ingénu/e 29, autumn 2020

ingénu/e creative

talent revealed south downs and high weald : issue 29: autumn 2020

A creative renaissance begins... aesthetics in real life run parallel with the digital universe

ingénu/e

creative talent revealed contents

Greetings dear readers, and welcome to our Autumn online edition of ingenue magazine!

Well what a year – who thought it would all be over by now and that we'd be back to some kind of normal? Certainly I did. There's so much that could be said about how this year has affected us all in so many different ways. Those who have found the resilience to rally and turn the situation into a positive are a beacon of hope for those who have found it more difficult. In the following pages you will see many examples of such resilience and 'blue sky thinking'.

Meanwhile let me share these inspiring words by poet Michael Sherman, written at the start of the lockdown...

WHEN THIS IS ALL OVER!

When this is all over I will sigh a long sigh and say Thank You to someone, I don’t know who. I shall wonder afresh who made everything. If I look carefully I shall see things I never saw before that were always there despite me not seeing.

When this is all over I shall look at things more carefully and cherish them slowly before rushing on. I shall look at the pattern on my carpet and wonder whose hand drew it, what their favourite food was, whether they preferred Bach to the Beatles. If they had a cat what type it would be.

editor Gill Kaye editor@ingenuemagazine.co.uk for press releases pressdesk@ingenuemagazine.co.uk sales & marketing Roger Kaye sales@ingenuemagazine.co.uk 07583 944546 07816 838694 online www.ingenuemagazine.co.uk and big thanks to 2 Way Communcations for their invaluable

Trumpet Marine Quartet from 'Introducing the Trumpet Marine', Brighton Early Music Festival (see page 39). The players are: (from left to right) Jean Kelly, Clare Salaman (director of the ensemble), Sam Stadlen, Reiko Ichise. The trumpet marine is a rare 17th century instrument; the quartet was specially commissioned by Clare Salaman of The Society of Strange and Ancient Instruments. Photo by Ruth Keating

"if it's not in ingénu/e ...it's

When this is all over I shall appreciate the infinite wonder in a bowl of porridge. How could I have missed it all before? I shall like things I always took for granted before. I shall ask myself how many people it takes to imagine, invent, engineer, design, redesign, check, convince, plan, mass produce, assemble, package and distribute my not-so-simple Oyster Card.

When this is all over I will read books and wonder what the author had for breakfast when this page was written, whether they had to let the dog out to bark at squirrels, whether they had a package delivered, or suddenly noticed that their tulips were dropping their petals.

When this is all over I will make a weather-proof sign saying Thank You and stick it on my wheelie bin. I am practising my new smile now so that I can give it to lots of people who don’t know me. I shall be grateful that ‘lockdown’ has made me more familiar with all the things I stuffed in my house and hardly knew I had.

When this is all over I will remember how beautiful roads were when there were hardly any cars on them. I will wonder who the people are who run the traffic lights. How many lorries are delivering food, medical supplies, oxygen, toys and bathmats right now. I shall gaze at the dust in a sunbeam and wonder who is passing by today.

When this is all over I will count my steps as I walk and be thankful that these are steps I might have been robbed of by something as simple sounding as a pandemic. Trees and flowers will be my special friends. Birdsong will be my best music. And rolling blue skies will make me look up and keep saying Thank You.

©Michael Sherman 04/2020

Café Artisan, Shoreham

The art of eating healthily –whatever the meal

Located in the heart of Shoreham-by-Sea, a twominute walk from the River Adur and the high street, Cafe Artisan combines shabby chic decor with art and live performance as a backdrop to the art of eating healthily.

The café was transformed a few years ago from a small nondescript building into a beautifully spacious, fully functioning café. They offer a great selection of vegan and gluten free food and an extensive salad bar as well as some classic breakfast options. They specialise in afternoon tea and always have a good selection of cakes and pastries to choose from – apple and rhubarb scones, anyone?

But that’s not all! There is fine art displayed all around the café by Shoreham artists from West Street Loft Studios and the café hopes to hosts various regular live music and other events again as soon as possible.

ingénue has visited Café Artisan many times and found it most endearing, the café having a creative spirit along with its culinary aspirations. Besides exhibiting art on the walls, the café’s table arrangements are made from ex-scaffolding boards and some have a depression mounted into the table top in which local jewellers can exhibit their work.

The café is run by West Street Loft and it has a similar feel; slightly bohemian with a relaxed friendly vibe, community oriented and enthusiastic about supporting local artists. Well worth a visit – an ideal place for a bit of R&R while out shopping, especially as we're heading for the Christmas shopping season.

Café Artisan, 2 Tarmount Lane, Shoreham-by-Sea, BN43 6DA. Telephone 07970 377046 or for more details visit www.facebook.com/artisancafeshoreham.

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visual arts contemporary crafts

As some of you will know, our autumn issue covers October to December and traditionally has as its lead feature ‘The Art of Giving’, which showcases the work of local artists as creative gift ideas for readers.

Due to the covid-19 situation, the magazine, like so many small businesses, has had to readjust so we have combined the Visual Arts and Contemporary Crafts features to create this issue’s lead feature.

And so here is a feast of creativity for you to savour, bearing in mind that most of what follows would make beautiful Christmas presents for your loved ones. Enjoy!

Susie Olford painter of moods

A year to remember, a year we’ll never forget; hitting all genres of The Arts.

As a painter working in studio or en plein air it has been a peaceful, productive six months since April. Wonderful weather, so much light, a delight working outside with oils. It has been too warm for acrylic paints so my oils have been the favoured choice. I’ve painted warm skies – no grey skies on canvas this summer.

The grey skies have been the lost Art Exhibitions and Trails, meeting new colleagues, greeting old friends, the buzz of an Art Trail – all in the memory of 2019.

From the early days of spring lockdown, through a sizzling summer, into autumn and worrying winter, we artists soldier on working alone in our studios. It’s strange not sharing ideas with other artists, strange not welcoming visitors, listening to reactions about our work. Hope fades of a real 2020 exhibition.

But I’m never despondent, bright skies will dawn on a wonderful 2021 and ‘Live’ Art Trails will return. As always my Chichester Art Trail venue in May will be Flansham PO22 8NJ (between Littlehampton and Bognor).

Websites are not for me; I prefer personal viewing of my work – enjoy my lockdown view of the beach. The Little Art Gallery in West Wittering has a few pieces of my work. Otherwise email smoart@btinternet.com.

Susie Olford, 6am on the Beach, oil on canvas

Chalk Gallery this Autumn

visual arts & contemporary crafts

An exciting new exhibition began at Chalk Gallery in Lewes on 3rd September and continues until 1st November.

We are delighted to have two amazing guest artists to join us: Frances Knight and David Meeking. Also in this exhibition, in memory of our wonderful friend and Chalk member Susan Lynch, we displayed her last painting 'Swansong' and it took centre stage in our mixed window display until 20th September. Also coming up later in the exhibition, don’t miss our featured artists Lindsey Pearson with her latest ink and watercolour paintings followed by Gina Lelliott’s glistening 2D and 3D glass artworks.

After a complete change of exhibition w/c 2nd November we re-open on Thursday 6th November with our last featured artist of 2020, Eva Wibberley and her fabulous new paintings.

We are delighted to now be publishing a gallery blog in which we find out more about our featured artists in our Artistto-Artist interviews, demonstrations, topical features and opinion. A link to our latest blogs appears in the gallery 3-weekly newsletter, so do sign up to our mailing list if you don’t receive it already.

For ingénu/e readers who may not have spotted already, Chalk Gallery now has a wonderful new online shop which has proved to be both a popular and convenient way of browsing artworks 24/7 since it was launched in July, and new this Autumn we launch our new gift section for lots of original gift ideas from our artists for £75 or less.

The gallery’s opening hours are Thursday through to Sunday 11am to 4pm (closed Monday to Wednesday) while our new online shop is open 24/7 and you can also keep in touch with our latest artworks and daily news on Chalk Gallery’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.

Visit www.chalkgallerylewes.co.uk for more information.

pictured from top – column 1: Sue Collins, Fern Fantasy, mixed media; Gina Lelliott, Melody, fused glass; Gabrielle Lord, Dancer with Red Hair, acrylic on board; col 2: Eva Wibberley, Forever and a Day, oil on paper; Diane Bailey, Together Again, acrylic on board; Lyndsey Smith, Early Start Smithfield, pen & watercolour; col 3: Nicola Colbran, Barn Owl in Flight, watercolour; Lindsey Pearson, Water’s Edge, watercolour; Yolande Beer, Decorative Figure Dish; Janice Thurston, Lockdown View Three Cornered Copse, Oil; col 4: Jane Bridger, Raku Bat Pot; Joan Wilkes, Funky Breakfast, card print and paint; above: Claudia Wiegand, Saturn, fused glass sculpture; below: Nichola Campbell, Theatre at Daybreak, ink on wood panel.

www.artspringgallery.co.uk

www.cranbrookartshow.org.uk

contemporary gallery space between city and sea showcasing original work by local artists

We are delighted to be open again and look forward to seeing more of our regular customers and meet more new ones looking for a special piece of artwork for their homes. Please check website for opening times

We also have on display at all times a selection of ceramics | enamels | jewellery | glassware | cards and so much more

Rookwood Road, West Wittering, PO20 8LT | 01243 512218 for updates & info visit: www.thelittleartgallery.online

www.kentpaintersgroup.co.uk

Karen Ongley-Snook

Carolyn Bates

Katherine Bowra

Linda Foskett

visual arts & contemporary crafts

the little art gallery

The little art gallery at West Wittering has been opening for two days a week and offering appointments at other times. We are pleased to say that we are now open for more days (covid-19 measures in place) also still offering appointments.

As a gallery we usually have a series of exhibitions throughout the year, however these are strange times. Rather than limit the range of our many artists, we have a variety of work on show to suit all tastes and price ranges in the main room. The smaller room which is no longer open to the public is home to extra work from our artists which we bring out as requested.

When making an appointment to visit the gallery outside our normal opening times, to give you the best customer service, please let us know what sort of art works/artists and price range you are looking for. We can then set out works specific to your requests.

Karen Ongley-Snook and Linda Foskett, as part of the gallery, always have their own work available. Karen is happy to accept commissions for her garden pieces.

Cranbrook Art Show

A heartfelt message

November 2020 would have been the 28th year of the Cranbrook Art Show at the Vestry Hall in the town.

It is with great regret and after much consideration that the committee of the Cranbrook Art Show decided to cancel this year. But great creativity will always shine through the darkest of times. We look forward to receiving artist submissions from next May and returning in 2021 with a spectacular Art Show.

Please find us on www.cranbrookartshow.org.uk and on social media.

For opening times, information of new artists please check www.thelittleartgallery.online or you can email us directly at info@thelittleartgallery.online, or call 01243 512218.

top: Linda Foskett outside gallery; inset: Karen Ongley-Snook below: At Cranbrook Art Show

Kent Painters Group 30th anniversary exhibition

Going virtual for one month

30th October to 30th November

KPG’s 30th anniversary celebrations which would have been this year will extend into 2021 when it is hoped a face to face exhibition will be possible once again.

Meanwhile, KPG have decided to continue to support not only their acclaimed artists and sculptors but also their three mental health charities: Sevenoaks Mencap, Rethink Mental Illness and The Friends of Dartford Road (previously MacIntyre), by moving the exhibition to a virtual forum.

The public will then be able to liaise directly with the artist through the link to the artist’s contact details on the KPG website. They can then discuss the work or go along and see it in person. The sale will be between the artist and the individual, however, with KPG being able to donate 20% of the sale to the chosen charities.

Instructions for viewing the on-line exhibition

1. Go to https://kentpaintersgroup.co.uk/

2. Select the 'Artists' page from the menu found at the top of the page

3. Click on the artist you wish to view

4. Each artist has examples of the work available on their page, including medium, dimensions and price. If you would like to find out more about a piece of art; please contact the artist and they will organise for you to view, purchase or receive the work

5. Make sure you mention 'KPG' please. Visit www.kentpaintersgroup.co.uk for more information.

from top: Anna Towner, The Trapeze Artist, oil on linen; Libbi Gooch, Scattering Seeds, oil on canvas; Carole Robson, Red Sun, digital mixed media; Felicity Flutter, Translucent, watercolour and graphite pencil

visual arts & contemporary crafts

PURE presents ART360

An exciting opportunity for artists worldwide to get visible on digital, showcase their artwork and connect directly with people who buy art and galleries who sell art.

