The Art of Giving creative gift ideas for the festive season
creative talent revealed plus autumn festivals art fairs & meet the makers galleries & exhibitions live music, theatre & dance book reviews & poetry creative courses & workshops
south downs and high weald : issue 45: autumn 2024
spotlight on: the art of giving visual arts & contemporary crafts performing arts autumn festivals poetry, prose & illustration creative courses & workshops coda
who’s who & what’s what
editor Gill Kaye editor.ingenue@gmail.com sales & marketing Roger Kaye roger.ingenue@gmail.com 07583 944546 subscriptions subscribe@ingenuemagazine.co.uk online www.ingenuemagazine.co.uk
Imperial Classical Ballet returns to our theatres this autumn with two classic ballets, Swan Lake (pictured) and The Nutcracker. Turn to page 48 to read more and for further details visit www.imperial-ballet.com
"if it's not in ingénu/e ...it's not
Greetings dear reader! Our autumn issue has at its heart the message of choosing creative gifts for the festive season; so achieving enjoyable shopping, delighted giftees and supported creatives all in one fell swoop. Meanwhile, here are some musings: I saw this recent post on social media from the Self Publishing Support Group: "What makes you officially an author? And when are you allowed to tell people you're an author?"
Fascinating! The responses were numerous and varied. Each person has their own interpretation. I decided to look it up. The dictionary definition of author: ‘the writer of a book, article etc; a person whose profession is writing’; and the etymology – it’s from the Anglo-French ‘autour’ inventor, from the Latin. And the dictionary definition of writer: ‘someone who writes, especially a professional author of books’; etymology – Old English ‘writan’ to scratch, score, cut. So there you have it!! Keep on scratching, scoring, cutting and above all, inventing!
Which leads me to my next comment.
In Coda Roger mentions AI and its potential impact on society. A contentious issue that has both fervent supporters and passionate naysayers. I remain sceptical. If all the IT boffins have been beavering away for the last few decades trying to create some thing that thinks and can interact with humans I have news for them. It has already been done. Ask any mother.
I remember when I was a kid that poetry was something done by floppy-haired pasty-faced young men in times gone by, something to be sniggered at and, if having poetic aspirations oneself, to be slightly embarrassed about. But in more recent times and with National Poetry Day adding kudos to this artform, it has risen from the doldrums and is once again cool.
To echo Roger's comment in Coda about coming across the odd gem in the incessant stream of nonsense spouted by social media, I stumbled upon the poem 'The First Step' by author Sophie Diener. It was read by internet influencer @Stage_Door_Johnny in his trademark mellifluous tones; it gave me goosebumps and is the perfect message for anyone nervous about embarking on any creative endeavour, faced with that blank canvas, the empty page with cursor blinking in anticipation, or stage that seems the size of a football pitch... do yourself a favour and check it out on Instagram.
And then these two posts caught my eye: 'I think everyone whose response to the financial struggles of an artist is "well, you should have gone into tech or something useful" should have to go 30 days with no reading, no TV, no movies, no museum visits, no video games, no theatre, and have arts stripped from all their other experiences... no music in restaurants, at sporting events, bars, stores, nothing. No audio books or podcasts or music on their commute. After 30 days deprived of all contributions of artists, I would be interested to know if anyone would still say artists were drains on society and unworthy of life.'
I rest my case!
–Gill Kaye, editor
"Without art, the crudeness of reality would be unbearable" –George Bernard Shaw
“I think this concept is obvious to those who are in the arts but it took a pandemic to make this more obvious to everyone else. It was the arts that got most of us through it. Art defines culture. All the ancient civilisations on Earth are known to us mostly via the art that they left us. And producing art or supporting art is the thing that elevates mankind above the mundane harshnesses of life.
“This issue of ingénu/e is focusing on the art of giving so I simply wanted to thank everyone who supports arts and artists. Not just by buying paintings, going to theatre shows, buying books etc., but also those who simply tell artists how they feel about what they do. Social media has made it easy to do this. When you like a book or painting or a piece of music –write to the person who made it and tell them so! Not everyone is in the arts but we can all contribute to the beauty of the world by empowering those who make art. And this is always a blow against the ‘crudeness of reality’ and is what keeps most of us alive!”
Gill Bustamante, artist and art tutor www.gillbustamante.com
So there you have it. The very purpose of ingénu/e expressed so eloquently by Gill Bustamante. You have the power to make Christmas special for not only the recipient of your gift, but the maker of it as well.
Incidentally, you might be wondering why I've chosen this gloriously summery image to head up this feature. Simple. We had such a lousy summer I just wanted to hang on to it for a little longer, and what could be more cheerful on chilly damp days than the sight of a Sussex river clothed in all its July glory. pictured at top: Gill Bustamante, July By The River
Horsebridge Centre, Whitstable, 9th–21st October
It’s going to be a busy autumn for the eleven talented painters, potters, jewellers, printmakers and glassmakers from the ArtSpring Gallery in Tonbridge. As well as welcoming visitors to their friendly gallery they are also exhibiting for the second time at the Horsebridge Centre in Whitstable from 9th to 21st October.
“We’re really excited to be exhibiting at the Horsebridge again,” says Colin Anderson, who is one of the Artspring artists. “As well as exhibiting the work of current members there will also be work by
members from the past. It will be lovely to meet up and collaborate again and it’s going to be a vibrant colourful exhibition.”
Then, pausing briefly to take a breath, it will be time to prepare for Christmas! The gallery offers highly individualised pieces that make the perfect present for someone special – from inspiring ceramics to rich paintings, from skilful prints to shining glass and enamel jewellery.
It’s going to be an exciting time – can’t wait to see you! Visit: www.artspringgallery.co.uk to find out more or shop online.
19th & 20th October
This year’s Horsham Artists Contemporary Art Fair promises to be a vibrant, inspiring mix of artistic styles, with members using many different types of media. 44 artists will be showcasing their work, from paintings in watercolour, oil and acrylic, to 3D work in ceramics, jewellery, textiles and sculpture.
There will be a wide choice of items for sale with prices to suit all budgets, from large original pieces to smaller items to treat yourself or a friend. And whether you’re looking to buy – or just looking –all are welcome.
The artists are always happy to chat about their work. For those interested in more detail about the creative process there will be four free demonstrations each day. This year’s demonstrations include jewellery and textile design, painting and astrophotography!
Visitors to each event comment on the quality and variety of work on display, and many local art lovers return to the fair each year. Horsham Artists are a highly inclusive group, welcoming both professional and emerging artists. For up-to-the-minute information, visit the website: https://horshamartists.org/ where you can sign-up for the Horsham Artists’ newsletter and follow Horsham Artists on Instagram and Facebook @horshamartists.
Jola Spytkowska returns as October guest artist
Get inspired at Shoreham Art Gallery this season and discover a diverse range of original work by Shoreham’s collective of 20 local Artists and Makers plus guest artists.
Back by popular demand this October is our Guest Artist, ceramicist Jola Spytkowska, with her latest collection 'Ceramic Critters', an exhibition featuring quirky, colourful and unique ceramic pieces; mini beasts, bags of character, hybrid creatures and planters. Jola’s work is always guaranteed to bring a smile to your face!
Throughout November and December we will be featuring some unique pieces by different Gallery artists: mosaics, ceramics, paintings, prints, jewellery, textiles, turned wood, sculpture, glass and many more, so you are sure to find some perfect presents;
functional, fun or just to admire.
We are very much part of the Shoreham Community with lots of special events in Shoreham from now until Christmas, so why not combine your visit to the Gallery with exploring our historic and entertaining town.
To find out more about what’s going on visit www.shorehamgallery.co.uk/news or subscribe to our monthly newsletter. Find us just south of Shoreham-by-Sea railway station where a warm welcome by our friendly artists always awaits!
Christmas show launch 16th & 17th November
in the heart of beautiful, historic Smarden, West End House is a contemporary gallery showing original artworks including paintings, ceramics, prints, sculpture, jewellery and glass. The gallery is warm and friendly, with inspiring work at all prices.
Everyone is welcome and it is fully accessible to people with disabilities, including wheelchair users.
Please join owners Karen and Patricia for mulled wine and festive treats the weekend of Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th November to celebrate the start of their Christmas show. With the wonderful eclectic mix of work on display you are sure to find the perfect gift. It is a great opportunity to shop local and support the art community.
The show continues until Christmas Eve and the gallery is open every Thursday to Sunday from 10am until 4pm at Water Lane, Smarden, Kent TN27 8QB. email: girls@westendhousegallery.co.uk website: www.westendhousegallery.co.uk
FB: @2westendgirls IG: @westendhousegallery
Weekends 30th November to 15th December
The Winter Artists Open Houses are back this festive season with over sixty houses to explore right across Brighton & Hove and out to Newhaven and Hurstpierpoint. The whole city, and beyond, comes alive for three weekends, with arts and crafts displayed in a vast array of artists and makers homes and studios.
The focus of the winter festival is Christmas, with venues selling a range of artworks and handmade crafts as unique gifts. Many houses also offer a glass of something mulled, as well as the opportunity to meet the makers – all in all, a perfect outing for a winter weekend.
This winter, visit the Open Houses to discover new arts and crafts from Sussex makers, meet members of the local creative community and support a fantastic range of artists and makers across the city and beyond.
This year's festival covers weekends 30th November to 15th December. Houses are also listed online, so you can choose an area of the city and region to explore by simply looking for your favourites on https://aoh.org.uk/ or follow along on social media.
Saturday 30th November, 10am to 5pm
Ifyou love buying original, creative gifts for Christmas, visit the Artists & Makers Fair in Lewes. With over eighty carefully curated professional artists and makers selling a diverse range of original arts, crafts and gifts of the highest quality, it’s a chance to find thoughtful Christmas gifts for even the hardest to buy for, whilst supporting local businesses.
Tickets are now on sale for the opening night on Friday, where you can shop from all the stalls first. With a festive bar, complete with local sparkling and cocktails, and delicious food from the ever-popular Feature Kitchen, it’s the perfect way to kick off your Christmas shopping.
The main Fair runs on Saturday 30th November, with a café serving hot drinks, top-notch cakes from chef Richard Falk, soups, quiches and of course, mulled wine. There’s a creative kids activity, a jewellery workshop, and this year we will be celebrating Lewes-based authors with a local talent book stall. TIP: Don’t miss the Tombola… some gorgeous finds from all the stalls.
Opening night Friday 29th November 6.00–8.30pm.
Main Fair Saturday 30th November 10am–5pm. Lewes Town Hall, High Street, Lewes. BN7 2QS Buy tickets at www.artistsandmakersfair.com and for latest news follow @artistsandmakers on Instagram.
exhibiting during November
Vee’s designs are about the wild world she walks in every day on the South Downs. From seeds and leaves to flowers, berries and grasses, all Vee’s beautiful silver jewellery is hand-made. She loves to incorporate semi-precious stones and beads to add colour.
Vee will be exhibiting at the Goodworth Clatford Art & Craft weekend on 1st to 3rd November along with a group of other painters, ceramicists, glass makers and textile artists. Open 2pm to 7pm on Friday 1st November and 10am to 4pm on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd at Goodworth Clatford Village Hall, Village Street, Goodworth Clatford SP11 7RE.
On the weekend of 23rd & 24th November, Vee will be opening her house for a Christmas Fair along with five other artists. There will be a photographer, painter, ceramicist and textile artist as well as tea and cakes. If you would like an invitation, please contact Vee below.
Vee makes a lot of her jewellery to commission. She enjoys working with customers, discussing designs and choosing stones with them. If you would like a piece of Vee’s jewellery as a unique gift this Christmas, please contact her on www.vpjewellery.co.uk or at peasevm@gmail.com.
Highdown Christmas Market, 2nd December
Emma currently works as a secondary school Art teacher at The Weald School in Billingshurst. She enjoys spending spare time in her garden studio where she can escape the stresses of the day and create a botanical world of joy. Her degree in surface and textile design initiated her passion for all things flora, enhanced by working freelance and then as an interior designer for Laura Ashley.
Emma now works predominantly with acrylic paints to create floral expressions on canvas. Her work encourages you to delve into layers of painted surface while she enhances floral form through negative space and captures a sense of identity.
“I often feel my works reflect and investigate female personalities through colour palette, floral preference and personal style. I also enjoy the treasured moments or events that are synonymous with flora and wish to capture cherished memories and bring this sense of celebration to our interior spaces”.
Emma hopes to embrace festivities this year with the same intention at The Highdown Christmas Market on 2nd December, 4pm to 9pm, where a range of work from original canvases, giclee prints, gift cards, bespoke baubles and mini originals will be available for the gifting season. To see more of Emma's work visit www.emmapalmerart.co.uk
top: Emma Palmer, Livia
Make sure no one gets socks this year!
7th December 10.30am to 4pm
Join us on 7th December for Steyning Arts annual gift fair. Steer clear of shopping centres and choose instead to spend your time with us perusing the creative delights on offer. Avoid mass produced consumables and discover unique items to express your love and appreciation for everyone on your gift list. Find original art works, jewellery, ceramics, metal work and textile pieces all created with care by local artists. Every carefully crafted item will bring joy and create lasting memories and connections.
Meet the artists you’re buying from. Learn about their processes, inspirations and leave knowing your gorgeous gifts are supporting small independent businesses. And if the shopping gets too much treat yourself to some holiday refreshments in our pop up café run by and in support of local charity SAFeR.
Don’t miss out on this festive celebration of art and creativity!
Follow us on facebook.com/steyningarts for updates. 7th December, 10.30 to 4pm at Steyning Centre, Fletchers Croft, Steyning BN44 3XZ.
top: Greta Meeten, textile artist; below: Polly Whyte, ceramics
Your Secret Santa may be happy with comedy socks this festive season but the special people in your life might feel a little disgruntled if they receive a pair as well. My unique artwork and workshops are a great way to demonstrate how much you connect with and appreciate your loved ones.
My colourful landscape prints are a thoughtful way to bring the outside in. Prices start at £25 and unframed prints can be posted directly with a gift message.
