Thousands set to join arts trail
Twyford area: Popular event stretches beyond Henley
More than 10,000 visitors are expected to follow this year’s Henley Arts Trail, a not-for profit initiative that sees members of the public dropping in on artists at work.
Across the May bank holiday weekend, 12 of the 33 locations on the trail map can be found in the Twyford, Charvil, Hurst and
Wargrave areas, with artists exhibiting either in home studios or village halls.
Art enthusiasts will have plenty of opportunities to meet, browse and buy from celebrated local sculptors, designers, artists, makers, potters and painters and pick up tips along the way.
Individual artists such as Charvil’s Esté MacLeod, a painter and print designer and art teacher, enjoy chatting with people about how to draw, choose colours and patterns.
In Charvil art enthusiasts can view 18 artists at work on their individual stalls at the village hall and just nearby drop in to view Heather McAteer’s paintings and drawing.
In Twyford village there are a variety of paintings, fused glass, jewellery, paintings and prints on sale from The Orchard Artists and the Garden Gallery.
Paintings, prints and sculptures can also be discovered at Richard Conway Jones’ ‘The Most Beautiful House in the World plus one’.
In neighbouring Ruscombe, the Fern Gallery will showcase an interesting mix of acrylics, collage, pastels, burlesque costumes and welded garden sculptures and at Wisteria, Sally Castle and two guest artists demonstrate their printmaking and illustration talents.
Over in Whistley Green art author Liz Chaderton and three other artists will showcase paintings, printmaking and sculptures.
Businesses opening up their doors to trailblazers are The Big Plant Nursery, where 14 sculptures of varying sizes and media are on show, including a live mural art by Sion Knight and Sarah Pye, and further up and just off the A4, in Upper Wargrave, you’ll find woodwork artist Steve Hedger and ceramicist Vallari Harshwal at The Coach House at Yeldall Manor.
Just a short drive away, in Waltham St Lawrence, a whole host of ceramicists in the West Forest Potters will be displaying their wares at Neville Hall.
Previous HAT participant Chris Harper of Micklems Farm is not exhibiting this year as the studio he shares with his wife Rose is booked out for one of their 25 classes and workshops, but as HAT’s marketing manager, Chris is very much involved.
He said: “Although it’s called the Henley Arts Trail it extends way down here through Twyford, Hurst and the Walthams. It is incredibly popular, so much so that we’ve thought about expanding it in the past but we don’t want to dissipate what we’ve already got.
“It’s so popular because members of the public can meet the artists at work and take something away from them whether it’s a sculpture, a £50 painting or a printed card. It’s incredibly meaningful to have this experience. And to the artists selling those pieces, they’re never going to make a lot of money out of it, but it’s the pride of having sold a piece and developing their work for an audience.”
Chris said that visitors will be impressed not just by the artwork on show but also by the artists’ stories.
“The artists we’ve got this year are by no means insignificant people.
“To mention just a few: there’s Sally Castle, who does lino prints and illustrations for publishers; Wargrave’s Shelagh Casebourne was a former finalist of Sky TV’s Landscape Artist of the Year; Esté MacLeod has a huge social media following and jeweller Marianne McCaughey is an international geologist.
This year’s HAT is free to enjoy and at some of the locations refreshments are served.
The other 21 locations can be found on the map and take in areas such as Henley-on-Thames, Shiplake and Sonning Common.
HAT runs across Saturday April 29, Sunday, April 30 and Monday, May 1.
Visit henleyartstrail.com