Based on artists open studios, Pure ART360 is a brand new digital event concept developed during lockdown. Launched September 2020, it showcased 71 artists and delivered 30 live broadcasts from Artists' Studios around the world, one per day throughout September.

Delivered dynamically online via Crowdcast, social media and the ISSUU digital magazine platform, the first edition launched with an online private view on 31st August.

Go to www.pureartsgroup.co.uk/ART360_Artists to see the participating artists, and to view all of the broadcasts visit www.pureartsgroup.co.uk/Watch_ART360

Join Our Tribe

Potential is the possibility we all have within us to perform to our maximum capability.

It would be amazing if you could click your fingers and release your full potential in seconds, but the reality is that if you want to unlock the door to your personal excellence, this takes consideration, effort and decisive steps towards self-development. Developing the right mind-set and motivation to take action is the key to success.

Pure has been supporting the creative community in unlocking their full potential since 2009. We have a proven track record in being: Strategic • Practical • Transparent & Honest • Optimistic • Inspirational.

Do you want to make a conscious effort to develop yourself and unleash your true potential? If you do, we are your people! We will support you in making the right choices to develop yourself and sidestep self sabotage. We will provide you with opportunities to get involved and take action. Join us at https://www.pureartsgroup.co.uk/Join-the-club

Facebook: pureartsgroupuk

Instagram: pureartsgroup

top: Carole Robson's page in the Pure digital magazine; above: Richard Heys, one of the Art360 artists

Towner Art Gallery in Eastbourne

Two exciting upcoming exhibitions

Eastbourne’s Towner gallery has announced two new exhibitions running from autumn 2020 and into the New Year. Towner International is a new biennial exhibition of contemporary art that will take place for the first time at Towner from 6th October 2020 to 10th January 2021. And running concurrently is Art, Life and Us: Christine Binnie, Jennifer Binnie and the Towner Collection from 19th September 2020 to 16th May 2021.

Towner International

Following an open call, 24 artists have been selected by an esteemed panel including Polly Staple (Director of Collections, British Art, Tate), Turner Prize nominated artist Mike Nelson, and Noelle Collins (Curator, Towner Eastbourne).

The exhibition features artists living and making locally in Sussex, Kent and Hampshire, as well as those working and exhibiting nationally and internationally. The Brewers Award of £10,000, sponsored by Brewers Decorator Centres, will be given to one of the exhibiting artists along with mentoring from the Towner team.

Towner International hopes to address how artistic communities are recording and responding to the economic, political, cultural, and environmental changes that are unfolding across the world today.

These themes will be explored through work in a range of mediums from photography and moving image to sculpture, installation, ceramics, painting and print. Video works reflecting on the geo-political situation in Iraq and textiles reworking ideas of colonial photography will sit alongside reflections on diasporic cultural displacement, memory, trauma,

environmental destruction and devastation. Notions of identity, community, collaboration and time are also threaded through Towner International, addressing these themes from both a global and domestic socio-political viewpoint.

Exhibiting artists are Adam Chodzko, Ailbhe Ní Bhriain, Alexi Marshall, Arpita Shah, Ayo Akingbade, Benedict Drew, Carla Wright, Ian Land, Jack Shearing, Joe Packer, Jonathan Baldock, Julia Crabtree and William Evans, Maeve Brennan, Marianne Fahmy, Mohammed Sami, Mu-Tien Tammy Ho, Omar Vega Macotela, Paul Becker, Rita Evans, Ryan Orme, Saskia Olde Wolbers, Sherko Abbas and Stuart Middleton.

Ten artists have been chosen from the regions of Sussex, Kent and Hampshire, ten from elsewhere across the UK and four from international locations.

Art, Life and Us: Christine Binnie, Jennifer Binnie and the Towner Collection

This autumn, Towner will present the first exhibition curated by artists both drawn together from and inspired by works in the Towner Collection. Art, Life and Us curated by Christine Binnie and Jennifer Binnie, will guide the visitor on a journey that will reflect on and embrace our place in this changing world.

The two artists have chosen a selection of works that explore themes of nature, the body, and the meaning and cycles of life from the 5000 works in Towner’s Collection. These pieces will intertwine with new artworks and interventions by the Binnies, including ceramics and objects arranged to reflect the artists’ personal collections, a moving image

visual arts & contemporary crafts

installation comprising woodland materials set amongst painted wall murals which will weave their way in between the Collection works also on display.

Collection artists to be exhibited include those representing strength in the female form, from Phelan Gibb and Leon Underwood to Paule Vezelay and Joy Griffith. These will be juxtaposed with downland and coastal paintings by Sir Alfred James Munnings and Harold Mockford, among others, whilst images of rich green glades by Duncan Grant will sit side by side with Henri Gaudier-Brzeska’s sleeping fawn and Chris Drury’s bronze crow sitting upon a fence post.

Christine and Jennifer are sisters who make work together but also have their own independent practices. They have a long-standing connection with the Eastbourne area and grew up in Wannock, spending their formative years attending Eastbourne College of Art and Design which firmly established their identities as artists. Along with Wilma Johnson, the artists are founding members of The Neo Naturists, a performance art collective which evolved in the early 1980s in London. They have exhibited nationally and internationally and have collaborated with artists including Grayson Perry, Cerith Wyn Evans and Michael Clark, as well as having previous exhibitions and projects in Sussex.

Both Christine and Jennifer have developed a strong connection to the rural and downland landscape which has

influenced their work in performance art and pottery (Christine) and painting (Jennifer). Drawing upon Towner’s Collection – firmly rooted in several similar themes to the exhibition including landscape – the artists have made unexpected and abstract connections to the works that they have discovered in Towner’s Art Store. The process has been a reflective and inspiring journey for the artists and will undoubtedly create an astonishingly original exhibition for Towner’s visitors to experience.

Visit www.townereastbourne.org.uk for further information about all exhibitions.

opposite: Ailbhe Ní Bhriain, The Muses bottom: The Binnie Sisters, Art, Life and Us inset: Neo Naturist Cabaret Artistes at Rest 1992

Art Escape ~ Kent artists show their lockdown work

Members of the artist cooperative at ArtSpring Gallery in Tonbridge have been anything but idle during these past few months. This will culminate in an exciting Art Escape exhibition during October when lockdown art by 30 Kent-based artists will be on show in the gallery and also displayed on the gallery website and online shop.

This exhibition allows a validation of all the shared emotions that we have been dealing with in the pandemic. Whether it is an expression of the importance of a certain place in the woods or fields of Kent, or a quiet study of a corner of someone’s home, together we can share, understand, and be stronger as a community as a result of this coming together with a common passion for the importance of art in our daily lives.

Full details and how to book free timedentry tickets for two Private Views on Saturday 3rd & 17th October can be found at www.artspringgallery.co.uk/artescape. 10% of all sales from this exhibition will be donated to the Young Minds UK Charity, which offers coronavirus advice and mental health support to children and young adults.

visual arts & contemporary crafts

For six weeks during October and November ArtSpring will also welcome ceramicist Anne Wagstaff from Tunbridge Wells as a guest artist. Visit the gallery to discover her work in ceramics or browse the online store for a virtual visit.

The gallery’s online presence is being added to continually. In the online shop you can view a more extensive collection than can be displayed in the gallery. There are many pages of fresh and inspiring works to gather ideas for your home, your workspace or to brighten the background for those Zoom calls. In the run up to Christmas, there will also be many gift ideas for friends and family.

There is even more information on what artists do and how they do it in the fascinating 'Art Matters' blogpost. For example, there is a beginner’s guide to how art is created from glass with interesting historical facts as well as showing techniques for making contemporary pieces.

The gallery is open Thursdays to Saturdays from 11 to 4 and other times by appointment. Keep an eye on the website for information on extended opening times and invited guest artists – there is always something happening at ArtSpring Gallery. ArtSpring Gallery, 167 High Street, Tonbridge TN9 1BX. www.artspringgallery.co.uk

opposite page top: Mark Welland, Monoecious Oak Rising Sun II, 32x32cm; opp mid: Kate Towers, Rainbow of Words, 40x40cm; opp bottom: Karen Summers, Joy to Despair, acrylic on canvas, 61x61cm this page top: Ruth McDonald, Botany Bay, acrylic, 61x45cm; above: Sarah de Mattos, Fresh as a Daisy, 76x56cm, oil on paper left: Antonia Enthoven, Déjeuner sous fleur, reduction lino, 25x30cm

visual arts & contemporary crafts

Artist Open Houses

Brighton

& Hove 2020 Winter Festival

Online: 21st November to 31st December

Visit in-person: 5th to 13th December*

The Artists Open Houses (AOH) festival will be a little different this year.

Due to the new national lockdown, the AOH festival will be online 21st November to 31st December. In November we will be an online-only festival, with virtual tours of Open Houses available to view on our website. For the first two weeks of December we hope for a return to normality, when you will be able to visit Open Houses and meet the artists in person.

This year has been like no other and we are all in need some festive cheer; alongside an array of inspirational art, the AOH Festival will deliver the best aspects of both the May and Christmas Festivals offering great art as well as unique, handmade Christmas gifts.

Online ‘Virtual Open Houses’ will include behind-the-scenes video tours round artists’ houses, as well individual online galleries. By browsing the artists’ listings you can hear about their work, the processes of making and the ideas behind it, and you can buy the work directly from the artists and makers. In real or virtual settings, you can buy work directly from

the artists and discover a great range of artworks, ceramics, jewellery and photography, alongside a host of unusual Christmas presents, cards and other gifts, without venturing to the high street.

The Artists Open Houses festival is a community event, encouraging participation from artists at all stages of their careers, from school and college students, through young emergent artists, to established and professional artists and makers. Many charities supporting artists with mental health issues, learning disabilities and older artists in residential care, are also taking part virtually or in person, reflecting their experiences of the last few months through their art.

More than ever this year it is important to support our local artists and makers who help to make Brighton and Hove the vibrant city that it is. Many AOH artists have made good use of the isolation of recent months, finding space to explore new ideas and ways of working. This festival offers a wonderful opportunity to discover online (and, we hope, in person) really exciting, inspiring and distinctive new work, alongside a host of Christmas gifts.

Many Open Houses are providing booking systems so that you can plan your visits in secure environments. All will supply facemasks and hand sanitiser and will follow current government Covid-19 guidelines, including managed social distancing.

*Please visit aoh.org.ok for regular updates.

above: Sophie Wake, ‘Hope’ – Red Brick House; below: 11 Rugby Road

Midhurst Gallery

A treasure trove in the heart of the South Downs National Park

We've been established in the historic and bustling market town of Midhurst since 1981 as an independent retail shop selling fine art and prints, as well as being main suppliers of artists' materials and artists' greetings cards.

Our shop and gallery in Midhurst is fortunate enough to be situated in the heart of the beautiful South Downs National Park with its spectacular and picturesque surroundings which have over the centuries and to this day been a magnet for artists. This wealth of talent has enabled us to present many artworks to you with a local interest. We are tucked away in the old and historic side of the town – you can find us on our website on the Contact Page map, or with a quick search online – we do love visitors!

On our website you can browse and buy from our collection of works from the comfort of your own home. You'll find original fine art including oil paintings, watercolours, drawings and pastels, as well as modern giclee and limited edition prints. We also have a large collection of antique and modern prints and engravings which we are progressively adding on-line, so be sure to keep checking back!

www.midhurstgallery.co.uk

pastel study by Paul Masset

Henfield’s Gallery bn5

Gallery BN5 is an artist-run gallery in Henfield High Street, it hosts many artists from Sussex and is led by glass artist Nina Smith and painter Esther Newnham-Brown.

They are pleased to announce that they have reopened in line with all Government guidelines. However opening hours are reduced to 10.00am to 2.00pm Tuesday to Saturdays.

The line-up for October looks sumptuous, with lots of exciting new exhibits and over twenty artists displaying their work in the gallery. The wide variety of work includes paintings, glasswork, photography, jewellery, woodwork, ceramics, textiles, printmaking, sculpture and cards.