Want it framed as well? Order early and I can frame, wrap and keep your artwork for collection right up till the 23rd of December.
Know they love my work but not sure which picture to buy? Digital gift vouchers are a great option especially if you’ve left things a bit late.
Gifting time with my Art Workshop vouchers is a wonderful way to show the busy creatives in your life how much you care and understand them.
Why not join them at a workshop and gift them a little bit of your time as well.
Shop online for artwork, vouchers and workshops at www.sduffieldart.co.uk Shop in person at Gallery BN5, Henfield, throughout November and December.
Owen Legg, Jaskolino jigsaw
exhibition at Trinity Arts, Tunbridge Wells 6th to 17th November
Fractured Images is the theme for this his third annual exhibition at Trinity by Owen Legg.
As we analyse an object, we look at it bit by bit and put it together on canvas or paper. Although starting out as a painter sixty years ago Owen now mainly uses paper to print linocuts. An early painting of his garden shows it broken up into separate little pictures. Later jigsaws are used to break up the image.
More recently this has been achieved by using magnetic pieces so that viewers can alter the comoposition.
Find Owen on Facebook @woodcraftpress and for more information about the exhibition visit www.trinitytheatre.net/events/owen-legg-thefragmentation-of-the-image
Gallery BN5 is an artist run gallery, where art is a passion for each of our artists. Our work changes each month so there is much to see within the gallery. It really is a must to visit when you are in Henfield, but if we happen to be closed, our website and windows are always open for browsing!
And please do feel free to contact us via our website or info@gallerybn5.co.uk with any queries. There is such a lovely variety of goods that make wonderful gifts for a special person, a special occasion or even, just to treat yourself!
We believe that the art of giving is a gift in itself, it is not the price spent on a present, it is the choosing and giving of a gift that will light up the person’s face when they receive what you have chosen with care especially for them. It is not to receive one back, or to receive something that didn’t cost the same as your purchase, it simply does not matter. The feeling that you have given to someone a gift that you have thought about and taken time out of your busy day to think about what they would like, what would please, what would cheer, is always to be cherished.
With Christmas around the corner, this is a fabulous place to find an extra special present!
Visit www.gallerybn5.co.uk for more information about the gallery and our artists, and for regular updates find us on social media @gallerybn5.
Esther Newnham Brown, Fungus Frolics, at GalleryBN5
A small contemporary gallery space with a big heart
Summer is over and the leaves are starting to change colour, it is time to think of what winter brings. The festive season is a time to meet up with friends and family, many of us exchanging gifts. What is more pleasing than choosing something for a loved one that gives pleasure. Especially something that be kept forever to remind each other of a special memory or time spent together. The best gifts can often be ones we buy for ourselves.
Here in 'the little art gallery' in West Wittering we have a variety of objects of varying styles and prices from our clever artists which make unique gifts.
Why not take a walk on our beautiful beach or Chichester Harbour and come to visit us. Check our website for opening times. We often only open at weekends but we are happy to open at any time. Just let us know you are wanting to visit and we will open. Ring Stephen on 07779 279963 or email Linda@thelittleartgallery.online. We may not be far away but as the village can be very quiet it makes more sense to be at home or, in Linda’s case, working in her studio or workshop making more enamels, jewellery, printmaking or painting.
Meanwhile check us out on social media or google www.thelittleartgallery.online
top: enamelled pots, the little art gallery
Asa professional garden photographer, Dianna has supplied botanical imagery for over twenty years to magazines worldwide, such as Gardens Illustrated, The English Garden and Country Living, to name a few.
Her own personal work grew in the form of dark botanical art, inspired by old vintage educational posters for their dark backgrounds and accurate detail, and the work of Pierre-Joseph Redouté, for simplicity of form.
She seeks to convey optimism with the message of ‘Light in the Darkness.’ Her photography career was borne out of a dark time when she began to study photography as a diversion and where an exciting new career flourished. Photographically, a dark background illuminates the beautiful textures, exquisite details, and colours of her florals; details we might miss as we walk through a garden.
She also likes to work with local British flower farmers to source her subjects, believing that flowers that grow together usually look wonderful together, proving that Nature is the best designer.
Dianna’s work has appeared at The Affordable Art Fairs at Battersea and Hampstead with Will’s Art Warehouse since 2021. If you are seeking an unusual and striking gift idea visit www.mybotanicalheart.com and @my_botanical_heart
if we are lucky, are a part of all our lives, but on both the giving and the receiving end we all know that getting it right can be a minefield.
ages, tastes and budgets, with plenty of inexpensive gift ideas served up alongside fabulous festive food and drinks. Stop by for morning coffee, a light lunch or afternoon tea and make your Christmas shopping trip an experience to enjoy in itself.
If you find you are spoilt for choice or simply can't decide, we have gift vouchers available and custommade stockings to slip them in.
Make this a Christmas to remember... come and shop in style at The Lighthouse!
Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm. We will also be open on Sunday 17th and 24th November as part of the Eastbourne Artist Open Houses.
19 Cornfield Terrace, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 4NS. Call us on 07748 354879. Follow us on social media for details of demonstrations and workshops: @lighthousegalleryeastbourne
Here at The Lighthouse Gallery we understand how important it is to help you find just the right thing to tuck under the tree. After all, what could be better than something handmade by a local artist or maker? Your support for independent local business is invaluable and a vital boost to the local economy, most especially at this time of year. Having celebrated our third birthday in September, we are now looking forward to our fourth Christmas, and every year it's getting bigger, better and dare we say it, sparklier!
With the perfect setting in our beautiful period building, we love creating a magical atmosphere, with our vintage Santa waiting to welcome you at the door. We are proud to take part in the Eastbourne Christmas Window Dressing competition and a lot of time and effort goes into creating windows with the wow factor. Will we win this year? We'll have to wait and see.
Inside you'll find work by twenty-five local artists and makers, including paintings, lino prints, ceramics, wood, fused glass, silver jewellery, textiles and more. There's truly something for everyone. We cater to all
7th to 9th November
Vestry Hall, Cranbrook TN17 3HA
The Cranbrook Art Show has giving at its core and is set up to showcase a wealth of local talent.
Many artists have played a part in the Cranbrook Art Show's rich history and next year it will be celebrating its 30th Anniversary. The Exhibition is also free to visit, giving everyone the opportunity to enjoy the exhibition and the wealth of talent on show. Art has the power to change your mood and lift the spirits, so what better way to spend an hour or two, surrounded by the wonderful work selected for the show.
The positive impact on our well-being from having Art in our environment has been well documented and to my mind this makes Art an essential rather than a luxury. The exhibition is filled with original works, from painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramic, glass, jewellery, sculpture and something for every budget.
Original artwork delivers just that little bit more, the texture, surface, scale and most importantly the gift of how it makes you feel every time you see it. The Cranbrook Art Show is filled with original works
for sale, to add that unique touch to your home or even dare I say a very special gift for the fast approaching festive season. Whilst originals have a very special quality that cannot be underestimated, many of our artists also offer reproduction giclee prints to enable you to take home your favourite artwork, or even a beautiful greetings card to pop in a frame or send on and continue the giving.
Visit www.cranbrookartshow.org.uk for more info.
left: Katie Whitbread, Hydrangeas Annabelle; below left: Jade Taylor, The Treasure Seekers (The Waxwings part II)
AtPrint in Time it seems the build up to Christmas has already started.
Guy and Timi are already seeing an increase of pictures coming in to be framed, which is a regular feature of the end of the year.
With extra facilities already set up, they are more than happy to help people get their pictures framed – be it family photographs, artworks bought while on holiday, or that treasured piece that has been waiting to be done for a while... Contact Print in Time for any framing needs you have.
Giving art for Christmas – as indeed with any time of the year – is a definite way to bring some more positivity and joy into the world.
And artists – get in touch, some of your work can go up in the front of the shop where there is now a regular 'artist of the month' display.
Of course at this time there is also always the need to get something printed: leaflets, promotional posters, t-shirts and not forgetting personal Christmas cards –order early so they can go out on time!
More info at www.print-in-time.co.uk; email printintime@hotmail.com or call 01342 328653 below: Print In Time - preserving precious memories
Bryony Hill is Sussex-born and after living in France and London returned to the county in the mid-1980s with her late husband, television sports presenter Jimmy Hill, where she continues to paint, write, cook and grow vegetables.
This has been an eventful year with several books due to be published one of which, 'Robins in my Kitchen' (The Book Guild), will be out in time for Christmas. It tells the story of England's favourite bird which, with Bryony's care and help, successfully raised a family of four on a pine shelf in her kitchen and is packed with over eighty delightful illustrations.
The highlight of the year was when the Royal Academy of Arts accepted a monoprint of her greatnephew Indi to be included in the Summer Exhibition; much to Bryony's delight it sold straight away on the first Private Viewing day.
Happy to take on commissions, and willing to try her hand at more or less anything, Bryony continues to experiment with different media and techniques including watercolour, acrylic and gelli printing using her garden, animals, birds and children as inspiration. Her work can be found on www. bryonyhill.com
Lockhart Smith is a dynamic mixed-media abstract artist known for her innovative and expressive works that blend acrylic paint and printing techniques. Her art features bold colours, textured surfaces, and layered compositions, reflecting a passion for experimentation and exploration; drawing inspiration from the colours and shapes surrounding us, from a single flower, a cup on a table, the Sussex countryside and even industrial buildings and road systems.
In addition to her creative practice, Hattie is a dedicated educator, sharing her love of printmaking through small, friendly workshops. Her teaching approach emphasises the importance of discovery, encouraging students to embrace the unexpected outcomes that often arise in printmaking; introducing students to a wide range of printing techniques, including monoprinting, gelli plate, and collagraph, whilst fostering an environment which is relaxed and fun where creativity can flourish.
Hattie has recently teamed up with three other Sussex artists – Melissa Birch, Sarah Duffield and Polly Finch to form 'Space to Create'. They will be running regular group workshops at Beeding Village Hall where participants will be able to try several techniques in one day.
Original work by Hattie can be viewed at Shoreham Art Gallery, BN43 5WA; follow her on social media @hattielockhartsmith or visit her website for information on classes and contact details: www.hattielockhartsmith.co.uk
Artisan Gallery Chichester showcases twenty-five established and emerging local artists: a friendly group looking forward to welcoming you. Come and discover treasures within our vibrant gallery.
We celebrate original art and design, inspired by our local surroundings: the wonderful city of Chichester, the South Coast and Downs and the wildlife that can be found here.
We each have a bespoke space where we showcase original artwork. The work is for sale, ready to adorn your home, or to become a unique gift for someone special. A must-visit when thinking about gifting in the Festive Season.
Our artists and makers hail from West Sussex and Hampshire and create unique and intriguing paintings, watercolours, oil paintings with Dutch guild, collage, printmaking, illustrations, sculpture, pottery, wood turning, artisan jewellery, textile design, paper art and other decorative arts with a contemporary flare and niche themes.
A space is set aside each month for a guest artist to hire, allowing work to be exhibited for a shorter time. This opportunity helps promote artists and makers new to the area; those starting out in the art world; others not yet ready to commit to a permanent space.
We’ve just celebrated our first year being a permanent gallery, having originally opened in 2022 as a thriving 'pop-up' gallery, and now restructured as a co-operative run by artists for local artists and makers.
We really look forward to welcoming you to our gallery so please pop in for a warm welcome and discover what we have been creating.
Artisan Gallery Chichester, 58 North Street, Chichester PO19 1NB. Open currently 7 days a week from 10am to 4pm. Contact us by email at artisangallerychichester@hotmail.com
Follow @artisangallerychichester on Instagram and Facebook for exciting updates. www.artisangallerychichester.com
above:
Raku Koru - Claudi Barratt
Landscape - Paula Chuter-Baker
Turquoise necklace - Katherine Lawrie
Glass earrings - Heidi Robinson
left:
Kingfisher watercolour - Frans de Leij
Porcelain pot - Heather Muir
Wooden bowl - Colin Norgate
Ceramic bowl - Marise Rose
My current work utilises the colours and textures of glass fusing materials and techniques as a fine art medium, an intuitive and painterly response to an image or drawing, further enhanced by the surprises created during the glass firing process.
I create my artworks by working with granules of coloured glass and glass painting enamels, layering translucent glass colours and utilising the textures and effects unique to glass, adding and firing sometimes several layers and times to create a feeling of depth.
I've recently moved to a studio in West Dean village near Chichester, which is open to the public four days a week. Visitors can pop in and see my work in progress, and my finished pieces are available to view and purchase.
This year's Christmas creations include tree decorations, tea light holders, and candle lanterns. Follow me on Instagram @artworksstudiouk
Worthing-based artist David Holt specialises in portraits and is gearing up for the festive season. “Whilst a portrait 'isn't just for Christmas', it is, nevertheless, an ideal yuletide gift for someone special. This, of course, is also true for any occasion throughout the year,” says David.
“Many of the portrait commissions I receive are from people seeking a unique present for a birthday, wedding or anniversary. Others are memorial portraits of loved ones or much missed pets. Sometimes they are commissioned just in order to have one.
These days when we nearly all have a camera in our pocket and hundreds, if not thousands, of photographs to browse through, I have found there is a real appreciation for my hand drawn portraits, capturing not just a likeness but the character of the subject too.
To find out more visit my studio at East Beach Studios, Worthing (and see many other artists and makers), check out my Instagram @davidholtart or contact me on 07917 802296.”
below: David Holt, 'Steve'
Botanically inspired artist/printmaker and art facilitator
Julia travelled extensively as a child before honing her craft in various prestigious establishments in London then settling down in Sussex. Julia grew up fascinated by the work of Arthur Rackham, which influences her work today. She strives to achieve a sense of space in her art and a childlike, ethereal quality.
“I love the subtle colours that Rackham used,” says Julia. “The style was whimsical in that he would portray fairies and mythical creatures, yet the pictures could also be dark and scary when they needed to be.”
