The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Visual delights:
Pittenweem Arts Fest
The Pittenweem Arts Festival, a celebration of the visual arts taking place in galleries, homes, studios and other venues throughout the picturesque East Neuk fishing village, begins tomorrow.
Pittenweem is home to around 30 artists and craft designers and the festival was founded in 1982 by several of these resident artists.
Over the past 35 years, it has grown to include around 100 artists and makers from all over Britain who exhibit in houses, studios, galleries and public spaces throughout the village.
The idea is that to view art in these surroundings makes a refreshing comparison to the constraints of conventional galleries.
This area of Fife’s coastline is renowned as a painters’ paradise, with the wide vista of sea and sky contrasting with the close knit cottages and steep stone wynds going down to the harbour. It’s a beautiful area to explore.
Across nine days, 25,000 visitors will enjoy a wide variety of exhibitions, workshops, talks, children’s events and evening performances, all related to the arts. Visitors can meet the artists, listen to free talks or just stroll around the streets and wynds and pop in to any venue that takes the fancy.
Organiser Jean Duncan says: “2017 is the festival’s 35th year and the sense of anticipation as we prepare to launch is as strong as ever.
“Although a festival is a year in the planning it only comes alive when our first visitors arrive, and that’s when I feel a surge of excitement and a sense of relief!”
Headlining the event are our three invited artists. “Graham Rich, whose iconic boat symbol is carved into wooden remnants of maritime life, encapsulates the evocative power of the sea in Crossing Day’s Ledge,” says Jean.
“Anna S. King brings her sculptural weaving, textiles and words in a celebratory return to Pittenweem after nine years with her exhibition See Saw Sea.
“Paul Furneaux works with Mokuhanga, Japanese watercolour woodblock printing. The papers are wrapped around wooden wall forms in an inter-play of shape and colour,” she adds.
And that’s not all – the festival is delighted to welcome 120 other artists who exhibit throughout the village, many giving free talks.
Venues are varied, from houses to halls, net lofts to harbour offices and a new outpost for 2017 is a vast industrial building, Ovenstone 109 which hosts a dozen artists.
“Our stewarded car park makes parking easy and the festival brochure is a complete guide for planning your festival visit,” says Jean.