One of the artists has also made some colourful facemasks, with proceeds going to the wonderful Medical Detection Dogs.

One of the artists is always on duty in the gallery, so you are guaranteed a warm welcome. They look

forward to seeing you soon! Visit www.gallerybn5.co.uk for more information about the gallery and exhibitors, and you can also follow them on Facebook.

above left: Chris Weedon, ceramics; above: Alison Crowe Jewellery, silver dragonflies; left: Maggie Knight, Sea Scene

50th anniversary of The Last Great Event

The Wight Spirit Mosaic

The Wight Spirit Mosaic by sculptor Guy Portelli is created to represent the 1968, 1969 & 1970 Isle of Wight Festivals.

It has been created from the handprints of musicians who played at those Festivals. This year is the 50th Anniversary of the 1970 Festival, also known as The Last Great Event.

The mosaic hands have been individually created according to each musician's requirements or suggestions, or from research done on the band or person. The musicians range from three surviving members of Jefferson Airplane who played in 1968 – the first festival – to Kris Kristofferson who played in 1970 along with Donovan, Melanie and a host of others.

Musicians were researched, located and then asked to submit a hand tracing in pen, signed and dated, plus an image of them with their tracing and/ or holding it up. This was then used as a template for the mosaic. After it was done the image was sent back to the musician(s) to approve and then placed on the panel. There are over 100 handprints on the panel – one of them is taken from the Roman mosaic at Brading on the Isle of Wight, so it links the old with the new using a technique that goes back hundreds of years.

It is an extraordinary and inspirational piece, particularly as the handprint is man's first way of signing and it is also strangely poignant as in these times we cannot shake hands in the normal introductory way.

The panel can be viewed at Masterpiece Art in Holland Park, visit https://masterpieceart.co.uk. Unlike the rest of the items in the gallery the panel is not for sale, it was more about the making of the sculpture and its vibrancy.

Guy Portelli has a passion for art and music and has long been interested in creating music-related sculpture and he loves working with mosaic on curved surfaces. Visit www.portelli-sculptor.co.uk to see Guy’s work.

top: the Wight Spirit Mosaic; inset: Guy Portelli, photo by Rabah Ichadadene; below: Carmine Appice, from Cactus, with hand tracing; inset: Cactus Mosaic

visual arts & contemporary crafts

Shoreham

Chris Sedgwick, Autumn Beech on the Boundary,

Lino print

For a number of weeks, I worked on a slope that held back a mill pond in Plumpton, sorting out a muchneglected part of a garden. Every time I looked up my eyes met with a line of beech trees their smooth grey bark darkened and streaked with rain water. At their feet piles of leaves banked up in lines along the contours of the slope which changed colour over the weeks. It felt like the perfect autumn piece for my four seasons series.

discipline. You’ll receive a warm welcome from the artist on duty and you can browse both the gallery and sculpture garden seven days a week.

Many of our loyal customers know that they’ll always find something suitable for any occasion, whether they are looking for that special painting as a finishing touch, an anniversary gift or a statement piece such as a garden sculpture. You might feel like treating yourself to a pretty necklace or perhaps want to choose a card to remind a friend that they’re loved, we provide all those things and so much more.

Come rain or shine, the Shoreham Art Gallery has been open to its visitors for well over a decade now Its success is thanks to the artist members who work hard behind the scenes and the people who visit and choose to support this small business.

A few core members have been there from the beginning when in 2009 the gallery was set up in the High Street. We took it over as a collective in June 2011 and moved to Brunswick Road with more space and a larger garden for sculptures.

What has kept the gallery interesting over the years is its ever-changing nature as artists come and go and new work is continually being displayed. Each month also features either a guest artist or a special exhibition put together by one of our own artists, so there’s always something new to see.

We rose to the challenge of keeping a presence during lockdown with a fantastic addition to our website – our online shop. Most artists now have their work represented on the website and it makes buying from us possible even when you’ve returned home from your trip to the seaside. We deliver free of charge locally to BN43 but can also send beautifully wrapped parcels anywhere you wish.

Nothing beats a visit to the gallery in person however so pay us a visit if you can! We are quite unique with such a wide range of artwork by around twenty artists and makers, each established within their own

If you’d like to stay updated on upcoming events and also find out about workshops that some of the artists run, then visit our website and sign up to our monthly newsletter. Do also help us spread the word about our gallery and we’ll be able to keep the doors open for years to come.

A big THANK YOU from Sunny Shoreham for all your support! www.shorehamgallery.co.uk

visual arts & contemporary crafts

Art Gallery

Jose Heasman

Spring Garden, Stained

Glass

This light-catcher was made from many pieces of glass, copper-foiled then soldered together to make a fusion of colour, capturing the essence of nature. My garden was its inspiration, a fusion of sunlight bursting to make its presence.

David Lilly

Marra Mamba Luutia Pendant

Made from pieces of spaghetticast sterling silver that have been combined and soldered together to form a mount for the 45.3ct of Marra Mamba (Australian Tiger Eye). Marra Mamba is extremely old, forming when the Earth was very young and had little to no oxygen in its atmosphere. The most prized of all Tiger Eye.

Amanda Duke, Seed Palm 1, Mixed Media

Seed Palm 1 is number 5 in a series of 6 mixed media collages capturing glimpses and memories caught in Amanda’s visits to Jaipur. Find references to the coconut in this image, which is considered sacred, pure and healthgiving in the Indian culture. There is another reference to the paisley pattern thought to have been a representation of a floral spray combined with a cypress tree, a Zoroastrian symbol of life and eternity.

Slawek

South Downs, photography

Evening in early summer on the South Downs near Worthing, West Sussex. The colour harmony between the vivid greens of the field and the steely skies caught my attention. I went for a slightly longer exposure to intentionally blur the swaying barley and create a more painterly effect.

visual arts & contemporary crafts

We’re GOOD TO GO at the

West End Gallery!

We have been awarded 'Good to Go' accreditation from Visit England because we meet all Government and industry guidelines for the health and safety of visitors to the Gallery.

In these strange times we should not underestimate the power of art to lift the spirits. Our aim at the West End Gallery is to provide a welcome distraction in an uncertain world by showcasing locally-made art at realistic prices in a safe environment where everyone can, hopefully, find something to suit their pocket.

Set in a traditional Victorian corner shop in Worthing’s West End it has been Sarah Sepe’s and Barry Williams’ Contemporary Art Gallery and working studio for the past four years. Covid-19 meant that we had to close our doors in March, but we continued to create new work, sell online and used the time to plan how the Gallery could re-open safely postlockdown. We are fortunate in having two very large windows, so by expanding these display areas visitors are now able to safely browse our range of original artwork from the street and just step into our front entrance to make a purchase.

We re-opened in mid-June and our current displays feature Sarah’s latest fine art prints and bespoke homeware products, Barry’s photography, prints and quirky recycled mixed-media ‘Conversation Pieces’, plus an interesting selection of our unique framed artwork, cards and prints. For the remainder of the summer we also have work by three guest artists: Jo Collard (textiles), Denise Strange (painting) and Mia Revill (mixed media).

Looking towards the end of the year we shall, once again, be inviting guest artists to join us for our Christmas Gallery which we hope to run from late November until Christmas Eve. Celebrating the art of the handmade it will be a great opportunity to find a unique Christmas gift for someone special or a quirky stocking-filler.

Currently our core opening times are Thursday to Saturday 10am-2pm. We plan to have extended opening times and days for our Christmas event.

The West End Gallery, 87 Rowlands Road, Worthing BN11 3JX. Up-to-date information may be found on: www.worthingartstudios.com.

Instagram/facebook: westendgalleryworthing You can contact us at info@worthingartstudios.com.

Until further notice our popular Networking Breakfasts for local artists and art enthusiasts, held on the 7th of every month at Brunswick & Thorn Bistro in Worthing, will not be running.

above: Barry Williams, Worthing Beach People Series, A Conversation Piece; below: Sarah Sepe, Mimosa Gold (detail), unique lino print

visual arts & contemporary crafts

SCREENS4PRINTING

Screens4printing make easy-to-use screens with images already burned on to them to make printing easy.

The extensive library of images include, amongst other things: textures, flora and fauna, vintage imagery and seasonal motifs. So with Christmas coming up there are lots of designs to choose from in a couple of different sizes. The mini screens are perfect for making cards and gift tags, whilst the small screens will quickly cover paper to create your own custom wrapping paper.

If you have your own drawings, or mark making experiments, or computer generated designs, we will produce your custom designs on to a screen so that you can print them over and over again, on fabric, paper, wood, metal, ceramic or glass. Just let us know if you are printing with a particular medium and what the problems might be pushing it through a screen, and we can tailor our screens for your media.

As well as the screens, we provide squeegees and paints/inks for use on fabric or paper, to enable you to get straight on and print with your new screen.

Along with the basic instructions that are included with your screen, the website How To… page has videos to help you get started with printing and with colour mixing.

Bauble & Hoop

Gutsy rings that bring out the magnificence of the wearer

Victoria Lovell is the creator of Bauble & Hoop –the designer and maker of beautiful sterling silver and semi precious stone statement rings.

Sometimes, I get asked if I make any other types of jewellery other than rings. Yes, I can make pendants, earrings and the like, but I choose not too. Even after three years of having a jewellery business of only making rings the fascination and the creative satisfaction has not worn off. Hunting for stones for a special order, working to make a ring just right for a customer or working with unusual setting styles to set off a stone are what makes each piece a unique experience. Everyone is unique, their jewellery should celebrate and reflect their individuality.

I am very happy to take commissions, my lovely customers inspire me all the time. It is wonderful to be trusted to create something unique for someone. If there is a ring you like in my collection, but the size isn’t right for you please let me know and I may be able to resize it for you at no extra charge.

Fabulous rings at www.baubleandhoop.co.uk, Etsy shop: baubleandhoop or Instagram:baubleandhoop.

www.screens4printing.com

info@screens4printing.com

Tel: 07498 680112

Purple Kingman Turquoise with bronze inlay set in sterling silver, hallmarked

visual arts & contemporary crafts

vee pease jewellery

From her studio in the heart of Sussex, jewellery designer Vee Pease creates beautiful jewellery that is lightweight and wearable, with designs that are simple yet stunning.

Inspired by natural forms and designed in sterling silver with semi-precious stones, Vee’s jewellery makes a big statement without being big and overpowering. As well as the leaves, flowers, seeds, pebbles and shells collected on her daily walks on the South Downs or by the sea, carved wood, textiles and mosaics found during her travels in India, Pakistan, Turkey and Morocco all contribute to her creative inspiration, making for a rich palette. Every piece of jewellery Vee creates is unique, even if some designs are similar. Likewise, each stone is a one-off, although pieces can be reproduced using similar stones.

We asked Vee about her passion for her craft.

You come from a family of artists and grew up drawing and painting, what sparked your interest in designing jewellery?

My father made my sister and I a doll’s house when we were little, and our mother made all the furniture. I remember watching these beautiful, miniature

things being created, and then the total joy of playing with them. I’ve always been intrigued by collections of tiny, intricate things, particularly those which you can find outside – tiny shells, pebbles, sea glass, feathers, seed pods. To be able to design and make my own versions of these beautiful treasures always fascinates me.

As well as your extensive range of beautiful pieces you also make jewellery to commission. If someone wants you to make a piece of jewellery for them what kind of information would you be looking for to create the perfect design?

Usually customers come with an idea in their minds so I would always sketch ideas, either in front of them or sent by email, depending on what piece of jewellery they want. If they want gems stones included, we would discuss birth stones and favourite colours.

Vee is hoping to do Brighton Open Houses on the last two weekends in November, and the first two weekends in December. Vee’s work makes exquisite gifts, so be sure to seek her out – she’ll be at Milton House, 72 Clyde Road, Brighton BN1 4NP.

Check out www.vpjewellery.co.uk, or veepease on Instagram to see examples of her work. Get in touch and she’ll make something specially for you.

top: Sterling silver five part hoops earrings; left: Vee Pease in her studio, photo by Jack Pease.

visual arts & contemporary crafts

You have been running popular jewellery-making classes for some years now, has teaching made a difference to how you approach your own work?

Yes. When you're teaching a practical subject – like jewellery, it’s actually all about problem solving. So it does make me re-evaluate and consider how I approach my own work.