At her heart she is an experimental artist and feels plants have brought her closer to nature, making her own botanical inks and experimenting with the elements with the use of cyanotype and natural pigments. “I love the Sussex countryside, my work is focused on insects and plants and I take a lot of photographs whilst out walking and take home plants that catch my eye.” She plans to run one-to-one art workshops for nature-inspired classes from her studio in Fulking, and will be running a herbal-inspired art retreat in Portugal late next Summer/Autumn.
Julia also feels her work as a biodynamic cranial therapist informs her approach to her artwork. She recently started collaborating and co-running retreat days in the Yoga Garden at the Knepp Estate, running art workshops in the afternoon following the morning yoga sessions. She also runs cyanotype workshops at Sussex Prairie Gardens, and will be exhibiting at Stanmer House Makers Fair in November. For more details and to find out about her £65 gift voucher offers see advert on p.27, and to see her news page and mailing list visit www.juliawhiteart.co.uk
fabulous range of affordable art
Whatbetter gift to give someone than something special from Chalk Gallery Lewes?
As we approach the season of giving our member artists always think about ensuring there is a wonderful range of affordable art that visitors can buy as gifts, whether it is a fantastic selection of original Christmas cards; affordable and unique ceramics; paintings and prints to suit all budgets as well as gift vouchers to spend in the gallery.
We always enjoy talking to visitors about what might suit their loved ones as gifts and look forward to
welcoming you during this season. Remember also that our online shop has a wide range of work available to buy, so do visit www. chalkgallerylewes. co.uk
Discover Hattie’s vibrant paintings or join one of her small and supportive printing classes for adults
hattielockhartsmith.co.uk @hattielockhartsmith
www.mybotanicalheart.com @my_botanical_heart
Botanical artist and painter
Botanical artist and painter
emmapalmerart.co.uk insta: epaart2021
emmapalmerart.co.uk insta: epaart2021
See me: Monday 2nd Dec 4 -9pm at The Highdown Christmas market, Littlehampton Road BN126FB
See me: Monday 2nd Dec, 4-9 at The Highdown Christmas Market, Littlehampton Rd, BN12 6FB
on a journey of discovery, experimenting with different media and genres from painting to printmaking and abstracts to wildlife and portraits.
“You have tremendous talent. These paintings will brighten my days.”
•Working studio with resident glass artist
•Fused glass art and silver jewellery
•Usually open 10am – 3pm Wednesday to Saturday
•Opposite West Dean Village Stores and cafe
Nancy Goodens
Artworks Studio 99 West Dean Chichester, PO18 0QY
T: 07766 919231
E: artworks01@aol.com
IG: @artworksstudiouk
www.gillbustamante.com
www.facebook.com/GillBustamanteArtist
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SussexPaintings
Visit ArtSpring in Whitstable
For two weeks in October, all our artists will be exhibiting at The Horsebridge in Whitstable, so come along and say hello.
ArtSpring
Weekends, 30 November-15 December
11 Horsebridge Road, Whitstable, Kent CT5 1AF
9–21 October 2024, 9am–5pm (closed Tuesday, Sunday 11am–4pm)
Visit the gallery and artworks by
High Street Henfield B N5 9DB www.gallerybn5.co.uk
Enquiries : info@gallerybn5.co.uk
Bespoke glass and stainless steel garden pieces made on the south coast
Ongley-Snook Designs
www.ongley-snookdesigns.com
@ongleysnook.designs
Bespoke glass and stainless steel garden pieces made on the south coast
@ongley-snookdesigns
www.ongley-snookdesigns • 07989 074641
Botanically inspired artist/printmaker and art facilitator Julia White is offering £65.00 gift vouchers towards her private classes; her nature-inspired creative workshops at Sussex Prairie Gardens; and her yoga & painting day retreats with Rebecca Oura at The Yoga Garden on the Knepp Estate. Message Julia via website or Instagram to order your voucher.
Make your own hedgerow print at Hedgerows & Harvest 12 & 13 October at Weald & Downland Living Museum
See Julia’s work at The Maker’s Fair, Stanmer House, Brighton, 30 November –1 December
All details: www.juliawhiteart.co.uk where prints of her work are also available. Follow on Instagram @juliawhiteart
by Lesley Samms
Artists talking about their unique journey
In this issue we feature self-taught oil painter Liliana Dobbs, who is currently presenting her art work as part of the Hush exhibition with Pure Arts Group at the Bannatyne Hotel and Spa, Hastings. Now open to the public, the exhibition will run until 16 March 2025, offering art lovers an opportunity to experience her evocative landscapes alongside the art work of other Pure member artists.
Raised on the sub-tropical island of Madeira, Liliana finds inspiration in the natural world, using abstract expressionism to channel the energy and emotion of landscapes she encounters. Her current collection, influenced by her recent travels to Italy, captures the essence of time and place through abstract compositions.
“My work is informed by the landscape, and an important part of my creative process is to capture the essence of a specific time and place. I use abstraction as it helps me represent the energy of the place and my emotional reaction to it; I find this more exciting than creating a re-iteration of the landscape.
“My oils are intrinsic to my practice alongside my Princeton painting tools. Currently I am working on various pieces inspired by trips to Italy. It is one of my favourite destinations and I want to create a record of my experiences.
“Making a living from art is not easy, but, my advice to all those who aspire to this goal would be to practice like mad, maintain your integrity throughout and collaborate with other artists; the other pieces will eventually come together.”
In addition to this exhibition, Liliana also exhibited with Pure Arts Group at the prestigious Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, where she successfully sold several pieces. Balancing her art practice with a career in the City, Liliana's artistic journey is shaped by her connection to nature and the mentorship of figures like Pure Founder Lesley Samms.
Visitors to Hush can expect a contemplative and immersive experience, with Liliana’s oil paintings offering moments of quiet reflection.
To see more of Liliana's art work please visit www.pureartsgroup.co.uk and her own website www.lilianadobbsart.com
£4.50 to £9
Free for Towner Members & Under 25s ‘Pay what you can’ selected dates
m: 07703 452554 t: 01323 724229 | penniespetportraits@gmail.com @penniespetportraits | www.penniespetportraits.co.uk Our pets mean so much to us and a portrait celebrates the unique bond between us
The Only Way is Sussex at Gallery@42 Pennie’s Pet Portraits at Gallery@42 Commission the artist for that special gift Gallery@42, South Street, Eastbourne, BN21 4XB
An exhibition of work by Lindy Dunbar • Kathy Russell Alan Taylor • Richard K Potter Sue Smith • Jackie Hulford Robert Stevens • Pennie Cunliffe-Lister • Firouzeh Le Magueresse; incorporates Eastbourne Christmas Open Studios 16 October to 31 December Friday to Sunday 12-6pm, late openings Thurs 12-8pm
Private view by invitation only @galleryat42 w: galleryat42.co.uk
Did you know that motor racing started in Bexhill on 19th May 1902 where MGs and strap top Bentleys hurtled at 54mph along the seafront? Artist Alan Taylor is captivated by this period.
Or that in 1915 occupational therapy started in a military hospital in Old Camp Road, Eastbourne, where up to 3000 soldiers were sent to recover from the vile experiences of trench warfare. The men learned metalwork, embroidery, and basket weaving. This closed in 1922, but its value continues to be recognised right up to the present day.
Winnie the Pooh and his game of Pooh Sticks comes from the village of Harting in the midst of the Hundred Acre Wood in the Ashdown Forest. There are deer roaming free on the Forest and on the Downs behind Jevington and Alfriston, which, captured in flood by Richard K Potter, was once the smugglers' capital along with the Cinque Ports, the head ports having corporate limbs, Rye, Hastings, Pevensey, Seaford, and Newhaven along the coast. There are tunnels still under Eastbourne leading down to the seashore so that barrels of brandy and other highly taxed booty could be illegally brought in. The Lamb Inn and Fairfield Lodge are two with such tunnels still integral to their structure. The Battle of Hastings was actually fought on the 14th October 1066 at Battle some way out of Hastings. The first churches built by the Normans were in Sussex, in Pevensey. Author of Britain's favourite poem 'IF' and 'Jungle Book', Rudyard Kipling's home was Batemans, whose infamous pond has been caught by Pennie Cunliffe-Lister Erich Mendeldohn designed the now contemporary arts centre, De la Warr Pavillion in Bexhill, described by Spike Milligan as a “fine modern building with absolutely no architectural merit at all...opened just in time to be bombed. ...the plane that dropped it was
said to have been chartered by the Royal Institute of Architects, piloted by Sir Hugh Casson and Sir John Betjeman”.
Sussex's most famous artist is Eric Ravilious, a printmaker, etcher, water colourist and painter of the rolling landscape of the Downs. The Long Man of Wilmington, a mysterious and likely ancient figure carved into the hillside was a favourite subject. Lee Miller, the Vogue model turned WWII photographer settled with her husband Surrealist artist Roland Penrose in Chiddingly outside Eastbourne. Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, and the Bloomsbury Group of artists settled in Berwick in Charleston farmhouse and painted murals on all the walls in Berwick church.
Exhibiting artists who have made Sussex their home and its flora having inspired them, include Firouzeh Le Magueresse and her cat Bella; the beauty of the bluebell woods in Arlington or the joy of a walk over the Downs or a dip in the sea as shown by Jackie Hulford; the gardens around Rye are a subject dear to miniaturist artist Kathy Russell. The South Downs is of great geological interest, housing as it does the meandering oxbow Cuckmere River, beloved of exhibiting artists such as Sue Smith; the magnificent Friston Forest, a favourite subject of Pennie Cunliffe-Lister; the long sandy Pevensey beach favoured by Robert Stevens; the glorious colours of Sheffield Park capturing many an artist's imagination.
In 'Atop', Lindy Dunbar evokes Belle Tout, the ethereal, mystical building and crumbling cliffs. Pennie knew Gracie who lived in the lighthouse when her father was the last lighthouse keeper at Belle Tout when the last gas lamps were lit in the tower in 1902. It was moved back from disappearing over the cliff edge during a dramatic live broadcast on BBC's Tomorrow's World programme. pictured at top: Pennie Cunliffe-Lister, Downland
The narrative process of three artists
Carol Wagstaff – painter and sculptor
Caroline Darke – painter
Kate Scott – painter
Wednesday 16th to Sunday 20th October 11am–5pm daily
The Regency Townhouse 13 Brunswick Square, Hove BN3 1EH
www.carolwagstaff.co.uk
www.carolinedarke.com
www.katescottpaintings.com
Will be exhibiting at The Lansdowne Hotel , Eastbourne
Showing our regular artists and new joining artists
On the first weekend of every month in the Martelo Room
From 10am until 5pm With our own entrance
The Lansdowne Hotel
King Edward’s Parade, Eastbourne BN21 4EE info@newart-gallery.co.uk www.newart-gallery.co.uk Tel: 07970 549873
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Carol Wagstaff | Caroline Darke | Kate Scott
The Regency Town House, 13 Brunswick Square, Hove, BN3 1EH 16th to 20th October, 11am–5pm Private View Thursday 17th October, 5–8pm
This exhibition brings together the work of three Sussex-based artists, each offering a unique interpretation of their journey as creators.
Set in the historic Regency Town House, the exhibition not only explores their artistic responses to personal and collective journeys but also reflects on the broader quest for a sense of place. Navigations invites visitors to traverse landscapes – by land, by air, or by sea – as these artists seek to discover their place in the world. Through diverse mediums and styles, the exhibition delves into themes of identity, belonging, and the relationship between environment and self.
Carol Wagstaff is a multidisciplinary, award-winning artist whose work is inspired by the interconnectedness of human impact on our collective landscape. This exhibition will include paintings, drawings, and a large-scale installation dedicated to Ukraine, the 'breadbasket of Europe'. Titled Chaos & Hope, this installation is constructed from hundreds of maize stumps collected in Sussex and assembled into a seven-foot chandelier. Carol has exhibited her work both domestically and internationally, with work featured in numerous collections. www.carolwagstaff.co.uk
Caroline Darke’s work explores and captures the ephemeral energy of fleeting moments she experiences, whether in Sussex, the Cornish landscape she loves, or during her travels further afield. Her palette pays homage to the watery British climate, reflecting both the Sussex landscape and the wilder terrain of the West Country. Caroline's passion for painting and her interest in the St Ives group led her to study at the St Ives School of Painting. She has exhibited widely in the UK, with her work featured in collections both in the UK and internationally. www.carolinedarke.com
Kate Scott is excited to return for this exhibition, following a successful show last autumn. Creating paintings that captivate the viewer, her work is inspired by fleeting moments or recalling a moment in time, place or experience, all of which are woven into her bold, immersive pieces. Music is always playing in her studio, helping her transition from the literal to the abstract language of paint. Kate participated in solo and group shows in London, with work in private collections. Since moving back
to Brighton, she regularly exhibits in the Artists Open Houses, and recently showed in the Rogue Gallery's 'Landscapes (not Landscapes?)'. www.katescottpaintings.com
The day dawned fine – one of those rare autumn days when the breeze is cool but the sun is hot. Perfect for a stroll round Leonardslee Gardens to view Surrey Sculpture Society's sculpture trail.
Evolving from a short term event to a full year-long presence in the award-winning gardens alongside sculptor Anton Smit's gargantuan figures, Surrey Sculpture Society has found, in Leonardslee, a location magnificent enough to showcase the variety of stunning artworks by these skilled sculptors, and so celebrates its 30th anniversary with this ongoing partnership. This exciting collaboration brings a permanent, year-round art walk sculpture trail to life, showcasing the talents of over forty-eight SSS members. More than 120 sculptures, crafted from a diverse range of materials like bronze,
wood, ceramic, stone, and found objects, are strategically placed throughout Leonardslee’s impressive gardens, complementing views and planting alike.
The trail led us through bosky paths that opened out to impressive views of the gardens and landscape beyond. It was fascinating to listen to the artists talking about their work and practice, heightening my understanding and appreciation of each piece. There were so many beautiful, striking, fascinating, arresting sculptures it is impossible to show them all, but here are a few. The reasons to visit Leonardslee are many, but the SSS trail is certainly one of them.
