What a wonderful surprise to walk into the Rye Creative Centre on Saturday September 17 to see a wide, light filled lobby and through a doorway, the old gym of this former school in New Road completely transformed into a truly lovely exhibition space. Visiting to venture into the Open Studios, when the artists and makers who work in the building open their workspaces to the public, it turned out to be an opportunity to visit the summer studio exhibition Variations, curated by Paula Macarthur and Nick Archer, two of the studio holders and nationally and internationally recognised artists.
The old school building has had a chequered career since it fell out of use and though there have been studios leased to artists in parts of the building for some years, it had become rundown and not very attractive. Martello Developments now have the lease on the building, have tidied up and landscaped the outside and refurbished inside. It was the most beautiful sunny September day, so the light flooded into the studios and the exhibition hall and highlighted every corner and every exhibit. On wandering round, it became clear the centre has a number of different uses, passing just a couple, a children’s music class and art therapy – Hearts Smart Art- and evidence of others, though not in progress on Saturday.
Variations is the second group exhibition to be shown here and features “over 100 works in a wide variety of media, from printmaking and sculpture to painting, photography and textiles”. A selling exhibition, all the works are for sale.
The exhibition space is divided by a central light wood screen construction, almost a studio within a studio. In here, there were a number of paintings reflecting the effects of light. One of Jillian Eldridge’s oil on canvas painting was called just that, Effects of Light. Last light and Georgie Watson was showing Morning Light, Winchelsea. Stephanie Rubin’s sculpture of Skateboard King, Hastings was sharing the space. A really evocative head of a teenager and there is also a portrait of him by the same artist.
On the walls, there are all kinds of different images, like the beautifully rendered small jewel-like paintings showing just one eye of a number of endangered animals: a tiger, a chameleon, to name a couple of Extinction Brooches by Sarah Seymour and at the entrance, A Tale of Two Rivers by Beverley Thornley, a handmade, concertina book of two small contrasting rivers, using materials to make the inks from the materials found in the streams.
Open Studios offered the chance to wander all over the building and look at the studios, talking to the artists and makers in person. It gives an unparalleled opportunity to discover first-hand how the works, from painting and stained glass to textiles and sculpture, are actually conceived, constructed and completed.
Able to go from one studio to another, it was a unique opportunity to talk to all sorts of artist and makers. Caroline Fraser, photographer and book artist, runs courses in bookmaking and Stephanie Rubin talked about her Skateboard King sculpture in the exhibition and explained the processes involved. Her studio had drawings and canework which led on to an exchange of knowledge on canework, though definitely not on sculpture!
Moving on round, Sally Shaw had only had a studio for about six months. Originally a fashion designer and pattern maker, she now uses the pattern shapes abstracted for her colourful and fascinating screen prints. She said how helpful it was to work with other people and learn from them, finding her new studio a real pleasure to work in.
Jillian Eldridge’s space demonstrated her deep interest in conservation, describing herself as ”painter and conservationist”. All kinds of different images presented themselves to the eye in her workspace and conversation ran from grid paintings to a meadow at Newenden.
There were many more fascinating encounters, like Lenka Medlik, artist and author, who was originally a clinical psychologist, and uses printmaking, mixed media and watercolours.
A number of the studio holders emphasised what lovely workspaces they occupied and how helpful the very experienced international artists were, generous of their time and learning. Thinking half an hour would suffice, two hours later and there were still studios to see and people to talk to. Watch out for it next year and get yourself there!
Rye Creative Centre, New Road, Rye, TN31 7LS
Tel: 01797 229797
Variations exhibition: Open until September 25
Monday to Wednesday 10am to 4pm
Thursday to Sunday 10am to 6pm
Image Credits: Kt bruce .