You’ve been inspired lately to make a special piece of jewellery – tell us about that.

Each piece that I create in my workshop has a lot of thought that goes into it, but recently someone very close to me was going through a difficult time. I wanted to make something special as a keepsake with a positive message that that was tactile, something they could wear everyday and “feel” the personal message I was sending them. I created a simple silver necklace of different sized rings, each ring had words stamped that when put together, read out a personal mantra. The rings move so the message is continuous.

Visit www.thejewellery-workshop.co.uk to see more of Debbie's work, or you can contact her by email on debbiesmithworkshop@gmail.com.

left: Debbie Smith busy at her bench; below: personalised silver necklace

Debbie Smith maker, designer and teacher of jewellery

Debbie Smith designs and makes enchanting jewellery tucked away in her Sussex workshop, where she also runs successful jewellery making classes.

We dragged her away from her bench to answer these questions.

When did you start making jewellery and what got you started?

l always loved to make things and decided early on that I was going to make either jewellery or ceramics. I didn’t enjoy academic subjects at school, I was always happier in the art room and knew it was the only path for me! When I went on my foundation course I had the chance to work in different mediums and loved working and creating in metal. I was hooked early on!

Where does your inspiration come from?

I get inspiration from all sorts of things. I am really interested in shape, texture and natural pattern. I have an inquisitive mind and am always looking. My ideas normally just evolve in my head and instead of sketching onto paper, I prefer to work three dimensionally so naturally sit at my jewellery bench and work through my ideas in metal, creating as I go.

Chichester Festival Theatre announces new autumn season

The theatre has announced a live, socially distanced season of drama, music, comedy and cabaret at Chichester Festival Theatre, running from late October to early January.

With distinguished names in drama and music alongside ground-breaking contemporary performers, the season includes: Sarah Kane’s Crave, directed by Tinuke Craig, staged in a socially distanced Festival Theatre for ten performances and live streamed to digital audiences • For Christmas, a series of festive concerts to launch the yuletide season, followed by Chichester Festival Youth Theatre in a new version of Pinocchio by Anna Ledwich, directed by Dale Rooks •

Frisky and Mannish, photo by Aemen Sukkar

Michael Ball, Sheila Hancock and Patricia Routledge in conversation with Edward Seckerson • Cabaret and comedy including Frisky and Mannish, The Black Cat Cabaret, Barely Methodical Troupe, Rich Hall, Suzi Ruffell, Russell Kane and Rosie Jones • Music ranging from a celebration of Sondheim with West End stars, to a song recital by Kate Royal, a new concert from Joe Stilgoe and a portrait of Rachmaninoff with Henry Goodman and Lucy Parham.

Artistic Director Daniel Evans and Executive Director Kathy Bourne said: “It’s always a pleasure to welcome audiences to a new Chichester season, but it’s with particular joy that we welcome them to this very special Autumn season, after six long months of our Theatre being dark and empty. In putting together this eclectic mix of drama, music, cabaret and comedy, we hope there is something to entice people of all ages to experience once more the uniquely uplifting exhilaration of live performance.

“We’ve worked long and hard to put all the necessary measures in place for our audiences’ and artists’ health and comfort, and to make their visit covid-safe. While social distancing is in place, we are having to explore other forms of live performance to ensure the Theatre’s future sustainability. For now, we are celebrating that Chichester Festival Theatre’s doors are opening again.” Visit www.cft.org.uk for all details.

Barely Methodical Troupe – Shift

Live theatre is back!!!

THE CAPITOL, Horsham

The Capitol theatre in Horsham is now operating again, not only for cinema fans but also for live theatre. While in lockdown the theatre has had a refurbishment, so is well prepared to receive audiences again and begin to bring marvellous live performances once again to Horsham.

At the moment the first live shows will be Friday 2nd October with Tamar Broadbent’s Songs for the New Normal and two Christmas shows, A Christmas Carol and Santa’s New Sleigh, all in the main house with socially distanced seating.

Tamar Broadbent | Songs For The New Normal Award-winning comedian and songwriter Tamar Broadbent takes to the stage on 2nd October with her latest and greatest collection of comedy songs.

As heard on BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show and Sketchtopia and as seen on Comedy Central Online’s Ones to Watch, Tamar takes you through the madness of the modern world with her catchy, funny story songs about single life in your twenties. From ambition to avocados, Instagram antics to the hangover blues, from dodging hipsters to desperately trying to keep body hair under control... Tamar leaves few subjects left unsung in this jam-packed night of musical joy.

An Evening with Henning Wehn

Saturday 28 November at 7pm

Join the German Comedy Ambassador for an hour of Teutonic jolliness at its best. Expect some old favourites and a smattering of new ideas. The last few months have all been a bit of a palaver.

Matthew Effemey, Operations Manager at The Capitol said “It’s a wonderful opportunity to see Henning Wehn, well known for his TV and radio appearances on BBC1’s 'Have I Got News For You', 'Would I Lie To You', 'Question Time' and for hosting BBC2’s 'Live At The Apollo' at your local venue.”

A Christmas Carol

Various dates and times in December.

This beautiful new adaptation returns to The Capitol this Christmas. After receiving standing ovations and playing to sold out houses in 2019, acclaimed character actors Jack Lane (Wisdom of a Fool & Dad’s Army Radio Show) and David Benson (Goodnight Sweetheart & One Man, Two Guvnors) return with their beautiful staging of A Christmas Carol.

It tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge's path to redemption from greed and selfishness to one of compassion and humanity. A powerful and touching story that will make you question your own generosity of spirit and wealth.

Santa's New Sleigh

Various dates and times in December.

Sprocket and Dibs have a problem! Christmas is fast approaching and Santa’s Sleigh is nowhere to be found. Will Sprocket and Dibs be able to create a new sleigh in time or will Christmas be cancelled? Can you help them save the day?

Only time will tell but with audience participation, sing-a-long songs and a present from Santa for every child it promises to be the perfect festive treat. This show is ideal for children aged 2-8 years.

In order to provide socially distanced seating, tickets for these Christmas shows can only be booked via the Box Office 01403 750220. Visit www.thecapitolhorsham.com for all the information.

top: Refreshed Capitol; inset: Tamar Broadbent

2020/21 Season

BEETHOVEN

MOZART

TCHAIKOVSKY

Marcio da Silva Artistic Director & Principal Conductor

Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra

Now into its fifth season, the re-branded Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra is re-energised and, thanks to generous donations from supporters and a Fairlight Trust grant, aims to present a vibrant series of concerts and recitals for 2020-21. There is no doubt that the performing arts, in losing all opportunities for live performances and suffering a catastrophic decline in income, has been uniquely damaged by the current pandemic.

For Marcio da Silva – Artistic Director of Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra – and his team, lockdown was certainly nerve-wracking. Not only were concerts and rehearsals cancelled for the foreseeable future, but, due to changes in the organisation of music in Hastings, Marcio had to take on the task of setting up the Orchestra as a separate organisation for the first time since its foundation in 2014. This involved finding significant core funding and building a new infrastructure to secure the administrative and financial future of a newly branded Orchestra.

A lesser man might have thrown in the towel, but Marcio has formidable drive and creative energy; having made Hastings his home he is determined to achieve his vision – to put Hastings back on the map as a centre of excellence for classical music. An appeal to his audience-base yielded a heart-warmingly generous response within a week, with many sharing

of the Hastings Philharmonic Choir in 2012.

If we scroll forward a few months we skate over many hours of behind-the-scenes hard work. Marcio admits that, even with the groundswell of support, it hasn’t been an easy ride. Fortunately, he has years of high-class training behind him – in France and Germany and then at the Royal College of Music – but also excels at the management and administrative responsibilities expected of his role. You may have seen the HPO lockdown project ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’ on BBC South today and YouTube. This distinctive arrangement by Marcio, dedicated to NHS and key workers and played by HPO musicians digitally alongside players from Brazil, encapsulated Marcio’s determination to fight to keep music going through the challenge of the pandemic.

And this is what Marcio seems to have achieved. Working with the new management network at HPO, he has put together a first-rate season for 2020-21; song recitals and string trios, choral and orchestral concerts, opera performances and even an outdoor concert in Alexandra Park – free of charge. Brochures are out and risk assessments are in place to ensure Covid-secure events. Hats off to the man!

Check online and go along and enjoy the music!

warm words of gratitude for all he has done to develop classical music in the area since he became conductor

Marcio da Silva, photo by Peter Mould

the picture house uckfield

It’s certainly been a tough few months but the Uckfield Picture House are pleased to be welcoming customers safely back to the Cinema and Restaurant.

The restaurant has a delicious new autumn menu which is also available to click and collect (see below right), so as well as relaxing over a tasty meal in our safe restaurant you can enjoy great food at home.

During our closure through the lockdown we had time to improve our Picture House membership with the introduction of our new ticketing system. This enables us to really get to know our members and provide a truly individual service, plus we have introduced our new Gold Ultimate Membership, two film tickets, any day, anytime, all the time plus much more (see panel on opposite page). Perfect for the coming winter evenings.

Coming soon to the cinema are David Attenborough's 'A Life on Our Planet' and 'Death on the Nile', starring and directed by Kenneth Branagh, both of them 'not-to-be-missed' features. Keep an eye on our website and social media for details.

Tables for the restaurant are best booked online. We appreciate the ongoing support of our members and urge everyone to please support all your local independent businesses during this difficult time. www.picturehouseuckfield.com

Coastal Music presents MINISTRY OF SOUND CLASSICAL

De La Warr Pavilion

Friday 26th November 2021 7pm

Ministry of Sound. Three words which have had a vast impact on so many worldwide.

The club, which shaped, defined and set the ultimate standard for a generation of music lovers. The record label, which redefined the compilation album, with its all-conquering ‘The Annual’ series – outselling artist albums and making the DJ mix album a

mainstream art form. The sound system, around which the club was designed and still regarded as the benchmark to which all other venues aspire.

And now, at the pinnacle of the orchestral dance concepts which have swept club land in recent years, comes… Ministry of Sound Classical, with special guest DJ and host Danny Rampling. This breathtaking event is Ministry of Sound’s first ever fully produced classical music show. Alongside the orchestra there will be special guest live vocalists and a performance from DJ Danny Rampling – one of the original founders of the UK’s rave / club scene. All this against a backdrop of large screen visuals, lights, lasers, special effects and a live-scored documentary featuring Judge Jules, Paul Oakenfold, Brandon Block and key Ministry of Sound players including Justin Berkmann and Lohan Presencer.

Expect to hear iconic club favourites as the show spans chart-topping albums with huge tracks getting a never heard before classical remake, such as: Faithless – Insomnia; The Chemical Brothers – Hey Boy Hey Girl; Darude – Sandstorm; Fatboy Slim – Right Here, Right Now; Moloko – Sing It Back and many more.

Visit www.coastalevents.co.uk or www.dlwp.com, for full details and please check with the theatre before booking that performances are going ahead.

AN ONLINE FESTIVAL OF BEETHOVEN’S SYMPHONIC & CHAMBER MUSIC

IN THE 250 TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR OF HIS BIRTH

BEETHOVEN CHAMBER MUSIC THE HANOVER BAND CHAMBER ENSEMBLE

Wed 23 September 20.00 Septet Op.20

CONSONE QUARTET

Wed 30 September 20.00

String Quartet Op.18 No. 1 & 3

Wed 7 October 20.00

String Quartet Op.18 No. 2 & 6

Wed 14 October 20.00

String Quartet Op.18 No. 5 & 4

BEETHOVEN SYMPHONIES THE HANOVER BAND

Directed by BENJAMIN BAYL Leader Jorge Jimenez

Wed 21 October 20.00

Symphony No. 1 Op.21

Wed 28 October 20.00

Symphony No. 2 Op.36

Wed 4 November 20.00

Symphony No. 3 Op.55 ‘Eroica’

Wed 11 November 20.00

Symphony No. 4 Op.60

Wed 18 November 20.00

Symphony No. 5 Op.67

Wed 25 November 20.00

Symphony No. 6 Op.68 ‘Pastoral’

Wed 2 December 20.00

Symphony No. 7 Op.92

Wed 9 December 20.00

Symphony No. 8 Op.93

Wed 16 December 20.00

Symphony No. 9 Op.125 ‘Choral’

festivals – live streaming to the rescue

Kudos goes to the Petworth Festival, Brighton Early Music Festival, Harp on Wight International Festival and the Tenterden Folk Festival for their innovative use of live streaming technology to bring us online versions of their festivals.