For more details visit www.surreysculpture.org.uk and www.leonardsleegardens.co.uk
top: Graeme Lougher, In Haste & Prowling Wolves, public vote winner
Standen House & Garden is always beautiful, but never more so than when filled with artists and makers on a warm sunny afternoon.
I grew up in a house built in the Arts & Crafts style so already have a soft spot for that period. Learning that Standen was hosting a Meet the Makers event I needed no further encouragement.
Among the makers were ceramicists, jewellers, woodworkers, stone carvers, printmakers, textile artists, assemblage artists – in short makers of almost anything you could imagine.
What struck me straight away was the sheer variety of styles within each discipline. Ceramics, for example, ranged from the soft polished porcelain of Aey Aspdin to Cabby Luxford's earthy creations embellished with found treasures from her mudlarking on the Thames foreshore. And everything in between.
Until we went to the Botanical Art Fair at Sussex Prairie Garden I hadn't appreciated just how many ways plants and flowers could be portrayed by skilled artists.
Against the tranquil backdrop of gently swaying drifts of grasses and prairie plants, artists from across the region had gathered to show their work. From seasoned professionals to newbies showing for the first time the range of styles was extraordinary. Each one was different from the next and yet all complemented each other. All disciplines were there. From striking photographic studies to lush oil paintings and delicate prints to quirky textiles and images in glass and ceramics, every medium and style was represented.
After a pause for tea and mouthwatering cake in this relaxed atmosphere, with live music in the background, we continued chatting happily with the artists about their work, making new contacts and reinforcing existing ones, but the afternoon passed much too quickly and it was soon time to go. Roll on next year's Fair!
top: Aey Aspdin of Aeyglom Ceramics; bottom left: Cabby Luxford's embellished ceramics. Both at The Makers Fair, Standen. www.themakersfair.com below: Hattie Lockhart Smith with her abstract wall art, and our editor; bottom: photographer Dianna Jazwinski chats to visitors about her stunning botanical images. Both at The Botanical Art Fair, Sussex Prairie Garden.
Having the opportunity to watch these skilled craftspeople at work and chat with them about their craft was a treat. I discovered so much more than if I'd just been browsing on my own. I learned about bog oak; watched a stone carver conjure a dog from a block of stone; and marvelled at the delicacy that can be achieved with skillful wood carving.
What a joy, topped off with a timely cuppa and delicious cake and a leisurely stroll around the beautiful garden. I'm already looking forward to the next event.
The Hawth, Crawley Hedda Gabler
21st to 23rd November
Hedda is used to getting her way having grown up in luxury. But now, after marrying George Tesman, a kind but dull academic, Hedda finds herself imprisoned in a life of genteel poverty.
For amusement, Hedda succumbs to the sinister thrill of manipulating the lives of those around her. Can she stop herself? Or is the allure of moulding someone’s destiny too seductive?
Pitchy Breath Theatre Company reimagines Henrik Ibsen’s classic play, transporting the audience back to the 1950s, capturing the elegant, brooding aesthetic of pulp noir fiction and Hitchcockian films of that era.
From Bach to Buenos Aires:
The Journey of Tango Ensemble Reza : 30th November
An evening celebrating the music of Tango, from the bustling streets of Buenos Aires to the elegant salons of Paris and the grand concert halls of the world. Tango's rich history and diverse influences, from Italian opera to the works of Bach, have shaped its unique and enchanting character. Experience Tango in all its glorious forms, with music by Piazzolla, Gardel, and even Stravinsky and let its rhythms and melodies transport you to a world of passion and elegance.
Visit www.parkwoodtheatres.co.uk/ the-hawth for all showing at the theatre. pictured at top: Hedda Gabler
TheLast Night of the Hever Proms would usually mark a sensational finale to the season, but we are thrilled to announce that the music doesn't stop here. Drum roll, please... The Festival Theatre at Hever Castle is extending its musical offerings until the end of 2024 and more announcements to be made for an all-year-round experience!
With the unveiling of our stunning new venue, complete with moving walls and a full roof, we can now keep the magic alive well into September and October. As the autumn chill sets in, we'll cozy up in our newly enhanced Two Sisters’ Theatre before transitioning indoors to the elegant Guthrie Pavilion for our festive Christmas celebrations. It’s a new
and exciting journey for us, swapping sunglasses for woolly hats, and we can't wait to welcome you inside to share it with us.
And book now to celebrate Christmas with us at the theatre. Kick-start your festive spirit with Christmas dinner in the beautiful Guthrie Pavilion Restaurant and our Christmas shows, full to the brim with your favourite heart-warming Christmas songs.
Visit www.heverfestival.co.uk for all further details.
Once again Ropetackle is offering a plethora of musical performances, illustrated by these two diverse musical groups appearing this autumn.
October 25th sees The 5, 6, 7, 8’s arrive from Tokyo.
Stylistically, the band take their inspiration from 50s and 60s rock ‘n’ roll. They featured in Tarantino’s 2003 blockbuster Kill Bill Vol. 1, where they performed covers of The Rock-a-Teens song 'Woo Hoo', The Ikettes song 'I’m Blue', and their own track 'I Walk Like Jayne Mansfield'.
This is an all-standing event and is a rare chance to see this electrifying Japanese rock trio live in the UK and is guaranteed to be quite an experience.
November 14th sees Blazin’ Fiddles perform.
One of the world’s most prolific fiddle groups, Blazin’ Fiddles formed for a one-off tour of the Scottish Highlands in 1999 and are still raising roofs far and wide well over two decades later. They have been multiple winners of Scotland’s Folk Band of the Year.
Encompassing a rare and virtuosic selection of the fiddle’s diverse Highland and island voices, with ensemble and solo-led sets both backed by powerhouse guitar and piano, the Blazers pack all the power, passion and sensitivity of Scotland’s traditional music, into a single show.
Visit ropetacklecentre.co.uk for all that’s on there.
The Snow Queen & A Christmas Carol
The Snow Queen
“I can give her no greater power than she already has...”
ThisIs My Theatre's adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s festive adventure – packed with charm, cheer and, of course, plenty of Christmas song – will be sure to warm hearts and spread joy this Winter.
When her friend is stolen by the cold hearted Snow Queen, Gerda must find the strength and courage to travel across the lands to save him. An array of characters along the way will guide and aid her journey but can Gerda bring the warmth of summer back to her friend?
With live music, song and characters all ages will love, this beautiful adaptation will warm hearts this Christmas! Sarah Slator, director of This Is My Theatre said: “We are very much looking forward to our Christmas tour this year. We have created this adaptation to be fun and vibrant to capture imaginations and engage audiences of all ages.”
Christmas Carol
On Christmas Eve, Ebenezer Scrooge, a meanspirited and miserly old man, is visited by the ghost of his business partner, Jacob Marley. Shown visions of Christmases Past, Present and Future he is offered one final chance of redemption… But will he take it?
This Christmas, audiences are invited to celebrate the festive season as critically acclaimed theatre company This Is My Theatre brings Charles Dickens’ classic tale A Christmas Carol to life in a stunning one-act adaptation.
Packed with charm, cheer and, of course, plenty of carols, this production is sure to spread joy and warm hearts this Christmas!
TIMT are also performing Finding Father Christmas at Standen House & Gardens and The Twelve Days of Tilgate at Tilgate Park this Christmas season. For details visit www.thisismytheatre.com where you will also find all venues and booking information.
We’ve been asking ourselves, “How can we push the boundaries of live performance and take our events to the next level?” To answer this, we say it’s time for you to get ‘In The Box’!
Developed in 2023, In The Box is an exclusive twoweek festival at TOM that takes events and turns them 360 degrees. You’ll be surrounded by breathtaking visuals, allowing you the chance to see your favourite artists in a brand-new way.
Here are some of the artists performing.
21st November
Ah! Kosmos
Başak Günak is a sound artist and composer – her work includes sound art, performance, sound installation, composition for theatre and contemporary dance.
22nd November Forest Swords
Electronic producer and artist Matthew Barnes is known for rewiring sounds into innovative electronic worlds.
27th November
Nick Pynn: Visions / Revisions and Impressions
A brand-new concert from the multi-award winning electro-acoustic stringed multi-instrumentalist songwriter, composer, producer and performer.
28th November
A Night With The Trees
Xanthe Gresham-Knight, Kate Daisy Grant and Nick Pynn.
An evening of stories and original songs centred around the trees of the Druidic or ‘Ogham' tree calendar.
29th November
Third Bloom
From trip hop and dubstep to ambient and contemporary classical, Third Bloom deliver a futuristic hybrid of beat driven electronica.
30th November
Wes Banderson: The Music of Wes Anderson
They're back and In The Box, performing a selection of the original score music and deep cut needle-drops from the films of Wes Anderson.
Visit www.theoldmarket.com for all that’s happening at TOM.
Contraryto the constant rhetoric that we read about the death of cinema it is certainly alive and well in East Sussex. Award winning independent cinema The Picture House, Uckfield has taken over The Atrium Cinema in East Grinstead, previously run by Scott Cinemas who run a successful chain based in the West Country.
Kevin Markwick, owner of the family-run Picture House Uckfield, said “We are delighted to be in East Grinstead. I’ve been hoping to take on The Atrium for a number of years and we are looking forward to bringing our successful brand of cinema to the town. There is a lot to do and a way to go but I’m sure in time we will give the town the best cinema in the area”.
Kevin has invested heavily in The Picture House, Uckfield, over the last ten years in both technology and interior design. It won Cinema of the Year in 2018. During Covid, at the height of the ‘death of cinema’ stories, he completely refurbished Screen 3 (some may have questioned his decision at that difficult time) to produce a luxury screen experience, renamed The Lounge, with super comfortable reclining seats, a special menu and waiter service and he’s never looked back. It’s been a resounding success and the business has continued to grow since then. More recently, due to the success of ‘The Lounge’ he has upgraded the seating in Screen 1 and introduced seat service there too.
It's this enthusiasm, vision and family values that Kevin will be bringing to The Atrium Cinema. Kevin virtually grew up in The Picture House from the age of two when his father took over the lease in 1964 and Kevin has been at the helm since his father passed away in 1994.
Through both the lucrative and leaner times (VHS, DVD, and now streaming), there have always been challenges but his years of experience and forward thinking have continued to make The Picture House a success and this will be invaluable for taking The
Atrium Cinema into the future.
There are plans afoot which will be revealed gradually and implemented over time. “It’s all about serving the local community and providing the best place to watch films and Arts on Screen at the very centre of their town” says Kevin.
Coming soon to both venues is a wonderful Season of Stage Musicals as well as new Exhibition on Screen. Visit www.picturehouseuckfield.com and www.atriumeastgrinstead.com for all details.
A snapshot of more theatrical performances in the area…
Birdsong
5th to 9th November
SebastianFaulks’s epic tale of love and loss returns to the stage in a brand-new production marking the 30th anniversary of the international best-selling novel. A mesmerising story of love and courage, set both before
and during the Great War. Once seen never forgotten.
Cinderella
17th to 31st December at the Festival Theatre
I will marry whoever this slipper fits!
Following five-star versions of Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio and The Jungle Book, Chichester Festival Youth Theatre invite you to the prince’s ball this Christmas for with another festive feast of magical storytelling.
Visit www.cft.org.uk for all that’s on at the theatres.
Hannah Scott
21st November at the Pavilion Theatre Atrium
With over fifteen years of storytelling through music, Hannah's songs delve into the chaos and glory of family life. Her poignant lyrics and familiar yet unique voice create a lasting impact that resonates deeply with listeners.
Hannah will release her third studio album in October. The songs are inspired by the greatest of human emotions – love, parenthood, grief and an unwavering yearning for life, even during its darkest moments.
“I’m sorry, but also not sorry.” Hannah replies to an audience member moved to tears, so pleased her songs have connected in just the way she hoped they would.
Visit www.wtm.uk for all that’s on at the theatres.
Cluedo 2
29th October to 2nd November
Devonshire Park Theatre
with a delicious twist, this comedy chiller is based on the classic Hasbro board game, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year!
Cluedo 2 is a brand new, original comedy mystery, set in the swinging 60’s. As the bodies pile up, our colourful characters – The Honourable Mrs Emerald Peacock, Colonel Eugene Mustard, ‘Professor’ Alex Plum, Miss Annabel Scarlett, ‘The Reverend’ Hal Green and the housekeeper Mrs White – move from room to room, trying to escape the murderer and survive the night. Watch for the clues and unravel the secrets, as they try to work out whodunnit… with what… and where!
Visit www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk for all details.
Jack and the Beanstalk
30th November to 5th December
Following the phenomenal success of last year’s production, Capitol Theatre are thrilled that the
sensational John Partridge will star as Fleshcreep and also make his debut as director, guiding this year’s panto to new creative heights. With flamboyant costumes and a bespoke set designed by Jack Lane, Jack and the Beanstalk will burst into life – a festive, family-friendly delight.
Visit www.thecapitolhorsham.com for all that’s on at the theatre.
Sun 6 October
A RADIO PLAY LIVE ON STAGE
13 October 1939. Churchill and Chamberlain meet together for dinner. This is the only time they met together socially. There is no official record as to what transpired during that unique evening... This compelling new play is epic, intimatic and enthralling thoughout
Mon 7 October
From the splendour of the palace ballroom to the moonlit lake where swans glide, this tragic tale has it all
Tue 8 October
Howl with the Hounds of Love and dance on the moors with Wuthering Heights. She’s not there - but you are. A glorious tribute to Kate Bush
Thu 10 October
KERRY ELLIS
Join the Queen of the West End as she looks back on her illustrious career
Sun 13 October
Celebrating the musical genius of Barbra Streisand
Fri 18 October | Studio ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
STRING ENSEMBLE
Join a quintet of players from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for an afternoon of chamber music delights
Tue 22 October
LOUISE NEWSON
HORMONES AND MENOPAUSE
THE GREAT DEBATE
Join the leading medical expert on menopause and hormones for an evening of learning and laughter
Tue 29 October
Join John Nichol on a poignant journey delving into the story of the Unknown Warrior interred at Westminster Abbey, representing the countless British soldiers lost in WWI with no known grave
Sat 2 November
Rimsky-Korsakov’s classic coming of age tale is packed with colour and folk melodies
Mon 4 November | Spotlight Room
A COMEDY WINE TASTING EXPERIENCE
Comedians Sweeney Preston and Ethan Cavanagh will be joined by an illustrious wine expert to guide you through tasting five wines and at least five jokes
Thu 21-Sat 23 November | Studio
Pitchy Breath’s stylish reimagining of this classic drama will transport you to the 1950s
Fri 13 December-Sun 5 January
Starring TV legend Steve McFadden (EastEnders) and Crawley favourite Michael J Batchelor. It’s a fun-filled extravaganza guaranteed to delight the whole family! Don’t miss out on the Fe-Fi-Fo-Fun!
