Art for all
Goodbye Oxfordshire Art Weeks, and helloooo from this weekend (6 – 22 June) to Bucks Open Studios, now celebrating its 30th birthday and looking well foxy.
If you live in or pass through Buckinghamshire over the next three weeks you won’t be able to miss the bright yellow signage adorning galleries, public spaces and private houses, with literally hundreds of artists exhibiting their work. Two free Fanfare Exhibition to celebrate the big birthday have opened, the first at the Bucks County Museum (until 4 July), and a second exhibition at Milton Keynes Central Library (until 22 June). There are also Art Trails for certain areas if you want to make a day of it, or if you want to cherry pick certain artists or events, I’ve had a scour around (below) for some cool stuff to start you off.
Hero x
Paul Bell
Did you watch BBC1’s recent The Big Painting Challenge? Paul Bell from Beaconsfield only went and won it! He currently has two pieces exhibiting at Tate Britain so he’s no slouch, and is exhibiting at Studio 24 in Beaconsfield.
Hilary Audus
This is the first time ceramicist Hilary Ardus has shown at Bucks Open Studios. She used to be an animator (she developed The Snowman and directed the motorbike sequence, fact fans) and is showing with a group of artists at a new venue of the Green Dragon Eco Centre in Hogshaw.
Dr C
Sounds like a DJ and is fact an artist whose medium is, er, food science. She’s using tea, milk and sugar as a medium for Bucks Open Studios, so if you’re lucky she’ll make you a cuppa while you’re checking out her stuff.
Chris Dunsby
A new artist for Bucks Art Weeks at a new venue just over the border in Tring. Chris designs and makes bespoke furniture and sculpture mainly using metal. Not one for shabby chic-ers, but very cool.
Katy Swift
Katy is a textile artist who has sold designs to Michael Kors, Donna Karan and Ralph Lauren. I mean, that’s impressive. She’s part of a group at Commercial Square Studios in High Wycombe so knit-one pearl-one your way over to her.