And a special mention goes to The Hanover Band along with the Consone Quartet, who have an online festival throughout autumn of Beethoven’s Symphonic and Chamber Music to celebrate the 250th anniversary year of the great man’s birth, and to mark Hanover Band's 40th year.

We must also mention the Observatory Science Centre in Herstmonceux, who recently held their 2020 Astronomy Festival online.

Interestingly, this concept will probably give festivals a much wider audience, as the performances are available to watch worldwide. It gives one pause for thought. When live performances begin again, perhaps streaming live should also be included? The amount of views could actually be, forgive the pun, astronomical!

Beethoven 250

An online festival of Beethoven’s symphonic and chamber music

September to December 2020

Brought to you by The Hanover Band & Consone Quartet to mark Beethoven’s 250th anniversary. In this their 40th year, the Hanover Band has gone

digital with an online festival of Beethoven Symphonies and iconic Chamber Music. In addition, the quartet in residence, The Consone Quartet, have come together with The Hanover Band Chamber Ensemble to bring you a series of Beethoven’s Septet and the Opus 18 String Quartets. The festival will be broadcast online September to December 2020 on Wednesday evenings weekly at 8pm.

Recorded during these unprecedented times at Stationers’ Hall in the City of London and the orchestra’s home in Arundel in West Sussex, during August and September 2020, the series celebrates the orchestra’s 40th anniversary year and Beethoven’s 250th Birthday. The recording venues have been chosen because of their size and similarity to venues Beethoven would have expected his music to be played in, with more intimate audiences, rather than the vast concert halls of today.

The series culminates with Beethoven’s famous 9th (Choral) Symphony on the composer’s actual birthday, Wednesday 16th December, featuring The Hanover Band Chorus and including the wellknown ‘Ode to Joy’.

The festival is not charging for viewing online but would ask for your support through making a donation. The Lord Mayor of London, Alderman William Russell, calls it “an imaginative city salute to Beethoven’s 250th birthday”.

Visit https://thehanoverband.com/beethoven250

The Consone Quartet

Brighton Early Music Festival

BREMF@home – Across the Earth 23rd October to 1st November 2020

How refreshing to see that the Brighton Early Music Festival is going digital this year, with a series of broadcast events this autumn combining early and traditional music with film.

Filming is currently underway for ten events, to be broadcast across the weekends of 23rd to 25th October and 30th October to 1st November on the Festival’s YouTube and Facebook channels. The films will be available to watch online for a week after the first broadcast, giving viewers plenty of time to catch up at a convenient time.

Part of Brighton’s cultural scene since 2002, BREMF regularly presents music covering 1000 years of human history – from the middle ages to the early 19th century. This year’s Festival covers an even greater time range, including music from ancient Egypt right up to Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony of 1808.

By going online, the Festival is looking forward to appealing to a wider audience both in Brighton & Hove and further afield, including people who find it difficult to get out to live events in person. Artistic Director Deborah Roberts says: “The current covid-19 pandemic has forced us to rethink how we can best present the Festival this year. Given current global uncertainty, we have decided to develop a fully digital Festival, with programmes merging musical performance with film, images, animation and documentary presentation –much more than filmed concerts. We can’t wait!”

In many cases filming for the events is taking place in Sussex, and there will be plenty of opportunities to spot your favourite parts of the Sussex countryside in the final films.

BREMF@home programmes will include events suitable for families such as a music and puppetry tale Birds, Bugs and other Beasts; chamber-sized versions of

Sam Stadlen with trumpet marine Event 6: Introducing the Trumpet Marine; The Society of Strange and Ancient Instruments

Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony and Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture, the latter complete with newly-commissioned animation; medieval songs of protest from Joglaresa; and Bird Charmer – a collaboration with Sussex Wildlife Trust exploring birdsong in music. The online Festival’s finale will be The Four Faces of Gaia – a multimedia film featuring music and dance from Africa, India, the Middle East and Europe in celebration of our beautiful world.

Deborah continues: “Although the programmes will be freely available, we are asking viewers to consider making a small donation in place of buying concert tickets in the normal way. This source of income is vital to our continuing operation, as most of the funding bodies on which we usually rely have diverted funds to emergency aid during the COVID-19 crisis.”

See further details and the full listing of events at www.bremf.org.uk.

Din Ghani. Event 9: Sweet Ayres of Arcadia; Musicke in the Ayre

Defying the odds –The 2020 Petworth Festival Autumn Special

Friday 16th October to Sunday 1st November

Filmed in Petworth and streamed via www.petworthfestival.org.uk

Against all the odds, the Petworth Festival has come up with a stellar line up of performers and authors for the 2020 Petworth Festival Autumn Special.

As with practically all similar events the annual summer festival was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the Petworth team has worked incredibly hard to be able to deliver a fortnight of events that showcases the best of what was due to be a stunning summer festival, together with a strikingly high profile sequence of literary events as the Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary literary week.

With a series of performance headliners including classical music’s new superstars, Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason, internationally feted guitarist MILOŠ, and one of the world’s finest classical pianists, Mitsuko Uchida, the literary line up is similarly heavy weight. Headliners including top novelists William Boyd, Joanna Trollope and Anthony Horowitz, as well as acclaimed children’s author Michael Morpurgo and – squaring the circle – the mother of the illustrious Kanneh-Mason family, Kadiatu, who tells the story of her seven astonishing children.

The festival runs over a fortnight with daily performance events streamed online during the first week, and two daily literary events streamed live in the second, to which audiences will be able to contribute live questions. All events bar those with Joanna Trollope and James Naughtie will be filmed in Petworth with access to all of the events via the festival website.

Events will be available to view on demand until midnight Saturday 7th November.

Speaking of both his pleasure and relief at being able to announce the programme, Artistic Director Stewart Collins says, “this has been a momentous year in so many ways, and most of them not good, but thanks to extraordinary support from a significant group of loyal festival sponsors, together with great enthusiasm and encouragement from both the music and publishing industries, we are hugely proud of what we have put together for this coming October. We hope that both our regular and new

top: Isata Kanneh-Mason, photo Robin Clewley; above: Charles Owen & Katya Apekisheva, photo Sim Canetty-Clarke; left: Vóreios Trio

audiences will assume a ‘festival mode’ of joining us repeatedly throughout the fortnight, as this really is a bold attempt to keep the flag flying not only for Petworth Festival, but also for the musicians and authors whose lives have been greatly affected by the past few months – particularly those of the musicians whose livelihoods have quite simply fallen off the cliff edge since March.”

Small invited audiences of sponsors will attend all events to help create a genuine live ‘event’ ambience, and performances will last a maximum of one hour. ‘Tickets’ to individual shows are priced very modestly at £4.99 with generous festival passes available for multiple attendance. For full details please visit www.petworthfestival.org.uk.

Shoreham Wordfest

Despite all. Still plenty to enjoy this autumn

Shoreham Wordfest has a whole programme of spoken word, drama and music every weekend this autumn into the winter.

On Saturday 10th October Wordfest is launching their book of children’s poetry, written as part of a Shoreham Wordfest home-learning programme during Lockdown. 114 poems were received from children in Adur and West Sussex schools. They reflect children’s responses to the lockdown; thoughtful, humorous and reflective. There will be a

celebration event at The Shoreham Centre where the young poets, accompanied by a parent, will receive their own copy. The books will be available for sale for £5 on the Shoreham Wordfest website and from Shoreham Art Gallery, Brunswick Road, BN43 5WA.

A celebration and book launch for the winners and commendations awarded for the Poetry and Short Story Competitions is being held at Ropetackle Arts Centre on Sunday 11th October. The winning poems have been collected into an elegant anthology which will be available for £5 at the Awards ceremony and afterwards through the on-line shop and at Shoreham Art Gallery, Brunswick Road, BN43 5WA.

Wordfest is working with Ropetackle Arts Centre to develop a mini-festival featuring local speakers, writers, performers and musicians, which will run every weekend from the end of October to the beginning of December. Planned events include talks by Geoff Mead and Chris Hare, a new theatre piece by Janet Behan, author Colin Grant on The Windrush Generation and music from Mervyn Wallis, Danny of South Coast Soul Review and Brighton-based Ghanaian musician Musa Mboob.

Plans are also under way for events for children and families during October half term.

The full Local and Live programme and ticket sales will be announced early in October. For full details please visit www.shorehamwordfest.com

top: Musa Mboob

Harp on Wight International Festival goes digital

Four nights beginning 23rd October

Likeso many other similar events, this year’s annual Harp on Wight International Festival –due to take place in Ryde, Isle of Wight at the end of October – was postponed due to the coronavirus situation. However, the festival team has been busy putting together a digital version of the festival. There will be four nights of especially recorded performances by some of the international harpists who were due to take part in the festival streamed live. Among the musicians featured will be Tristan Le Govic from Brittany, Lauren Scott, the festival's Patron Anne Denholm and Lise Vandersmissen. The festival is always keen to support up and coming harpists, so one of the livestreams will exclusively feature young musicians from the national music conservatoires. For full details of how to view the livestreams visit www.harponwight.co.uk.

left: Lise Vandersmissen; below: Lauren Scott [Harp on Wight]

bottom: Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer [Tenterden Folk Festival]

Virtually Tenterden

The First Virtual Tenterden Folk Festival 1st to 4th October 2020

This year the Tenterden Folk Festival will be held via Zoom, FaceBook, YouTube, Twitter and Tumblr. Plans are now well advanced for this first virtual Tenterden Folk Festival. Online sing-a-rounds and music and song sessions will feature pre-booked guests and well-known local performers. The popular Cinque Ports Sea Songs and Shanties Session

will also take place via Zoom. You can even try a Zoom dance!

Events will be live streamed on Zoom and Facebook and posted to YouTube so that you can watch them again later. There will also be posted new video concerts from some of the festival guests past present and future on YouTube. You can also visit a virtual photograph exhibition and see selected photos from Tenterden Folk Festival 2019 and previous TFF events.

Guests will include Barrie and Ingrid Temple, Barry Goodman, Bob Kenward, Brian Peters, Broomdasher, G&G Morris, Gavin and Julie Atkin, Graeme Knights and Family, Highworth Folk Band, Jeff Warner, Jez Lowe, JIB, Jim Mageean, John and Di Cullen, Keith Kendrick and Sylvia Needham, Morrigan, Nick Dow, NunheadFolk Circle, Pete Castle, Peter Collins, Pete Luscombe, Peter and Barbara Snape, Roses are Red Morris, Scold Bridle, Tom Patterson, Travelling Folk, Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer and Wilson Family.

The Committee would like to particularly thank Peter Collins for offering his technical knowledge and time to help make this all possible.

Visit www.tenterdenfolkfestival.btck.co.uk for full information.

Some 2020 festivals that were postponed or cancelled will be back in 2021

Deal Music and Arts Festival

The new dates for this marvellous festival are planned for 1st July to 17th July 2021. Visit https://dealmusicandarts.com.

Cornwall Folk Festival

The new dates for the festival in Wadebridge, North Cornwall are Friday 27th to Monday 30th August 2021. All the artists that were booked for this year have agreed to now play in 2021.

Visit https://cornwallfolkfestival.com

South Downs Folk festival

The festival has now been moved to 2021, the new dates being 16th to 19th September. It is hoped the line-up will remain more or less the same as was planned for 2020.

Visit https://southdownsfolkfest.co.uk

Please also check the following websites for rearranged dates for these festivals: https://broadstairsfolkweek.org.uk www.binsted.org/arts-festival www.shipleyartsfestival.co.uk.

BREMF @HOME

ACROSS THE EARTH

This year’s Brighton Early Music Festival goes digital, with 10 online events combining music and film. Choose from medieval songs of protest; an animated Midsummer Night’s Dream; or a grand finale featuring music and dance from Africa, India, the Middle East and Europe.

www.bremf.org.uk

Find out more at bremf.org.uk or call 01273 833746 to request a listings card (available Sept).

poetry prose & illustration

TWO CLASSIC STORIES FROM Felicity Fair Thompson

Cutting In

Ambition can take over your life! And ballet is no ordinary career for Elaine. More a magnificent obsession. Insecure and unloved, she is desperate to prove herself. In class, watching her idol, the beautiful Beverley dance, Elaine imitates, borrows, steals, wanting everything Beverley has. Each movement. Every reaction. Each smile. She's moving in closer and closer – stalking in pursuit of an image.

