osnotts.co.uk
Or contact Cath at the gallery on 0780 320 4424, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