Senbla presents Opera International’s award-winning Ellen Kent Productions featuring the Ukrainian Opera & Ballet Theatre Kyiv with international soloists, highly-praised chorus and full orchestra
With an exquisite Japanese Garden and spectacular costumes including antique wedding kimonos from Japan.
Sung in Italian with English surtitles.
THE ANVIL, BASINGSTOKE
“Authentic,
Directed by Ellen Kent, this brand new production is traditionally staged and features beautiful sets and costumes.
Boasting sumptuous sets and costumes.
Sung in Italian with English surtitles.
Sung in Italian with English surtitles. A tragic tale of searing passion and memorable music.
La Bohème: Wed 12 Feb / Madama Butterfly: Sun 4 May anvilarts.org.uk DE LA WARR PAVILION, BEXHILL-ON-SEA La Bohème: Wed 19 Feb / La Traviata: Tue 29 Apr dlwp.com THEATRE ROYAL BRIGHTON
La Bohème: Fri 21 Mar / Madama Butterfly: Sat 22 Mar atgtickets.com/brighton* THE HAWTH, CRAWLEY
La Bohème: Mon 14 Apr hawth.co.uk KINGS THEATRE, PORTSMOUTH
La Traviata: Tue 4 Mar / Madama Butterfly: Wed 5 Mar kingsportsmouth.co.uk NEW VICTORIA THEATRE, WOKING
*Subject to booking/transaction fees.
La Bohème: Fri 11 Apr / Madama Butterfly: Sat 12 Apr atgtickets.com/woking*
Curious Investigators Sun 3rd November, 11am & 2pm
Eleanor McEvoy Fri 15th November, 8pm
Paradise Lost Sun 17th November, 7pm
Phil Beer Trio Fri 22nd November, 8pm
Christmas Dinner at The
Les Miserables, The Staged Concert 01825 764909 | www.picturehouseuckfield.com | The Picture House Cinema & Restaurant, High Street, Uckfield, TN22 1AS 01342 321666 | www.atriumeastgrinstead.com | The Atrium Cinema, King Street, East Grinstead, RH19 3DJ
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LIVE MUSIC IN HORSHAM Autumn 2024 presented by Horsham Music Circle for the 83rd Season
THURSDAY 10th OCTOBER
Causeway Barn 7.00pm
SIPING GUO bassoon
APOLLINE KHOU piano
Supported by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust After full scholarships for studies at the RCM, Siping has been appointed Principal Bassoon with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. The programme includes works by Bach, Bozza, Saint-Saëns and Weber
`
SATURDAY 23rd NOVEMBER
St Mary’s Church 4.30pm
LEON McCAWLEY piano recital
‘one of today’s most impeccably musical pianists’ Leon has been delighting audiences worldwide since major competition wins in Vienna and Leeds. He performs Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Mendelssohn and Schumann
TICKETS Phone: 01403 252602 email: horshammusiccircle@gmail.com online from www.wegottickets.com/ HorshamMusicCircle www.horsham-music-circle.org.uk
Two great ballet classics are coming to the UK this autumn – Swan Lake and
An international cast of dancers from many different countries all over the world will be performing a top-quality ballet at your local theatre, featuring an impressive cast, and accompanied by a large live orchestra with over thirty musicians.
Swan Lake captures, like no other ballet, the full range of human emotions – from hope to despair, from terror to tenderness, from melancholy to ecstasy. The compelling legend of a tragic romance in which a princess, Odette, is turned into a swan by an evil curse.
And Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a visit to your local theatre for a dazzling production of the most famous ballet in the world – The Nutcracker. Based on The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, written by E.T.A. Hoffmann, it tells the story of Marie, a rather sad little girl, whose godfather, Drosselmeier, gives her a nutcracker doll as a present on Christmas Eve. The toy magically turns into a prince.
Producer Alexej Ignatow, of Amande Concerts Ltd, who has co-ordinated the UK tour, said: “We are constantly on the lookout for new challenges, to ensure that our opera and ballet audiences get a chance to experience a wide spectrum of various classic pieces. With extensive national tours that get our productions seen the length and breadth of the country, we are able to offer national audiences in various theatres an unforgettable experience at a fraction of the price of the major opera houses, all without sacrificing quality. We aim to deliver top quality productions every year and make new converts wherever we go.”
A wonderful evening out, the memories of which you will cherish long after the final curtain falls. Visit www.imperial-ballet.com for full details of the tour.
All Saints Centre, Lewes 1st December
The Green Room, Folkestone 4th December
It’s Charles Dickens’ last Christmas Eve: 1869. Against his doctor’s wishes, he gives one of his acclaimed theatrical readings of A Christmas Carol, but from the moment the lights go down, his life becomes strangely entangled with his character Scrooge.
Dickens’ carefully managed image as a family man, who has created the very quintessence of Christmas, starts to unravel. He is haunted by the women he mistreated – his wife and mother of his ten children (Catherine Dickens) and his secret young mistress (actress Ellen 'Nelly' Ternan who was just nineteen when she met forty-five year old Charles) – who force him to face up to his past, present and future. Can Dickens learn from the ghosts, repent, and be saved – as Scrooge was saved?
Writer Clare Norburn explains the show’s unusual premise: “I have reimagined the familiar story we all know of ‘A Christmas Carol’, taking inspiration from the secrets of Dickens’ life: his secret mistress, his terrible treatment of his wife and his early life as a boy working in a shoe blacking factory, of which he was deeply ashamed. I have also drawn on how unwell and febrile he was in his final years: he put so much energy into his theatrical readings that he would often collapse afterwards in the wings. In this show, Dickens himself is being forced to re-evaluate his life and the impact of his actions.”
The show stars Clive Hayward as Charles Dickens (who has aptly played Fezziwig in two of RSC’s productions of A Christmas Carol) and Karen Ascoe as Catherine Dickens (Emmerdale, Guildford Shakespeare Company’s Hamlet) alongside colourful Victorian popular songs and street music, old carols and lively folk music performed by a multi-talented cast of seven who act, sing, dance and play instruments – sometimes all at the same time! For all info and tickets visit www.thetelling.co.uk/dickens
23rd Oct 7.30pm - White Rock Theatre
VERDI La Forza del Destino Overture
GRIEG Piano Concerto | BRAHMS Symphony No. 4
HASTINGS PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Shunta Morimoto Piano | Marcio da Silva Conductor
7th Dec 7pm - Christ Church
HANDEL Messiah
HPO Singers & Ensemble OrQuesta
Marcio da Silva Conductor
21st Dec 7pm - Christ Church
CHRISTMAS GALA
HPO | HPO Singers | HPO Songbirds
Marcio da Silva Conductor 2024/25 Season
The HPO has a campaign to make high level fully professional classical music available and accessible to all.
This season, most HPO concerts will have a ‘Pay what you can’ offer which will allow anyone to attend concerts at no cost.
HPO’s free children's choir, HPO Songbirds, gives children aged seven to thirteen the opportunity to learn music, and to perform free of charge in concerts and operas with the Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra and their partners.
HPO’s first orchestral concert at the White Rock Theatre this season will feature pianist Shunta Morimoto, winner of the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition 2022, performing the iconic Grieg’s Piano Concerto.
In early December, HPO’s semi-professional choral ensemble, HPO Singers, will perform a candlelit performance of Handel’s Messiah with instrumentalists and soloists from the baroque opera company Ensemble OrQuesta, led by Marcio da Silva on the baroque guitar/harpsichord.
The HPO Christmas Gala, HPO’s most popular concert, will return this year with many of your favourite Christmas carols and songs, as well as Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Dukas’ The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Anderson’s Sleigh Ride.
Further details and tickets are available at www.hastingsphilorchestra.co.uk. For more information, please write to hpogeneralmanager@gmail.com.
from top: HPO at the White Rock Theatre October 2023* ; HPO Ensemble concert 2023; HPO Christmas Gala 2023* ; HPO Singers Concert 2023* *photos by Peter Mould
The Mediæval Bæbes bring ‘The Ceremony’ to Horsham and the Isle of Wight this Christmas: 7th December, All Saints Church, Queen’s Road, Ryde and 14th December, St Mary’s Church, Causeway, Horsham.
Become immersed in pomp and pageantry, as The Mediæval Bæbes’ torch-lit procession wends its way with song and dance to these churches just prior to Christmas. Concert-goers are invited to join in and enhance the procession however they may enjoy! Bring a drum, a lantern, or dress up and frolic, as the illuminated procession sets the tone for a delightful evening of musical magic to come.
Celebrating the festive season, ‘The Ceremony’ will bring a remarkable evening of joyous music, dance and theatre. With harmonious vocals accompanied by a truly unique collection of exotic and period instruments; carols, traditional folksongs and innovative settings of ancient romantic poetry will be
revealed in beguiling choral music.
Traditionally this is a time for reflection and celebration and the origins and folklore, songs and lyrics will be cheekily uncovered in captivating storytelling. Further exalting the spirit of Christmas, the Mediæval Bæbes are delighted to announce that their new compositions will be presented during the concert too.
The Mediæval Bæbes are one of the most successful female-led, early music and folk ensembles in Europe.
Over the years they have released eleven studio albums and won an Ivor Novella Award for their performance on the BBC serialisation ‘The Virgin Queen.’ They have also received two Emmy nominations and a Royal Television Society award as the featured artist alongside composer Martin Phipps, for the TV theme tune of ITV’s hit show ‘Victoria’.
In 2023 The Mediæval Bæbes' collaboration with Orbital’s ‘Ringa Ringa’ enjoyed number 6 status in the album charts, and their unique siren call was invited to collaborate with TikTok lockdown sensation The Wellermen as part of their ‘Explorations’ remix album.
Come join the Mediæval Bæbes and be immersed in glorious merriment. Visit www.mediaevalbaebes.com for more info and to book tickets.
fly through autumn glow
3rd November, 3pm at @rtsspaces@sionschool, Worthing
From his early solo debut at the Wigmore Hall to his attainment of the prestigious Sir Elton John Scholarship, Kenny Fu holds much potential and promise for a bright future.
Kenny Fu’s ‘sparks fly through autumn glow’ will add two new musical experiences to the unique list that constantly draws in new audiences to Worthing’s International Interview Concerts. He’ll improvise a piece using a theme or notes from the audience. And he’ll talk about a mighty piano sonata, then let them choose which sample movement he’ll perform. Beethoven’s Hammerklavier is too long for an Interview Concert, but with so many unfamiliar with it, this’ll be a big moment.
Post-war classical piano soloists generally didn’t improvise. But some of the generation now leaving the colleges are empowered to – just as folk, jazz, blues and rock musicians have done, self-taught, for decades. Kenny will also switch on listeners to Nikolai Medtner’s attractive Sonata ‘From Forgotten Memories’, and reveal to wondering ears what’s so movingly enriching about late Brahms with three Intermezzi and a Ballade from his Opuses 117 and 118.
What else? Ah, that’s a secret! A tip: some unexpected yet beloved Grieg and Stravinsky – and the Mystery Music spot when everyone can have a guess.
Tickets at the door (Adult £15, concessions for ages under 36) or from www.seetickets.com and check the fully detailed event page at www.facebook.com/TheInterviewConcerts
‘Get inside classical’
Meet artistes in full performance and conversation ‘In The Round’
Ask A Question
Mystery Music Spot
Musical Surprises
Guest Interviewer
Free Parking
Sundays at 3
interviewconcerts@gmail.com to join our news emailing list Find us on Facebook ‘TheInterviewConcerts’
Worthing Gratwicke Road BN11 4BL
Kenny Fu Nov 3
Charity 1185748
ask about our School Workshops!
The Orchestra opens their 2024-25 season on 6th October, showcasing some terrific works from the orchestral repertoire and bringing world class soloists to the Assembly Hall Theatre. Freddy Kempf opens the season with the ever popular Grieg Piano Concerto.
In November Ke Ma, also on piano, performs Variations on a Nursery Tune by Dohnányi, and Carol Jarvis introduces us to Peaslee’s Arrows of Time, a work for trombone and orchestra which fuses classical and jazz elements. Alongside these concertos, the programmes include three classic symphonies: Elgar Symphony No. 1, Dvořák Symphony No. 7 and Brahms Symphony No. 3.
Consistently producing an extremely high-level quality of music-making, the RTWSO is a well respected and long-established orchestra, an absolute jewel in the town’s musical scene. Their six-concert season is a cornerstone of orchestral performance in our region, and is a highlight in the diary of local music enthusiasts!
Tickets are available directly from the Assembly Hall Theatre, and check out www.rtwso.org for full details of all concerts.
Martin will be featuring a large selection of Prefab Sprout songs from their forty years in the music industry, stripped back to the bare necessities, the raw elements of how they were first performed when originally written by his brother Paddy –before the bells, whistles and budget were added. Expect all the hits: Cars and Girls, When Love Breaks Down, The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and much, much more!
Following a fall during the pandemic that broke one wrist and a car accident that damaged the other arm, Martin used the guitar and the songs as a form of rehabilitation. He has been involved in the music industry since he was a teenager releasing the early Sprout records on his own label Candle Records. He’s lectured on music and art at colleges and universities and was instrumental in setting up the UKs leading music development agency, Generator Northeast.