One of three finalists in the Beryl Bainbridge Award in People's Book Prize 2012/13, this novel is timeless. The art and beauty and effort of ballet are the setting for Elaine's all-consuming obsession. Her fierce desire. Her jealously. But how far will she go? Novelist Frederick E Smith said of this novel: 'The writer Felicity Fair Thompson has a great gift for portraying the agonies and ecstasies of adolescence… a rare talent.'

The Kid on Slapton Beach

Imagine! It's 1943. 3000 people are ordered out of their homes and work. Packing up, leaving everything. And not knowing why! And at Christmas! Harry, the young hero in this book, leaves his home in the village of Torcross on Slapton Sands in Devon. But – his most precious possession is left behind. He goes back. And he will be on Slapton beach at the worst possible moment.

Harry's story is fiction but built around the real event of Exercise Tiger, just five weeks before D-Day. Author Felicity Fair Thompson is pleased her story reaches such a wide audience. Older people remember WWII. Others are surprised to discover the secret of those D-Day rehearsals. Tourists see the US tank memorial at Torcross and want to know more. Letters come to her from people who, as children, remember having to leave the South Devon coast, and recently there was a wonderful comment from a lady saying her 13 year old grandson was 'transfixed' by the book! 'It's un-putdownable' people say!

HAVE YOU READ IT?

HAVE YOU READ IT?

HAVE YOU READ IT?

To watch... borrow... copy - to stalk in pursuit of an image... there’s no harm in that, is there?

To watch... borrow... copy - to stalk in pursuit of an image... there’s no harm in that, is there?

“Hard edged, striking and truthful”

To watch... borrow... copy - to stalk in pursuit of an image... there’s no harm in that, is there?

Best selling novelist

“Hard edged, striking and truthful”

Julian Rathbone

“Hard edged, striking and truthful”

Best selling novelist

Julian Rathbone

Best selling novelist

“Wonderfully spiked with bitchiness”

Julian Rathbone

“Wonderfully spiked with bitchiness”

Thriller Writer

Graham Hurley

Thriller Writer

“Wonderfully spiked with bitchiness”

Graham Hurley

Thriller Writer

ISBN 0-9535123-0-4

Graham Hurley

Buy online or direct from Wight Diamond Press

Paperback: £5.99 ISBN 0-9535123-0-4

Paperback: £5.99 ISBN 0-9535123-0-4

Buy online or direct from Wight Diamond Press

www.wightdiamondpress.com

Buy online or direct from Wight Diamond Press

www.wightdiamondpress.com

www.wightdiamondpress.com

CHRISTMAS 1943 - DEVON

CHRISTMAS 1943 - DEVON

CHRISTMAS 1943 -

War is hard when you have to leave everything you know and love.

DEVON

War is hard when you have to leave everything you know and love.

War is hard when you have to leave everything you know and love.

The Secret Rehearsals for D-Day...

The Secret Rehearsals for D-Day...

The Secret Rehearsals for D-Day...

“A wonderful book...”

“A wonderful book...”

Michelle Magorian

“A wonderful book...”

Michelle Magorian ‘Goodnight Mr Tom’

Michelle Magorian

‘Goodnight Mr Tom’

“A jewel!...” Actress June BrownDot in EastEnders

‘Goodnight Mr Tom’

“A jewel!...” Actress June BrownDot in EastEnders

At your local book store now Paperback: £8.99

“A jewel!...” Actress June BrownDot in EastEnders

At your local book store now Paperback: £8.99

ISBN 978-0-9535123-2-4

At your local book store now Paperback: £8.99

ISBN 978-0-9535123-2-4

ISBN 978-0-9535123-2-4

www.wightdiamondpress.com

www.wightdiamondpress.com

www.wightdiamondpress.com

LOCAL ILLUSTRATOR COLLABORATES

WITH SARAH, DUCHESS OF YORK

Fergie’s resurgence in a splurge of literary and visual aesthetics

Fergie, as she is affectionately nicknamed, has flourished on YouTube these past months with storytelling, arts and crafts and a creative outpouring that has resulted in a slew of new children’s books.

Her newest cohort in this creative surge is illustrator David William Press of Turners Hill in West Sussex.

David says “I met the Duchess by pure chance, she saw my work online. She loved it and contacted me and soon after I went up to London for a meeting.

“That afternoon we put together the basic outlines for the first three books we were going to produce, it all happened very quickly.” The books feature a superhero girl, Genie Gems, with her dragon, Derek, and an innocently curious unicorn called Arthur Fantastic. “The books were to be an inspiration and an extension of her charity work,” says David. “I had no idea that she had built schools (at least fifty in Africa) and had trained hundreds of teachers.” He adds, “it’s wonderful to hear how children have enjoyed the books and are inspired by them. We have many more to come and are now looking into animation.”

On the YouTube video front David was recruited to help out with Fergie’s new children’s channel ‘Fergie and friends’. The channel is growing rapidly with readings from celebrity guests from around the world.

‘Genie Gems Mission to Devon’ and ‘Genie Gems meets Arthur Fantastic’ are available on Amazon.

For more on 'Fergie and Friends' go to Sarah Ferguson's YouTube channel, and for information and enquiries about illustrations go to Facebook and check out @DavidWilliamPress.

cw from top: Derek; 'Genie Gems meets Arthur Fantastic' book cover; Genie and mermaid; Sarah Ferguson and David Press drawing Mr Mouse in the House (YouTube)

book reviews

Overdrawn by N J Crosskey

Is the world created in Overdrawn a kind of utopia, where people have aspirations and hard work brings rewards? Or is it a dystopian society where choices are few and life is no longer sacred? It all depends on one's point of view.

Henry Morris is watching his wife slip away from him. In an ageist society where euthanasia is encouraged as a patriotic act, dementia is no longer tolerated. For Henry, a cynical 60-year-old who knew what life was like before the revolution, the rigid unfairness of the system fuels his growing rage and fear for the future.

For Kaitlyn, a young waitress brought up in a regimented society in which one's life is predestined, there is security, trust in the system. But she is desperate for the funds to keep her brother's life support machine switched on.

When a chance encounter brings the two together, they embark on an unconventional business arrangement that will force them to confront their prejudices, as well as their deepest, darkest secrets. With its 'computer says no' climate there is an unsettling familiarity in this society. It is as though Crosskey has taken our 21st century world and stripped out all the social veneer. Only elements such as the Roll-Back rule, which forbids the personal use of computers and the Moving On Corporation, which peddles euthanasia, denote its fiction. Pockets of kindness and humanity can still be found within the crevices

Lost for Words

by Roddy Phillips

Another smorgasbord of entertaining snippets from the Roddy Phillips archive.

"Since the late 1980s I've written about my family life and times in humorous columns... Like all the best career moves the idea of writing a 'living autobiography' happened by accident. The first column was written to fill an unexpected hole in a newspaper. The deadline was tight so I used what was to hand, namely my family's move to the country. Before I knew it one column had turned into a thousand. Most writers would have something better to do, but the truth is, when you get paid to air your dirty linen in public, it becomes addictive."

Phillips has the enviable talent of finding the humour in the most mundane everyday situations – I defy you not to identify with many of the scrapes he

however, a testament to the enduring survival potential of humankind.

Fearlessly written, with a keen and incisive eye for human strengths and frailties – even the minor characters are three dimensional –and a plot that drives relentlessly towards its unexpected denouement, Overdrawn is a compelling read. With all its twists and turns it took me through the emotional wringer but I couldn't put it down. I was captivated. I protested – out loud – at a sudden shocking turn of events and smiled at heartwarming moments of serendipity.

After many years of yearning to be an author N J Crosskey finally took the plunge to chase that dream, with a stunning debut novel, Poster Boy, published in 2019. Poignant, gutsy and uncompromising, Overdrawn is a fitting successor, matching Poster Boy in its edginess, and establishes Crosskey as a writer to be reckoned with.

Overdrawn is available in paperback, ebook and audio book from Amazon, and in paperback from most major book retailers (Waterstones, WHSmith, Foyles etc). For more information about the author go to www.njcrosskey.com and @NJCrosskey.

gets into – recounted with a skill that spawns a giggle deep in the solar plexus and bubbles irresistibly to the surface.

Lost for Words is a book you can dip into any time, anywhere – on a train, in a cafe, in the bath, while waiting for the kettle to boil. Replete with awkwardly comic situations it is a delight – I spent most of my time chuckling out loud, much to the bemusement of fellow cafe-goers.

Available from www.roddyphillips.com and Amazon, Lost for Words will make a great Christmas gift, along with his latest book just out, The Familiar.

Retribution

by Beverley Elphick

Imagine if your beloved child was snatched away almost from under your very nose. What would you do? To what lengths would you go to recover her? That was the dilemma facing Esther Coad in Elphick's 'Retribution', the second in a trilogy which began with 'Three Round Towers'.

With factual snippets from local newspapers of the time and historical documents lending context, Retribution takes us once more to 18th century Lewes. The country is suffering the ravages of the war with France and Spain. Unscrupulous press gangs leave women unsupported, struggling with food shortages and rampant disease as their menfolk are forced onto the King's ships. In the midst of this we find Esther and the child Beth safely and happily settled with her patrons, gentleman farmer John Elwood and his young wife Cecilia, and looking forward to her imminent wedding with Wilf. This idyll, however, is short-lived.

Under the guidance of well-respected local physician Dr Grieve, Esther hones her nursing skills and continues her training as a midwife. Unconscious of the fact that these abilities will almost certainly save her life in a sinister turn of fate, Esther is determined to master

The Love Detective –Next Level

by Angela Dyson

Clarry Penhaligan's first outing as a rookie private detective had left her with a unmistakeable taste for adventure.

That was all behind her now and when her attempt to get a 'proper job' came to nothing she reverted to her old ad hoc lifestyle as a part-time waitress. But word had got out about her investigative exploits and before long she had a new case to solve.

Her new client was a very well-to-do woman worried about the company her daughter was keeping. What seemed at first to be a simple surveillance job turned into something much more sinister, and Clarry soon found herself out of her depth. She had to use all her ingenuity and draw on reserves she didn't realise she had to get out of some truly dangerous situations, including a desperate flight from a menacing adversary – Hitchcock style – and a brush with the occult. Although she has support from the glamorous septuagenarian Flan, her honorary aunt and close confidante – an unlikely but effective sidekick – will this all prove too much for

them so as to help poorer women in the neighbourhood who cannot afford the doctor's ministrations.

But when her vicious aunt, a notorious smuggler, reappears seeking vengeance having escaped from prison, Esther's dreams are shattered. She is catapulted into a nightmare world in which everything she holds dear has been wrested from her and in which her resilience and resourcefulness are stretched to the absolute limit. Will she regain the security of home she has worked so hard to achieve or will she be cast adrift to an uncertain future?

Beverley Elphick has captured a fragment of history and embellished it with a spirited heroine and a lively storyline. A real page-turner that had me drawn in right to the end.

Retribution is available from Sussex Stationers in Lewes, by order from your local bookstore, from www. troubador.co.uk or from Amazon. For more details visit www.beverleyelphick.com where future book signing events will be posted as the covid situation eases.

Clarry or will she rise to the challenge and beat the odds?

Set in and around Wimbledon, with a map of the key landmarks in the story charmingly illustrated by Jemima Ashton-Harris, 'Next Level' is redolent of the author's familiarity and affinity for the area. With well fleshed out characters and a plot that keeps you guessing, she has achieved something notoriously difficult to do – a sequel that is just as, if not more, enjoyable that the first.

The Love Detective, Next Level is available at most Waterstones branches, some independent bookshops, including The Bookshop East Grinstead, at WH Smith on-line and from Amazon. The ebook is available on all platforms.

