All set for this year’s studios
East Perthshire artists ready to showcase work
Talented artists and crafts people from across East Perthshire are gearing up to take part in this year’s Perthshire Open Studios.
The nine-day showcase, which is now in its ninth year, gets underway on Saturday, September 3 and runs until Sunday, September 11.
As part of the popular event, artists, makers and creators throughout the region will open their studios and workshops to members of the public, showcasing their work, with many offering demonstrations as well.
Across Perthshire, this year’s event sees over 300 artists exhibiting in 139 studios, workshops and galleries, with suggested coloured routes detailed in the Open Studios brochure to help art lovers find their way around the region.
Participating artists in the east Perthshire area are featured on the ‘orange route’ which encompasses Blairgowrie, Alyth, Kirkmichael and Dunkeld, and the ‘lime route’ which includes Coupar Angus and Meigle.
On the local routes there are a range of painters, printers, sculptors, toymakers, wood carvers, potters, fused and stained glass, willow weavers, stone carvers, textile artists, silversmiths and jewellery makers taking part.
Artists include Andrew Hunter, Trevor Taylor, Michelle Hewitt, Jonathan Mitchell, Lesley Garside, Momentum Pottery, Alison Bowman, Barry McFarlane, Sarah Cave, Elly Peacock, Katy Hurns and Fanny Lam Christie while venues include the Kirkmichael Session House, the Wee House of Glenshee and Quarto Press.
And a number of the artists who feature on the orange route are also taking part in a special preview event at Blairgowrie’s new arts and crafts venue, Create@NEST.
The preview event takes place on Saturday, August 20 from 2pm until 4pm and will provide an opportunity to meet and talk to the artists about their work.
Some of the artists who will be talking about their work include ceramicist Diana Hunter, graphic designer Andrew Hunter, silversmith and jeweller Sarah Cave, knitter and felter Rhona Kirkpatrick, printmaker and painter Cornelia Weinmann who is representing the group SEVEN at Venue 20, the village hall in Spittalfield, and artists from Creative8 at Venue 14, Create @ Nest.
Artists taking part in the Rattray Art Festival, which takes place the weekend before, are also exhibiting as part of Perthshire Open Studios.
The small group of artists and craft makers who have previously exhibited at the two day Rattray Art Festival will be showcasing wildlife and landscape painting, wooden toys, exquisite glass, quirky ceramics and various other hand crafts at a unique venue over looking Davie Park, Bein A’Ghlo on Braes Road in Rattray.
There is also a showcase exhibition at The Bield in Blackruthven on the outskirts of Perth, which will be open daily from August 27 until September 11 and which features the work of many of the participating artists.
The different routes detailed in the Perthshire Open Studios brochure also include information on a number of cafes and other eateries along the way to encourage visitors to the studios and galleries to make the most of their day out in the inspiratonal surroundings of Perthshire.
Perthshire Open Studios brochures are available at VisitScotland Information Centres, Co-op shops and other local businesses and shops.
Further information is also available on the website www. perthshireopenstudios.com