He is also a visual artist, exhibiting under the pseudonym Feliks Culpa. His work is in collections worldwide and he has exhibited at the Royal Academy and ICA London, Liverpool Museum of Popular Music and Manchester Contemporary.
Martin says, “These songs are the DNA that runs through me – the writing is pristine and it’s an honour to be able to play them in a live environment once again”.
Visit www.komedia.co.uk for more information.
Martin McAloon
Since their formation just over a year ago, the band has been a tremendous success, with sold out shows, standing ovations, a total of nearly 90,000 views on their YouTube channel, as well as more than 700 enthusiastic comments and audience reviews.
Hejira is a seven-piece band set up to celebrate and honour the masterpiece works of Joni Mitchell, mostly from the late '70s.
Comprising highly experienced jazz musicians, this band is fronted by the brilliant Hattie Whitehead who not only has – in her own way – assimilated the poise, power and beauty of Joni’s vocals, but also plays guitar with Joni’s stylistic mannerisms.
The Unthanks In Winter
6th December, White Rock Theatre, Hastings
When December draws near, The Unthanks will release and tour In Winter – a double-album, gatefold, dream-like winter fantasia, embracing both the dark and the light in the most ritualistic of seasons. Moving in and out of focus – like a memory – a bittersweet hymnal to our shared winter experience. Echoes of winter tunes known throughout the western world, mix with the traditional and the newly written, all passed with great care and love through The Unthanks filter.
In Winter features a new sound palette for The Unthanks, incorporating vibraphone, clarinet and
saxophone into the core band that features vocal harmony, piano, violin, double bass, guitars and percussion. At the nucleus of a constantly evolving unit is the traditional upbringing of Tyneside sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank and the arrangements and writing of Barnsley composer, pianist and producer, Adrian McNally.
Using the traditional music of the North East of England as a starting point, the influence of Miles Davis, Steve Reich, Sufjan Stevens, Robert Wyatt, Antony & The Johnsons, King Crimson and Tom Waits makes The Unthanks a unique band, earning them a Mercury Music Prize nomination and international acclaim along the way.
Visit www.meltingvinyl.co.uk for all their gigs this autumn and winter.
Due to the superb support the festival has received, nearly every concert of the 2024 Shipley Arts Festival sold out, with a total of just under 4,000 visitors and 500 performers across all performances, sustaining the position as one of the leading UK music festivals.
To close the season, Friday 8th November at Nyetimber, West Chiltington, sees the NFU Nyetimber 2024 Festival Review, an evening for Festival Friends.
2025 is the Shipley Arts Festival Quarter Century! Plans include composers from the coronation, performances embracing jazz and classical music, a very special world premiere to be performed on the Stradivarius violin and potentially a release of recordings from Abbey Road including the Shipley Arts Festival commissions.
“The festival is very grateful to the many people who
support it so generously, particularly our sponsors and Festival Friends, and not least our Stradivarius investors”, says founder Andrew Bernardi. “Regular update letters with films, offers and insights are part of the Festival Friendship scheme. If you would like to join the Festival Friends group you will be the first to hear of events and you will also be helping to build a fund to make the quarter century in 2025 even stronger, both in terms of music and the coming together of our exceptional community.”
To become a Festival Friend please email andrew@bernardimusicgroup.com or visit https://localgiving.org/charity/shipleyartsfestival Visit www.bmglive.com for full information.
11th to 27th October
There has been exciting news at Brighton Early Music festival recently. First, BREMF 2023 project The Whispering Dome had won a REMA European Early Music Award for best extra European project, presented in Stockholm on 5th June.
Following this came the announcement that BREMF's co-founder and artistic director Deborah Roberts had been made a Medallist of the Order of the British Empire (BEM) in the King's Birthday Honours.
The Festival has become something of an autumn landmark in the city, and returns for 2024 with the theme of Connections which the Festival will be exploring from a musical, historical and cultural perspective.
The festival features the best early music performers from the UK and Europe. Highlights include Red Priest with their unique, irrepressible take on baroque; Forgotten Scarlatti masterpieces with Armonico Consort; Origins featuring music, dance and stories from around the globe; the music of Hildegard of Bingen with a 21st century lightshow; and a rare performance of Carissimi’s Jephte.
Other treats will be Carina Drury and musicians performing Smock Alley, recreating a night out in 18th-century Dublin at the Smock Alley Theatre and in the surrounding streets, and the voices and mediæval instruments of former BREMF Live ensemble Rune provide a beautiful hour of beguiling music, performing Boccaccio’s 14th-century masterpiece, Decameron. There are several daytime events as well as evening concerts.
See www.bremf.org.uk for full details.
from top: Blondel will perform at BREMF; Voice, Hildegard Transfigured; Carina Drury, Smock Alley; Rune, photo BenTomlin
A Celebration of Sussex
Sparkling Wine & Gin
2nd November
On the 2nd November from 1pm at Handcross Park (Handcross, West Sussex RH17 6HF), a carefully chosen selection of Sussex sparkling wine and craft spirit producers are coming together to showcase their wares at the Bubbles and Botanicals Fair.
This is the third year of the Bubbles and Botanicals Fair, which came about as there was a lack of events showcasing some of the great produce of Sussex. It’s a rare chance to meet the producers and learn more about their story as well as learn about Sussex as a wine and drinks region and, of course, there is the opportunity to try before you buy.
With fifteen local producers in the beautiful main hall at Handcross Park School, the afternoon is always great fun. There will be nibbles as well as the everpopular prize raffle which raises money for the local Samaritans. Stock up for Christmas, visit a venue you might otherwise not get to visit and enjoy a great tasting experience.
Visit www.bubblesandbotanicals.net to find out more or book tickets.
Enlightening conversations, wisdom, and wit
23rd October to 3rd November
The popularity of the Petworth Literary Festival has dramatically mushroomed in the last couple of years. Now regarded as one of the region’s most significant celebrations of the written word, Petworth is again looking forward to welcoming a galaxy of stellar authors this autumn.
Covering the widest range of literary genres, the Petworth Literary Festival welcomes some of the biggest names in fiction, politics and current affairs, the natural world, culture and lifestyle, with tickets to events featuring the likes of Dame Judi Dench, Robert Harris, David Baddiel, Kate Mosse, Pam Ayres and Clare Balding expected to sell out rapidly.
Announcing the highlights of this year’s programme, Festival Artistic Director Stewart Collins remarked on the high-profile nature of so many of the authors appearing in Petworth over the festival’s twelve days:
“What we look for when devising the programme each year is to curate a combination of fascinating
St Mary's Church Petworth, one of the key venues for Petworth Literary Festival
and thoughtful reads that link up to a series of genuinely unmissable events, and by bringing in so many people who are right up there in the public eye, you can be pretty sure that practically everything will score highly on both counts”.
pictured from top –left: Charlie Bigham; right: Judi Dench, photo Robert Wilson; below left: Louise Minchin photo © Yana Auda; below right: Robert Harris, photo Nick Gregan; below: Liz Earle; bottom: Lombard Street, Petworth
In such a crucial year for politics the world over, Iain Dale’s fascinating exploration of recent British general elections is certain to stimulate debate, as will investigative journalist John Sweeney’s brand new study of the tragic life and death of Alexander Nevalny. BBC Radio 4’s Gabriel Gatehouse will also discuss his illuminating study of the world of the conspiracy theory in US politics, days before the 2024 US election.
On a lighter note, there will be much levity in events featuring David Baddiel who discusses My Family; novelist Kathy Lette and her racy novel The Revenge Club; Helen Lederer’s chortle-worthy memoir Not That I’m Bitter; and comedian Tony Hawks' pure flight of comic fantasy, Persistent Wind.
And we haven’t mentioned Roxy Music’s Phil Manzanera, top political commentator Polly Toynbee, former newscaster and passionate lover of Beethoven John Suchet, and leading writer about the natural world John LewisStempel…. well, we have now.
All kicking off with ‘The Big Sing’ – songs written and performed by students at Petworth Primary School – the festival includes thirtyeight events in five venues over twelve days plus the return of the graphologist Christina Strang who so fascinated and surprised in 2023; the
dates of the Petworth Literary Festival should be pencilled in in every diary…
For full information about all the events please visit www.petworthfestival.org.uk
FRIDAY 11 – SUNDAY 27 OCTOBER with pre-festival events from 7 September
Join Brighton Early Music Festival this autumn for more than 20 events including Hildegard Transfigured with a trance-like lightshow; stories, music and dance from India, Africa and Europe; irrepressible baroque from Red Priest; and family concerts with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
Saturday Afternoon 2nd November 2024 1 pm to 5.00 pm
Handcross Park School London Road, Handcross, Haywards Heath RH17 6HF
Imagine being able to give someone the trip of a lifetime, to foreign shores or unknown realms, or even into the past or future...
Well that's what you're doing when you gift someone a book. Whether a novel, a memoir, a travel book or poetry collection, you are inviting the reader to lose themselves in another world.
One of my favourite pictures is a faded print of a mother, sitting on a wide window seat overlooking a beautiful sunlit garden, reading to her two daughters who are curled up next to her in rapt attention. What is she reading, I wonder.
Pictured above is a pile of books in a corner of our sunlit garden, some of which we have already reviewed in ingénu/e magazine, while the others await their turn. Every one of them would make a perfect gift, engaging the reader and delighting the author. So seek out your local authors, independent and otherwise, support your local bookshop and share the adventure!
What will you buy for Christmas? An historical novel like my 'The Kid on Slapton Beach'?
Twelve-year-old Harry is one of three thousand people forced to leave the Devon coast at Christmas in 1943 without knowing why as U.S. troops move into the area. It's hard leaving everything you know and love. And what if Harry’s most treasured possession is left behind? What if he goes back for it? What if he’s on that beach on the night of 27th April 1944? That night on Slapton Sands one of the most difficult episodes in WWII happened when secret rehearsals for D-Day went disastrously wrong and nearly a thousand men died. President Harry Truman said ‘The only thing new in the world is the history you don’t know.’
This book has inspired me to make a short film, 80 Years On, which was shown this year on the Isle of Wight on 6th June, D-Day, with His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant in attendance, with another showing where D-Day Veterans were represented. And at the exciting new Dartmouth Book Festival in Devon I am giving a talk about the book and the film will also be shown there.
Or might Christmas inspire your child or grandchild to read Grandpa’s Dear Old Girl?
Millie’s Grandpa is the old lighthouse keeper, but he is shocked when the lighthouse is automated and he has to retire. But an automated lighthouse can’t smell a big storm coming! Grandpa and little Millie manage to save the lives of fishermen being blown onto the rocks and another fishing boat stranded on the sands. Daisy Coulham, TV writer of Grantchester and Deadwater Fell, says: ‘A perfect book to read snuggled up by the fire with your child or grandchild!’
Or perhaps Christmas is about theatre! Cutting In? Possessed by ambition, ballet dancer Elaine sees everything she craves in the exquisite Beverley –success and more... Watching, imitating, borrowing. To stalk in pursuit of an image. There's no threat in that, is there? Eighteen. It's a dangerous age, when you have to cut your way in to success. ‘Wonderfully spiked with bitchiness,’ says Graham Hurley. ‘Felicity has a great gift for portraying the agonies and ecstasies of adolescence… a rare talent…’ says Frederick E Smith.
So, Christmas is coming and it’s a time for giving! And a time for reading too!
pictured left: Caroline Pavey's original painting for the cover of 'Grandpa's Dear Old Girl' by Felicity Fair Thompson. (See adverts on p.66 for book availability.)
by Carrie Evans
By the age of eight Carrie Evans had lived in eight different places in the UK.
The various schools she attended were not always happy places and some of her teachers, if not actually psychotic, verged on the unstable and sadistic. Although it came as no surprise to those who knew her that she later chose a nomadic lifestyle, it did puzzle some when she chose to make her living by teaching in overseas language schools.
Beginning in the sultry, restrictive atmosphere of the Arabian desert in the UAE, Carrie bites the bullet to take advantage of a teaching job with a decent salary for once – but a despotic boss. Valiantly focussing on the positive aspects of her life there, she casts her mind back to happier days of childhood and candidly recalls her development as a language teacher. She reminisces about the places and people she met along the way, pondering her sojourns in far-flung corners of the globe.
A thoroughly enjoyable read that romps along from continent to continent, this beautifully written memoir is akin to an enormous postcard from the jaunt of a life. The Fun We Had is a tsunami of incident, nostalgia, vivid descriptions and character vignettes, an exploration of other cultures sure to entertain anyone with a fascination for human quirks and foibles. While it is clear that Carrie is a serious professional, she also has the fortunate ability to view the vicissitudes of her life with a cheerful stoicism that will engage and amuse the reader. This memoir will interest those who enjoy the exotic, love to travel, and aspire to live a life other than the conventional. A must-read too for budding EFL teachers.
(See advert on p.67 for book availability. A full review of The Fun We Had can be found in ingénu/e issue 43.)
Carol Donaldson
A heart-warming true story of the woods and wildlife, conservation and community, perfect for fans of The Detectorists and The Outlaws.
When Carol's world suddenly unravels, leaving her single and jobless, she stumbles upon an unexpected opportunity: leading a ragtag team of countryside conservation volunteers. At first glance, the prospect of nurturing Britain's diverse wildlife in the great outdoors seems like a dream come true. However, reality paints a different picture: her office is a ramshackle porta-cabin overrun with mice and plagued by leaky ceilings, and the volunteers are far from impressed with her lack of practical skills.
Despite this rocky beginning, Carol gradually earns the respect of her eclectic group of volunteers, forging a tight-knit community that will grow to become essential to each member. This diverse group spans generations, from twenty-somethings to septuagenarians, with each of them looking to get something different out of volunteering, whether it's a sense of purpose, a fresh start in life or a tick on their community service form. They also bring their unique quirks and life experiences to the mix.
Volunteer days soon evolve into the highlight of Carol's week, as they bond over their love of nature, mental health battles, and the desire for companionship. As they work together outdoors, the team discover a simple yet powerful recipe for self-confidence, improved wellbeing and a new-found perspective on life's challenges. This journey not only brings solace and new joys to Carol's weeks, but eventually it helps her move on with her life as well.