For more information about Angela Dyson and her writing, including news of the continuation of her book tour, go to https://angeladyson.com

Earth Awakening

In the dead of night I woke

The sticky dark squirmed around me

The deafening silence roared

But as I listened I began to hear something else

The earth breathing, the inhale & exhale of nature undisturbed

A sigh of peace

Pale lemon on the horizon

Melted the sticky dark

And the songs of the dawn chorus ushered in another day

–by Polly Walton

Dawn

The blaze of the praise of the fire-fall-flow of the dawn

As it spills out its thrills of low-lava-like light

Of a ruddy glowed coiling of gold newly born

From the velveteen paws; starry claws of the night;

Thus it gathers its newness in refreshed zest to spring

Wide-eyed and awoken in a rumple-roused sheet

That unfurls as idea, as a newly thought thing, And bringing a winging, a bright-white-light of heat;

A brightness of lightness – dawn daylight, complete.

Oh clarion of color, of a claritude sun, With a promise of passion and fashion of flame; As the herald heretical; heaven undone

And let loose on the earth to seduce and to shame

Us here, the marauders, the mere minions, the men; The weak worms of the earth that lie blind to the glare

That arises, incipient gleam, and does then

Slow dissipate, dreamily, dissolving in air:

The gold gift of such glory – no worm can share.

Who then has assembled these assorted flames framed

As a splendor unveiling all acts of the day?

Some creature-creator who in genesis aimed

To hint at the heavens by repetitive play

Of the Halls of Aurora and illusions within; Glean-glimpsed in the glowing, in the brief birth of morn,

Set there to inspire crawling creatures from sin; Crawling creatures that traffic vermicular* scorn, Ignoring, neglecting – the ideal of Dawn!

(*vermicular – worm like)

–by SoRoL

SoRoL is the poetry pen name of Steve Langley, who also writes fantasy fiction. He has had many poems published in magazines over the years and has published several poetry books. Find him on Facebook for more info and poetry.

Sunrise over Peverill Point, photo by Carlotta Barrow

Lockdown

Every night since the city started inhabiting itself

Like an empty shirt –

The shape of its warm body barely visible –

We weave a homemade hedonism out of the bones of our old ways. I light myself candles that I was saving for some other time. It seems that time has finally come.

But who knew that a wild kind of quiet

Had actually been looking for me all along? Who could have guessed that another city was rising up to meet us

Shedding it’s own skin to reveal Atlantis underneath?

In the times before, I used to feverishly wash my hands

Like I was afraid of what they might do

I used to press the light switch the exact number of times it takes to Appease some deity into making the weather fall favourably from the sky

Praying all the time that it wouldn’t fall down. Intimately aware of my own monstrosity, believing I could assert some will

Over the expansion and contraction of nature in her dance.

How foolish our old fears look when something real arrives.

Yet somehow when it comes to it

We grapple tooth and claw and find we are beasts again, just the same.

Fighting and flighting. Heavy and mortal, heaving our own heft. It has after all, always been invisible things that have brought us to our knees.

All the things we strive for like ripples in a pool, Just wrinkles in the fabric of matter.

And all that really matters is how we are sowing the season’s harvest

The simple divinity of watering the soil we are in.

And in return we get to hold what is given back Up to our faces like shells filled with songs.

I’m not here to tell you this was all for the best, A lesson, destiny or retribution.

I think this is just a story unfolding, the coil uncurling In intricate rings.

But whales are still leaping to meet the dawn. Some things are always true. Some things never perish.

Like how I can hear their laughter

Ringing through the walls

And it is all I needed tonightA crystallised piece of raw humanity. The best of what we are.

And how another night we sang to each other Through the walls and doors

Knowing the things that unite us

Are more powerful than those that divide.

–by Naomi Wood

The Garden

He retired to the garden

A working man, Who used spade and shovel, pen and ink, with equal skill

The garden brought its own thrills

Wet weather deepened the invite. gentle wet mist

oozed moistness from opened earth. Lived healthy as a hare and This was His space.

Straight furrows brought order to a troubled mind

A mind of losses, children and bills.

Earth biomes healed, Dig another drill

Plant a cabbage there

One bought from the Yank back in Tralee

A gabháil* of planters for a song 30 in it, instead of 24!

That Yank was a generous man.

Each plant was to him a blessing

And he planted those blessings in prayer In tune with God and the land.

Abundant cabbages, carrots, onions, scallions …

Leeks required too much water, Use that space for strawberries; Beans and peas he grew with ease

Knew the stakes; positioned with care. Blackcurrants hugged a corner

Summer jam for his daughters

Rhubarb came good, as well it should Layered generously with dung

From the cows he lived among

He’d pull weeds from drills

With consummate skill

Placed onions near carrots

To keep away maggots

Knew each piece of soil

Which he gratefully toiled

That garden pulsed his heart

His paradise on this earth.

(*gabháil – armful. Pronouced: gwaall)

–by Ger White

©GerWhite2020

www.facebook.com/gerardinewhite www.gerwhite.com

poetry prose & illustration

Roundel poets

Roundel is a Poetry Society Stanza – a poetry writing group based in Tonbridge.

Roundel was founded in 2012 and meets monthly on the first Wednesday morning and third Saturday afternoon in Tonbridge to critique their poems and improve their skills. New members of any level are always welcome.

The group has run regular poetry and jazz evenings and has published three anthologies of members’ work, including one in collaboration with a local art group. In addition, it has run several poetry competitions. In October of 2018 and 2019, it was involved in organising a Poetry Trail around local shops.

Roundel also holds a Poetry Breakfast each month –aimed at readers, not writers, of poetry.

For further details of the writing groups, poetry breakfasts or to purchase any of our publications, please email roundeltonbridge@gmail.com or go to www.roundelpoetrytonbridge.wordpress.com.

The following poems are by Roundel members.

Early Morning Rendezvous

Most mornings we loop around the park, the Gurkha Wife and I,

we pass each other in our Nike trainers; hers, bright blue – sculling out under the folds of her salwar kurta.

We smile, shrug, hold out our arms, lift our eyes to explain the sky in our adopted language of gesture.

Sometimes, we converge at memorial benches – tulips tied against a name. Sometimes, there are the two of us, and a sleeper, foetal in his thinning blanket.

I look out for her now, look out for lone crows, crews of fieldfare, nomadic hopefuls, their seasonal feasting.

And when snow lifts from mountains, whistling ducks call them eastwards.

–by Val Pargeter

Val has been writing poetry for several years and is a member of Roundel Poetry Stanza Group. She has been published in Orbis, Roundel anthologies and others. She has read her poetry in a variety of local venues as well as The Poetry Cafe in London.

Re-painting the Box Room

Prised gently with a screwdriver’s tip at 6 o’clock, 9 and 3, the lid lifts off with a quiet suck. As the smooth emulsion is revealed, the tin exhales with a chemical sigh.

Taking up her old wooden spoon she stirs the surface into melting rings, turns her mind to other rooms. A nursery, once powder blue, then painted purple by teenage angst, empty now in neutral grey.

But these dull walls will be simple white, a place for herself alone, a nun’s cell, with a rocking chair, a red striped rug, a modest desk made from knotted pine where a sheet of paper rests.

She loads her paint-brush, covers the faded beige, paints over the scars of years, to blank out what might have been, all the wasted days, transforming this narrow, boxy room into a space where she can fly her dreams.

–by Sara Davis

Sara Davis is a member of Roundel Poets in Tonbridge, Kent. She has had poems published in the collection Links in the Chain, in South magazine and the Dawntreader. She is inspired by the environment and the interaction between people and the natural world.

At the Speed of Dreams

Scientists say we dream in slow-motion, mine were always the same pace as moths, filtering through snatches of sleep. Everyone around me ages I can only stop them dying if I drown myself.

I give him daffodils but he has no hands to take them. I forgot I had a baby, it’s crying, I can’t remember where I put it. We say goodbye again although I know you’re already dead.

–by Jacquie Wyatt

Jacquie Wyatt has been published in South, The High Window, Ink, Sweat and Tears, Clear, Structo,

poetry

Morphrog, Golddust, The DawnTreader and Rollick amongst others while reluctantly pursuing a marketing career (lying for a living). A member of the Roundel poetry stanza she dwells in deepest, darkest Kent.

Kintsugi *

He wants to put his head in his hands and scream –a moment’s inattention, slippery fingers, the dish crashes onto tiles. A lifetime of memories shattered on the floor.

Here is a sunny wedding day after a week of snow, the Carbonara he cooked when they came home with their first baby, summer salads in the garden, dried fruit, exotic spices soaked in brandy for the cake each Christmas.

He gathers up the fragments sets them out like a jigsaw on the kitchen surface, matches them, glues with epoxy resin mixed with fine pure gold –smooths and burnishes.

Remodelled into an enhanced form, a work of art, he displays it safely beside other treasures –its cracks transformed into precious scars.

–by Margaret Beston

*Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer mixed with powdered gold. Breakage is part of the history of the piece, which repair makes more precious.

Margaret’s work has been widely published in magazines and anthologies. She has published two collections, Long Reach River, 2014 and Timepiece, 2019. She is the founder of Roundel, a Poetry Society Stanza based in Tonbridge where she lives.

MURDER ´ BETRAYAL ´ ADVENTURE

the first two books of Beverley Elphick's exciting trilogy

RETRIBUTION

At the heart of this story is family; not always the one you are born with, but the one you carve out for yourself. A tale full of startling twists and turns and a score that must be settled

THREE ROUND TOWERS “An engaging tale of one young woman’s struggles against the prejudices, assumptions and deprivations of a grim and ruthless period our history” - Rosemary Aitken

Order from www.troubador.co.uk or from your local bookshop or via www.beverleyelphick.com

The Familiar

The Familiar

A Life in Weekly Instalments by Roddy Phillips New edition on amazon

A Life in Weekly Instalments by Roddy Phillips New edition on amazon

‘Almost impossible to put down’ Scotland on Sunday

‘Almost impossible to put down’ Scotland on Sunday

West Dean College of Arts and Conservation make time to make

This autumn, escape to West Dean College and immerse yourself in learning with one of 300+ new courses.

You can now book a course to look forward to in the months ahead. Whether you’re a complete beginner wanting to try something new or are keen to develop your existing talents, join a group of like minded people and try a new skill in a creative environment. Choose from new one-day short courses or online courses.

“I felt really confident that I was safe with all the Covid-19 secure measures put in place. Being able to learn new skills and be creative once again was the best part of the experience... The tutor was superb and generous with her time and personal tips.”

–Sarah-Anne, Botanical painting

For more information about all the courses and to book, visit the website. www.westdean.org.uk

Autumn at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation, photo Chris Ison

Studio 11

Christine has designed a range of Covid Safe textile classes, both in the Studio, or online.

During lockdown, Christine quickly took her community online and they have been working on various projects in response to short videos and weekly Zoom tutorials.

The technology skills learned doing that helped

Christine present a class as part of the TextileArtist.org community challenge, which was really well received. Following this, she has taken some of her popular workshops online as video-based learning opportunities.

If you are experienced in textiles, then there are spaces on the Creative Development classes based at the re-organised Eastbourne studio. Or you can join in with the Zoom Creative Development where you get the same kind of tutorial and peer support but work independently at home.

Going online with her courses had always been something Christine had wanted to pursue but there had never been enough time to learn all the video making skills necessary for a professional product. Technology offers us many ways of connecting and can enhance our learning experience and that is what Christine is embracing in the new courses at the Studio.

For more information, please email: christine@ christinechester.com, or visit the studio website: www.studio11eb.co.uk

All Change at Art Junction

The art world is no exception to the ‘new normal’. With people social distancing, and leveraging the benefits of technology, it is to be expected that established art institutions are reinventing their practices and protocols. In a time of change we all need to be flexible – but we also need to embrace the new opportunities change presents.

Amongst stalwarts of the Sussex art scene, Billingshurst-based Sussex Sculpture Studios is a perfect example of a community that is quickly reinventing itself for the digital world. With an obligation for social distancing, meaning fewer people can access studio facilities at any one time, curator and well-respected sculptor Marji Talbot has renamed, repurposed and repositioned the studio’s offering.

“The moment lockdown started we realised that it would be difficult for things to ever be the same,” she says. “In quickly deciding to move our offering online we realised at the same time that we had the opportunity to broaden our offering to include 2D as well as 3D art, allowing our established tutors to reach a much wider online audience.”