The Volunteers is a heartwarming tale that celebrates the redemptive force of the woods and wildlife. It underscores the universal need for belonging and illustrates how, even in the most unexpected places, we can find a community to call our own.
(See advert on p.67 for book availability.)
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.
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...
‘... one of the best, most honest and inspiring books about conservation I have ever read.’
“A wonderful book...”
“A wonderful book...”
Michelle Magorian
Michelle Magorian
‘Goodnight Mr Tom’
“A wonderful book...”
“A jewel!...” Actress
‘Goodnight Mr Tom’
Michelle Magorian
“A jewel!...” Actress
June BrownDot in EastEnders
‘Goodnight Mr Tom’
“A jewel!...” Actress
At your local book store now Paperback: £8.99
June BrownDot in EastEnders
At your local book store now Paperback: £8.99
June BrownDot in EastEnders
ISBN 978-0-9535123-2-4 www.wightdiamondpress.com
At your local book store now Paperback: £8.99
ISBN 978-0-9535123-2-4 www.wightdiamondpress.com
ISBN 978-0-9535123-2-4 www.wightdiamondpress.com
BY CAROL DONALDSON
A heart-warming memoir of conservation, companionship and community, perfect for fans of Detectorists and The Outlaws
“A gentle, warm, vulnerable book that buzzes and sings and blossoms… A joy to read” – Mary Colwell “Tender, warm-hearted and honest” – Nicola Chester Available online and from your local bookshop
www.summersdale.com
by
Available from your local bookshop and online from Goodreads and Amazon www.troubador.co.uk
and
A tsunami of incident, gossip and character vignettes, an exploration of other cultures sure to entertain anyone with a fascination for human quirks and foibles
“A joyous romp” –Maria Hughes “full of humour, compassion and adventure. If you love travelling you will love reading this book” – F. Bland
work by established, emerging and neglected writers over the last four decades. Subscribe for the next two years for only £15.00.
ingénu/e recently spoke with local author Mark Infield about his new book
When Lake Mburo National Park in Uganda was created in 1983, thousands lost their land and livelihoods. Three years later people reclaimed the land and set out to destroy the park and its wildlife. This was the challenge faced by Mark Infield on arrival in Uganda as a young conservationist. Beautiful Beasts, Beautiful Lands is the story of the rise and fall and rise again of this national park.
You grew up roaming the Ashdown Forest, apparently very different from the wilds of Africa, what drew you to the Dark Continent?
As a child my experiences of nature came from the woods and fields and gardens I grew up in but also the books my parents read me when I was young, the books I discovered for myself as I grew up and the documentaries I watched on TV. The exciting animals for a child – lions, elephants, buffalo, giraffe – and the landscapes they roamed mainly seemed to be in Africa. The first serious books I read about wildlife were by Jane Goodall; chimps in the Gombe Forest of Lake Tanganyika and the hyenas and jackals of the Ngorongoro Crater were in Africa too. And what wonderful place names!
When did you first become interested in conservation and what led you to make it your life's work?
I started off wanting to work with Africa’s wildlife as a scientist, a researcher. I didn’t really understand what conservation was when I went to Africa, and I didn’t really learn about it at university during my zoology degree. But I knew where I wanted to be, in Africa in the bush with the wildlife. So I caught a plane and flew to Nairobi in Kenya, the centre of wildlife tourism. I thought that would be a good place to start, and it was. I got lucky and was taken on as a volunteer by the head of the East Africa programme for a major wildlife conservation charity. And bit by bit it grew from there.
Beautiful Beasts, Beautiful Lands is a tour de force, lifting the lid on many preconceived ideas about what conservation is and how best to deliver it, what prompted you to write it?
I began to feel, quite early on in my career – though I didn’t think of it as a career then, but an amazing adventure – that the so called ‘fortress conservation’ model of heavily protected strict conservation areas was not something that I could contribute towards as my capacities and skills, such as they were, didn’t really fit. I began moving towards the social side of conservation and protected area management which was beginning to develop. This was a better fit for me. But over time I began to have doubts about how we were engaging with the people that lived around
the protected areas I worked in. When I discovered the potential of working with communities around their own connections to place and nature, I felt this should be central to the way modern conservation worked. I tried hard to convince my colleagues of this and worked hard for 10 to 15 years to develop a cultural values and conservation programme. But there was not much interest amongst the conservation charities I engaged with. This is why I decided to write the book. To find a way of talking about my thoughts on how to better achieve nature conservation.
After many years overseas you have returned to the Ashdown Forest where you are Landscape Recovery Manager. What does that role entail and how does your work in Africa and Asia inform your work here?
As Landscape Recovery Manager I am working to build a partnership with our neighbours around the Forest so that we can work together to restore nature across a wider landscape. This follows the principles of ‘bigger, better, more and joined up’ articulated in the famous Lawton Report on how to improve nature conservation in the UK. Everything I did in Africa and Asia was about developing partnerships so that is what I bring to the table here, plus an emphasis on listening, understanding and engaging people on what is important to them in Ashdown Forest and looking for ways to express their interests and values while also ensuring we protect this beautiful landscape and its special biodiversity.
If you had one enduring memory of Lake Mburo National Park, what would that be?
Mburo is a beautiful place, just as Ashdown Forest is. It was special to sit outside my tent in which I lived for ten years and watch zebras and impalas walking calmly past or listening to a leopard sawing in the dark on the hill behind. But most special of all was the partnership that I had with my two colleagues, Moses Turyaho and Arthur Mugisha. For three years we lived together and worked together as one.
Beautiful Beasts, Beautiful Lands will be reviewed in the next issue of ingénu/e magazine.
To get a copy of this book see the advert on p.66.
Lewes Lit, previously known as the Monday Lit and the Monday Literary Club, was founded in 1948 by the writers Barbara Willard and Frances Howell. Its nucleus was in the Lewes Liberal Association, and it was stressed from the start that the Club should have no political complexion.
Leonard Woolf, who regularly attended meetings and chaired many discussions, was president from 1954 until 1969 and the presidency was then held successively by David Daiches, Ian Parsons, Dame Veronica Wedgewood, C. Walter Hodges and Norman MacKenzie. Longstanding Lewes residents Grace Nichols and John Agard were elected copresidents in 2012. Both are previous recipients of the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry and are Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature.
The Club – now the Society – has always been fortunate in its friends, and because of its association with writers and publishers living in the district (and since 1961 with the University of Sussex) has a distinguished record of past speakers, including Alan Bennett, John Betjeman, Bernardine Evaristo, Penelope Fitzgerald, E M Forster, Dennis Healey, P D James, Jonathan Miller, Tom Stoppard and Vita Sackville-West.
So, for more than seventy years (2018 was the anniversary year!), the Society has been running an annual programme of talks and readings by distinguished speakers from many areas of literary endeavour – novelists, poets, biographers, historians, playwrights, literary critics and travel writers, as well as illustrators and cartoonists.
Since 2015 events have been held at the All Saints Centre on Friars Walk in Lewes. When the COVID pandemic struck in 2020, the Society went online, offering talks from the same high quality speakers via Zoom. In-person events were resumed in October 2022, when media historian David Hendy discussed his book The BBC: A People’s History. This event took place on 22 October, which, serendipitously, was the 100th anniversary of the formation of the BBC! Since then guest speakers have included novelists Patrick Gale, Elly Griffiths and Kate Mosse, graphic novelist Hannah Berry, biologist Dave Goulson and historian, novelist and broadcaster Rebecca Stott. In January the Society celebrated the life and work of the brilliant illustrator Raymond Briggs, with contributions from Guardian cartoonist Chris Riddell and fellow illustrator John Vernon Lord – and a rather splendid cake!
The Society’s next season opens on 22 October, when artist, writer and critic Julian Bell will be the speaker. There is then a very varied line-up in prospect for the rest of the season, with theatre critic Arifa Akbar in November, graphic artist and poet Neil Gower in February, crime novelist Ciar Byrne in March and social historian David Kynaston in April. In partnership with Lewes Lit, Depot cinema will be screening the classic 1963 film Billy Liar, starring Tom Courtenay and Julie Christie, to complement the David Kynaston event.
And following the success of the Raymond Briggs event in January, the Society will be celebrating the work of Eve Garnett (1900-1991), author of the legendary novel The Family from One End Street (set in a thinly disguised Lewes) in January 2025, with input from Dame Jacqueline Wilson.
All events (with the exception of the Eve Garnett celebration, which is on Sunday 26 January) take place on Tuesday evenings at 7.30 at the All Saints Centre in Lewes. Full details of the programme and tickets can be found at www.lewesliterarysociety.co.uk
by G J Williams
1558: The body of Thomas Seymour is found hanging naked in an oak tree at Hatfield House, the home of Elizabeth Tudor, the Queen's sister. But Thomas Seymour was supposedly beheaded for treason nine years ago to the day on Tower Hill. How did he return from the dead, only to die again?
With Mary Tudor on the throne tensions run high. Her brutality toward those labelled heretics is infamous and anyone found or suspected of supporting Princess Elizabeth, her rival for the throne, face the very real danger of ending up in the Tower being charged with treason.
A past scandal implicating Elizabeth with handsome, power-hungry Seymour resulted in the young princess under interrogation having to talk for her life. The apparent re-appearance of Seymour's body, head intact, threatens to raise old ghosts and once again endanger Elizabeth's life and those of her loyal supporters.
Scholar, theologian and astronomer Doctor John Dee is summoned by Sir William Cecil, advisor and friend to Elizabeth, to investigate this impossible death as quickly and quietly as possible. Any scandal must be avoided at all costs. Dee, sceptical but keen to regain his position at Court, acquiesces. With him, disguised as his maid, is his young apprentice Margaretta whose rare gift for sensing the thoughts and feelings of others is an invaluable aid to his work.
'M25M exists as a welcoming community and operates with a high level of regard for the communities it serves and the community in which it is located. Our core values are inclusion, compassion, community, integrity, enabling and excellence. These values are operationalised through feeding, clothing, advising, sign-posting and equipping any who walk into Brodies Hall and ask for help.'
Voices from the Margins evolved from a writing residency that Paul Howard undertook with Matthew 25 Mission as part of his MA in Creative Writing at the University of Brighton.
The purpose of the placement was to seek inspiration for his own writing and to encourage others to share their stories in written or oral form. When Paul
What follows is a convoluted web of deceit and plots within plots, tension mounting at every turn. An apparent red herring is revealed to be a brutal kidnapping integral to the central mystery. More deaths are discovered and everyone's nerves are stretched to breaking point. During the investigation Dee's health starts to fail and increasingly further responsibility is heaped upon Margaretta and Dee's pupil, Christopher, as they employ dangerous occult practices to make sense of their findings. Will they discover the answers in time, or will Dee's health give out before he can unravel the truth and protect Elizabeth's reputation and his own standing?
The second in the Tudor Rose Murders series, The Wolf's Shadow once again captures the essence of sixteenth century life in all its societal complexities, with the supporting cast, however brief their appearance, well fleshed out and three dimensional. Although a work of fiction, the story is set among actual historical events. As the saying goes – truth is stranger than fiction, which makes this combination an irresistible page-turner.
The Wolf's Shadow is available from East Grinstead Bookshop and Amazon, more information can be found at www.gjwilliamsauthor.com
was unable to complete the work needed for the book, Lesley Dawson picked up the baton. The result is a collection of anecdotes and stories from the guests of M25M, homeless, addicted or otherwise marginalised.
You might think that a book written about and by homeless and other people who exist on the margins of society could be rather dry and sombre, and while some of the anecdotes are hard to read (and more than once brought a tear to my eye), some are lighter and some have hope. It is all too easy to turn aside when faced with some unfortunate soul sleeping in a shop doorway or begging in the street; some of us might have the fleeting
thought 'there but for the grace of God go I...' before hurrying on. But each of these is a fellow human being, someone's daughter or son, and the stories and poems in this book are testament to their vulnerable humanity – a recognition of the hardships that can be foisted upon an individual, often through no fault of their own. “Such a harsh knife edge of life” observed a dear friend with whom I had shared my thoughts and impressions of Voices from the Margins. Indeed so.
With their mission statement 'All are welcome, the only condition of that openness being an acceptance of basic unwritten rules of mutual respect', M25M works to restore to their guests a sense of belonging, of community, and above all of respect – for both self and others.
I read a lot of books of all genres – classic and contemporary, fiction and non-fiction, novels and autobiographies, novellas and trilogies, poetry and flash fiction – some are mere escapism while others shine a light on elements of life hidden or unfamiliar. We read to get lost in another world; to peep through a window into the past, or the possible future; to experience vicariously another person's adventures, or to understand their viewpoint, to discover a little about others in different situations from our own. For someone who recognises the vital necessity of reading I believe all books are important, but some books are more important than others. Voices from the Margins is such a one.
Fascinating and gut-wrenching but, surprisingly, ultimately reassuring that in this modern culture increasingly shaped by selfishness, there are people in our communities who care; Voices from the Margins is a must-read for anyone living in society today.
Published by Bourne to Write and available from Amazon and www.bournetowrite.com
–by Alexandra Dean
There was once a beautiful girl who danced in the bright sun and who appeared so delightful in everything she did that she drew admirers from across all the reaches of the known world and beyond. Laughing, she continued to dance until she found one among them she favoured most. Then her dancing slowed and her laughter became whispers into his ear alone.
Their wedding was full of pomp and joy and she shone bright amongst her guests; her groom in awe of her great beauty and his good fortune. Their families and friends joined together to celebrate their union with great happiness and delight.
But once the wedding was over, the girl seemed to undergo a change. One that her love-struck bridegroom, dazed by the glow of passion, could not see. His family and his oldest friends did see and became fearful for him, of what they could not tell.
Discord, never known before, made her appearance and now danced with the beautiful girl in the bright sun. Together they seeded suspicion, anger and misery between the lovestruck husband and his closest friends, slowly and almost imperceptibly breaking old bonds and deep, deep ties.