Welcome then a newly rebranded business ‘Art Junction’ – named partly as a place where different art disciplines conjoin, partly as a nod to the fact that this epicentre of creativity sits next to platform two on Billingshurst Station!

The emphasis of Art Junction will be ‘courses and resources’ for online learning via a range of ‘masterclasses’ from a team of expert tutors, delivered via Zoom sessions and a range of ‘how to’ videos.

One particular feature will be live-streamed life and portrait classes. “As Sussex Sculpture Studios we

had a thriving community of life and portraiture artists,” Marji Talbot explains. “Now, to be fair to our life models and tutors, whilst complying with social distancing restraints, we simply don’t have enough studio space to keep it Covid safe and at the same time commercially viable. Luckily however the world seems to have embraced Zoom technology, so we are planning to run livestream Zoom sessions, complete with a tutor, for both 2D and 3D workshops.”

However, the studios will remain accessible for makers who want to get hands-on with 3D work. Every Tuesday Marji welcomes sculptors at any level, who have pre-booked bench space to sculpt and cast projects. In addition, Art Junction will offer ‘hot benching’ for practising sculptors who have a project they want to create and make. For more details email sussexsculpture@btinternet.com. www.patreon.com/artjunction

THE TRADITIONAL ART ACADEMY EXPERIENCE

– NOW ONLINE

In response to life’s social distancing vicissitudes, what was previously Sussex Sculpture Studios has rebranded and re-invented itself as Art Junction –an online art academy offering 3D and 2D livestream life and portrait classes, ‘how to’ videos and other resources.

A range of online classes is available by monthly subscription (with no contract). In addition, all seven of our expert tutors are available for 1-to-1 mentoring sessions and tutorials. Check out our offer now at www.patreon.com/artjunction

moorhouse art @ the mill

‘Being creative is an ongoing way of being. It doesn’t start when we walk into a studio and it doesn't stop when we leave.’

The Mill Studio in Arundel has been a hotbed of creativity for many years, with renowned artist and tutor Piers Ottey running art classes there since 1984. He has now decided to focus purely on his own painting and has passed the reins to Karin Moorhouse, herself an artist and tutor of some note.

Karin is understandably very excited to be initiating this brand new phase at The Mill (covid 19-secure, naturally). So we caught up with Karin amid the whirlwind of activity and quizzed her about it.

On the subject of The Mill, you said there were "big changes round here and I am now one of them!" What is your goal for 'Moorhouse Art @ The Mill'?

My immediate goal is to uphold the long time respected profile of The Mill, which under Piers Ottey’s wonderful guidance has held such a good reputation. Our teaching methods are very different but in essence we share the same sense of passion about the subject and integrity about its application. To this end I have opened with a few of the long running drawing and painting courses, while looking further ahead I will be introducing printmaking courses. For these classes I will concentrate on monotype printing and dry point engraving. I have chosen to go with these two methods as they are so flexible and fluid. Also as neither of

these methods demands the use of acid there will be no necessity to find another space in which to operate safely. It can all take place under one roof.

What excites you most about this new venture?

One of the main aspects of this move for me is that I now have a dedicated teaching studio, while next door I have my personal studio. I have taught for many years and gained my teaching qualification a long time ago and now for the first time since moving down to West Sussex I have everything in one place… and what a place it is! The studios are round an enclosed courtyard which is beautifully landscaped and full of interesting plant shapes and a gold fish pond to boot, so there is plenty of inspiration all around. There is also a rather good coffee place just down the road!

What can students, either regulars or new, expect when they come along to The Mill?

Hopefully they can expect and will get the same standard of dedicated one to one teaching but with the bonus of learning in a group dynamic. To my mind working in a group is so important for many

creatives, as more often than not we work in our own bubbles and it is easy for one to feel isolated. Joining a class here will feed everyone – students and teacher alike. It is a place where theories, ideas, artists and just about anything creative (and sometimes not!) is talked about and explored. As the weeks unfold and everyone settles into their groups I will set a weekly subject for discussion – talk about your (current) favourite… artists/ colour/ make of paint/ gallery etc etc to encourage group engagement and discussion. I will also, when and if we are permitted to given the current global health situation and way we are all living, plan the occasional 'Day Out' which will take the form of gallery visits and open places to paint en plein air when the weather allows. I will also be holding exhibitions/talks from various art involved people and offer weekend and holiday workshops, sometimes with invited guest painters and printmakers, and am also working with a local venue to run residential courses… so not much really!

Do you find that teaching informs or influences your own work?

Absolutely. I have always been of the mind that teaching is a circular thing and as the lovely book of the same name tells us – to “Steal Like an Artist”. In essence I believe we are influenced by everything; our surroundings, the people who inhabit them, current social political and creative flavours. Being creative is an ongoing way of being. It doesn’t start when we walk into a studio and it doesn't stop when we leave. Inspiration and influences seep into us all the time.

Full details and booking information for all the courses are available on the website, where you can also sign up for the newsletter. Booking is essential for certain classes due to current health situation restrictions. www.moorhouse-art.com

MOORHOUSE ART @ THE MILL

ARUNDEL

Art classes with Karin Moorhouse from September 2020 – covid-secure

Drawing and painting

Life drawing

Portrait painting

Monotype print making

Dry point engraving

Plein air landscape painting weeks

Masterclasses with invited artists

Artists talks

Exhibitions

Visit www.moorhouse-art.com for details, mailing list and booking info

Karin Moorhouse

Coda

Lockdown notes (1)

Well, what a helluva situation it has been for many people. Here at ingénu/e magazine Gill and I have kept well, but I’m well aware there have been many casualties, losses of loved ones, financial hardships and, of course, business failures. And of all the commercial sectors of society, I believe the arts have arguably taken the biggest battering of all.

It was very sad to see the lovely gallery in Eastbourne, @the Makery, disappear and the popular magazine Viva (Brighton and Lewes) close down. I’m

sure there are many other casualties also. Theatres have been closed, while art trails and festivals of all genres have been cancelled. A few have been very innovative and gone virtual. Let’s hope between now and 2021 a renaissance can occur. We ourselves have managed to survive by studying and applying on-line marketing courses and producing the magazine online, thus being able to help artists and arts venues by promoting them to our subscribers, our social media contacts we have built up over the years and a large amount of culturally aware people in the area, via Facebook marketing. One has had to ‘think on one’s feet’ and ‘outside the box’ in this incredibly strange and confusing time.

Our friend wins commission on BBC’s ‘Home is where the Art is’

We were so thrilled to see our friend, artist Gill Bustamante from Forest Row, win the art commission in episode twelve of the second series of the BBC programme. In each episode Nick Knowles challenges a trio of talented artists to create beautiful artwork for people they've never met as they compete top: Infinity by Gill Bustamante; inset: Gill Bustamante with presenter Nick Knowles

to win a special new commission for one paying home owner. Gill describes her painting style as a fusion of Expressionist, Impressionist, Semi-abstract, Art Nouveau and something she terms ‘memory impressionism’. She goes walking somewhere rural, looks at and absorbs the things she sees and experiences, and then comes back to her studio to capture an 'echo' of the place from memory. Gill’s painting 'Infinity', which bears a subtle infinity symbol, captivated the couple and was shown hanging proudly in their home as the credits began to roll.

Lockdown notes (2)

One of my personal pleasures during lockdown has been to re-watch all the four seasons of the innovative Scandinavian noir crime drama ‘The Bridge’ featuring the most excellent actress Sofia Helin, playing the less than conventional Swedish detective Saga Noren. For some strange reason I identify with this character somewhat; perhaps it’s her disdain for small talk and her disregard for social niceties. In any case it’s a tour de force by a very accomplished actress.

First they came for Big Ears…

When negotiations began a few years ago to screen a television version of the Noddy stories in America, Big Ears ran into problems. The network showing the programmes “could not be seen to sustain discrimination” against people with large ears. So they called him White Beard instead. Apparently, this has not affected the sales of Noddy books.

But this sort of thing has escalated out of all proportion. Many companies are now running ‘Unconscious Bias seminars’ and the like. Not necessarily a bad thing I suppose, but look at some of the phrases the BBC has just banned football commentators from saying – nitty gritty, sold down the river, uppity, blacklisted, black mark and whiter than white. It’s all part of a racial bias training. While laudable as a concept, one can see how extreme an idea it can become when, while reading that part of the training, I noticed it included that one couldn’t refer to an athlete as having ‘pace and power’ as it stereotypes people.

I think we will soon see the demise of the usual football commentator, usually ex-footballers, who are

top: Sofia Helin as Saga Noren from The Bridge; above: Noddy and Big Ears

not generally known for their cultivated and erudite use of the English language. Maybe Oxford Dons will be hired by the BBC in the future to tell us “although he outstripped the defence with his solo run, his speed and dexterity by no means indicate he is not highly intelligent and although his attitude and modus operandi while celebrating his goal courted the belligerent, he, of course, was merely articulating the deep rooted joy of contacting the footballer’s Muse, that insubstantial yet all too present Prime Mover Unmoved that manifests itself within the ambience of the beautiful game.”

Very important news

It has been announced that the fabulous ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ reality TV programme is coming to an end. Many a tear will be shed. Brexit, the pandemic, the troubles in Belarus, the environment, global warming, riots, the divisive state of many nations and the potential downfall of the Western economy dwindle in comparison to this shocking news. What will we do without these beautiful and interesting creatures when they adorn our screens no more? It’s unthinkable. How will we cope with this ‘new normal?’ I’m sorry, I cannot write anymore… my eyes are filling up, I can’t breathe, I apologise profusely. My world is about to end. What sort of a future will now transpire? Life will never be the same again!

Another innovative musician passes

In July Peter Green, Fleetwood Mac co-founder, died aged 73. He formed Fleetwood Mac with drummer Mick Fleetwood in 1967. He was a gifted guitarist and wrote some brilliant songs including the very recognisable instrumental track Albatross, which remains the band's only number one hit. Other early hits included Black Magic Woman and Oh Well. He left the band in 1970 with mental health problems due to too much LSD, a story so very familiar, and a spookily similar story to that of Pink Floyd founder and songwriter Syd Barrett at around the same time.

It was fitting that earlier this year artists including Mick Fleetwood, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons and guitarists Jonny Lang and Andy Fairweather Low performed at the London Palladium in a gig celebrating the early years of Fleetwood Mac.

Drugs! How many talented, beautiful and creative souls have crashed and burned due to their influence? And how many more will there be? I’m not sure any more about Neil Young’s famous line “It’s better to burn out, than to fade away.” Why do either?

top left: a selection of BBC sport commentators; above: Peter Green circa 1969; left: the Kardashians

He was perhaps more to the point when he earlier wrote “I’ve seen the needle and the damage done/ a little part of it in everyone/ but every junkie’s like a setting sun.”

Lockdown notes (3) The Show Must Go On!

The Jive Aces, the UK’s No.1 Jive and Swing band delivered over 140 consecutive live-streamed concerts during lockdown from their West Sussex studio. They have featured special star guests, including Strictly’s Len Goodman, Officer Crabtree from Allo Allo and Kevin McNally from Pirates of the Caribbean – all making ‘virtual’ appearances on the shows. Over 140 hours of music, banter and fun, have included requests, competitions, comedy and a popular ‘boogiewoogie challenge’.

Fans streamed daily from all over the world. Live audience participation became a key part of the shows. One couple created red T-shirts with the logo "Jive Stream, The #Show Must Go On" and sent them in to use as competition prizes. Another fan created a detailed Lego version of the Red Brick studio including the band and their instruments!

Ian Clarkson, lead singer of the band said: "When all our upcoming shows, including a US tour, had to be cancelled, many of our fans asked us to do a live stream – so we tried it out. Word spread, we continued, and the live audience grew daily, with hundreds of song requests, ideas and positive comments sent in. We realised that in these unprecedented times, this was how music fans could still follow their favourite bands, and we encouraged other musicians and performers to do the same". He added: "We play in London a lot, like Ronnie Scott’s or The 100 Club and we can't wait to go back out on tour again performing live to see our fans. Meantime, the live stream is great to keep in touch with our fans, old and new!"

above: Lockdown image by Klaudia Piaskowska; below: The Jive Aces outside their Sussex studio