All the while the girl beguiled her husband with songs of love – the Siren’s call – at which the listener lost all sense of a world beyond the words of his lover. This she employed again and again to bind him to her until he could no longer recognise a world beyond her enticing, entrapping arms.
A Siren’s destruction is not the violent, quick and bloody act spoken of in myth. It is longer, more controlled and sly.
The girl slowly… so slowly… took control of the man who loved her and in turn received only harm.
While he slept, the girl trod ancient and arcane paths to collect forbidden herbs by the light of the full moon, dripping the tincture she made from them into his ear every night, whispering ancient words to seal her power over him. Soon he believed himself to be an orphan; all alone in the world except for her. Abandoned to the Fates, whose good wishes had brought him love and safety in the arms of the girl. Without her, she purred into his ear in those old, strange words, he would be adrift, destitute and alone on life’s lonely seas.
Discord smiled and nodded and continued to play her part; her sharp pointed fingers and forked tongue gradually unpicking every tie that held him close to anyone except the girl. His family and his friends, who have loved him, slowly dissolved away into their own tears and everlasting sadness.
Only then, when all was lost, did he finally see beneath her mask and recognise the frightful truth. At long last he no longer saw the delightful beauty he had first known, all those years before. Too late, he recognised the dark, twisted creature she really was.
Winter is on our tails the mood of the city alters fair-weather visitors now gone the island city turns in on itself days once blessed with light now hugged by darkness, as night draws closer, tighter, lamps are lit, curtains closed streets subdued, with less drama pavements clothed in fine mist.
The damp silence unsettled by a sharp clicking of heels, voices. A beer and whisky-laced whistle a clatter of bins, string of expletives cut sharply into the hollow of night.
The tide turns. The mist clears. Seagulls rest on the Common, a scatter of tiny white sails fluttered by a broad baritone echoing across the harbour.
A high-pitched squawk. The sun rises.
–Tina
Cathleen MacNaughton*
Inspired by ‘The Mudlarks Memorial’, Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard.
Mudlarking, skylarking tousle-topped, dirt-streaked faces squint in the heat of the day sun-burnt stringy limbs, seaweed strewn slither like eels trudge treacle-deep for treasures long-lost a pressed shilling, silver sixpence a glint of pirate gold, perhaps
then a penny, round, tarnished flipped with a toothy grin by a faceless stranger
they dart like shads into mudflats thick with promise later scramble home for tea reeking of bladderwrack and cockles screeching like baby seagulls.
–Tina Cathleen MacNaughton* August 2024
Seeing these poppies she thinks of a quiet corner of a foreign field, wild poppies and fragments of dark slate, white bones of a song bird, or maybe fallen men. Him.
A spent shell risen. A rusted gun plate. Huge rolled tangles of barbed wire marking trenches on that drawn out line and mere boys alive beside long buried men. Dripping oil, the smell of fire and fear, called up, and volunteer. Horses. Screaming. Squelching mud, and gunfire round.
Boots biting deep into that ground, leaving pale thin scar, and more, a sign it might be where he fell.
Now these poppies glisten scarlet in the sun. He was his country’s man and King’s. Like a cross she bears his name.
Coming here, the cenotaph, listening to young voices generations on, so strong and clear, for her these flowers still bloom in bright blood red and though he’s long dead, she cares. She holds the line.
She’s glad she came. She knows he’s here.
–Felicity Fair Thompson**
On the day time rolled out its ale house loom (a District Line moquette to our front door), I could hear them all – those blackstrap sextons, those springtails deep underneath that train smash, that tattoo of jigsaw. I could hear them –I could hear them as they proffered a suite of solvents, with the sketchy promise that it would trump the established petrichor.
I knew full well that Autumn didn’t need to find a vein – it always finds a way. So, no need for a dropper or clean spike, because the pharmacopeia is here
waiting, patiently in the underlay. In its cleanroom – the sextons, the springtails all working away, spinning the salvage into yield, from a season of decay.
–Joseph Long***
‘What’s that in the corner?’ said Piglet to Pooh. ‘It’s a Christmas tree, silly old Piglet,’ said Pooh.
‘That isn’t a tree,’ said the pig with a frown. ‘It ought to be green, but its branches are brown.’
‘We mustn’t be racist,’ said Pooh. ‘Don’t you see? Brown’s a very good colour for human or tree.’
‘But where are its baubles?’ said Piglet to Pooh, ‘The tinsel and sparkles and lights? Tell me, do.’
‘Now tinsel won’t biodegrade in the ground, And lights drain the energy grid, it's been found.
‘And baubles are plastic,’ added Pooh with a sigh, ‘The very thought makes David Att’nbro cry.’
‘And where is the fairy on top?’ Piglet cried. With a shudder, Pooh scrunched up his eyes and replied:
‘Politically, Piglet, that word’s incorrect: We never say fairy, we speak with respect!’
‘Well I hate your tree!’ the enraged Piglet hissed. ‘The spirit of Christmas you’ve totally missed.
‘No baubles, no fairy, no lights? it’s a joke.’
‘Well at least,’ Pooh retorted, ‘I made sure it was woke.’
–Patricia Feinberg Stoner
Patricia Feinberg Stoner is the author of the 'Pays d'Oc' series of books and several books of verse. Discover more at www.paw-prints-in-the-butter.com
*A published writer of both poetry and prose and with a novel under her belt, Tina MacNaughton bolongs to 'Portsmouth Writers’ Hub' and Chichester-based spoken words group, 'Words Out Loud'. Find her on Facebook www.facebook.com/tina.macnaughton.5
** Author and playwright Felicity Fair Thompson is a regular contributor to ingénu/e magazine, see her work at https://wightdiamondpress.com
***Joseph Long is a father and engineer with a passion for works which reflect working class life & culture. His main influences are John Cooper Clarke, T.S. Eliot, Robert Frost, Don Paterson, Paul Muldoon & Seamus Heaney. He is part of the West Kent Stanza and is due to have some of his poetry published in Stand magazine next year.
Eternal youth? to go blindly on, dropping off those cliff-edges of rejection, wringing out your heart flood-damaged by love, gazing up at all those peaks of achievement towering over your head? Perhaps not…
Instant fame? every breath captured, every move followed, even your dog is fair game; as you raise your fork every eye is willing you to drop the sauce on your immaculate front; snarl at them and they’ll drop you back in the gutter Perhaps not…
Endless riches? everyone loves only your bank account; if they fawn you despise them, if you employ them they can betray or rob you, and then, the ennui of the endless, pointless days of luxury, when it has become ordinary Perhaps not… Peace of mind? now that’s a wish, not easily granted, but devoutly to be wished
–Francesca Duffield
Francesca is part of the Bourne to Write group in Eastbourne. More of her work can be found in several of the Bourne to Write anthologies –find them at www.bournetowrite.co.uk
N.B. All poems shown are subject to copyright
West Dean College is a special place at this time of year. With the roaring fire of Oak Hall, golden leaves adorning the arboretum and hearty soups bubbling away in the campus kitchen, it is a beautiful season to slow down and get in touch with your creativity.
We are hosting a plethora of courses inspired by the colours and sights of this season. Recreate autumn leaves in goldwork embroidery with Hannah Mansfield (2-3 Nov) or design and paint your own Botanical Christmas card in ink and watercolour with Sandrine Maugy (4 Nov). Alternatively, if the promise of edible returns is more appealing then enroll in Growing apples, pears, plums and cherries with Sylvia Travers (16 Nov) or Planning your kitchen garden with Ria Marshall (27 Oct) as she explores the intricacies of seasonal sowing and healthy soil.
With a wide variety of courses on offer, you can truly follow your curiosity and find a fresh connection to nature and your creativity in the beautiful surroundings of our South Downs campus.
Following are just some of the many short courses available this autumn:
Botanical painting – autumn colours, Sandrine Maugy, 18-20 Oct
Silk autumn leaves and berries, Anne Tomlin 19-21 Nov
Blacksmithing introduction, John Mosse, 23 Nov
Throwing and turning for beginners, Jo Taylor 22-24 Nov
Make your own leather belt, Jeremy and Carla Bonner, 6 Dec
Lino printmaking for beginners, Mary Dalton, 13-15 Dec Visit www.westdean.ac.uk/short-courses/courses to see the whole range of short courses.
To dicover more about West Dean College, you are invited to experience its Sussex campus at an upcoming Open Day, on Friday 25th October, giving you the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in the inspirational surroundings of West Dean where you can learn more about the Arts, Design and Conservation Degree and Diploma courses on offer. Register now for the Open Day at www.westdean.ac.uk/open-days
above: Blacksmithing with Cara Wassenberg, photo by Chris Ison
top left: Goldwork Autumn leaves
One thing that we take pride in at the studio is that we are an open access space. There's no better way to illustrate this than our Free Form sessions.
If you have a sculpture project in mind, chances are we can provide the space, time, and support to help you achieve it from conception to finished piece. No matter how small the project, or how little your experience, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’ll let you know if we can help.
Here’s an example of how artist Lena Finn is benefiting from time at the studio:
“My first experience of Art Junction was attending Life Drawing classes on a Friday morning. Even then I was intrigued by all the pieces that adorned the shelves in various stages of the casting process. I am currently studying for a MFA at West Dean College and as part of my practice created several large pieces constructed from plaster. I was keen to explore the mould making process and cast one of the pieces in bronze resin. Marji is a knowledgeable, generous and patient tutor who has taken me through the process step by step allowing me to work at my own pace, fitting my sessions around my studies. It is the perfect space to learn with someone always on hand to help or offer advice however large or small your project may be.”
For more information visit www.artjunction.uk
Create Music is the region’s leading provider of high-quality, inclusive music and arts education together with performance opportunities in the South East.
Through our Music Centres in Brighton & Hove, Eastbourne, Hastings & Rother, Lewes, Wealden and online, we offer children and young people the chance to join an orchestra, ensemble or band, such as Youth String Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, Samba Band, Youth Choir and Jazz/Big Band.
Joining a group offers young people at all musical levels a great opportunity to explore their passion for music, develop their musical skills and enjoy making music with others. Last term, the Brighton & East Sussex Youth Orchestra, members of the Hastings & Rother Advanced Youth String Orchestra and students from the Eastbourne and Wealden Concert Bands performed together in a tour
across Germany!
We also offer music lessons in schools and online, as well as in our Music Centres. More than 700 students took part in our annual Summer School in July.
Interested? You can get a taste and see some of our Create Music young performers in action at Sounds From the City, coming to the Brighton Dome Studio Theatre 28th and 29th October. Autumn is the perfect time to start making music together!
For more information visit https://createmusic.org.uk
The Collaborative Canvas is situated in the heart of Eastbourne, at the Enterprise Shopping Centre, a hub of local independent restaurants and retailers.
We are a Community Interest Company providing ‘art for wellbeing’ workshops to individuals and small groups. We don’t expect our customers to be professional artists and if you haven’t picked up a pencil or paintbrush since school, it really doesn’t matter. We encourage individuals
Nestled in a beautifully converted oast, The Oast Studio showcases exposed beams and gentle views across picturesque farmland, making it an ideal escape from the pressures of daily life.
Visitors are greeted by the delightful aromas wafting from The Oast Bakery, where Alison prepares delicious
to come along to learn the basics of a variety of water-based media and make connections, with informal instruction from our resident Art Facilitators. Workshops can be in small groups or can be offered as one-to-ones.
As a registered centre for Arts Award, we support children and young people, aged between 11 and 25 years old, to complete these Trinity College, London accredited courses through guided, 1:1 tutorial support. Arts Award’s mission is to support children and young people to enjoy the arts, to connect with and take part in the wider art world and develop creativity, communication and leadership skills.
Our studio/gallery space is also showcasing the work of Sussex-based artists and makers, such as Liv & Flo, Lynn Watt, Vicki Disney, Graham Matthews, Kay Hilton, Alan Pearce and Emma Bennett.
We also offer ‘art hot desking spaces’ for artists and makers to work with others in order to combat creative isolation in daily crafting and making. Contact collaborativecanvas.art@gmail.com or 01323 552733 for more information, or find us on social media, Facebook: The Collaborative Canvas, Instagram: e.bennett_artwork
seasonal refreshments, inviting guests to unwind and indulge in some much-needed creative time.
The studio offers a brilliant selection of craft courses, ensuring there is something for everyone. As participants dive into their chosen craft, they find themselves surrounded by fellow enthusiasts who share their passion. Creativity flourishes in this supportive environment, with friendly instructors on hand to guide them every step of the way.
More than just a crafting experience, The Oast Studio provides an opportunity to connect with likeminded individuals and explore new skills in a warm and delightful atmosphere. For anyone seeking to immerse themselves in creativity and community, this studio is the place to be. Whether one is a seasoned crafter or a curious beginner, The Oast Studio promises a rich and rewarding creative journey. Guests can expect to come for the crafts, stay for the community, and enjoy a little something sweet along the way!
£10 off your first class! Visit www.oaststudio.co.uk
Discover Your Creative Flair
Enjoy the relaxed and friendly studio atmosphere of an Inlight Glass Fusion Workshop as you design and craft your stunning fused glass panel, coaster, festive ornament, pendant, ring or brooch.
Located in Hove, you can take part in a delightful half-day workshop or a full day workshop with lunch included, run by established glass artist and tutor Chantal Mesnard. Learn how to create depth, layering and texture as
Catriona Millar’s art class ran at the St John’s Parish Hall in Eastbourne's Upper Meads for eight years prior to lockdown.
By March 2020 there were 44 students spread across two weekly classes. It was a bustling hive of creative activity that gave birth to a separate exhibiting art group.
“We used to look at the class and wonder how it turned into this amazing thing that had a life of its own,” says Catriona, “it was like giving birth to something fantastic and beautiful but by accident, somehow it didn’t seem to belong to us.”
And then of course it didn’t. Lockdown snuffed the class out in an instant. Until March this year when the art class restarted almost four years exactly to the day it stopped.
“I don’t think that was intentional,” said Catriona, “but either way I’m now looking at a very similar, joyous art learning event.”
As one of the UK’s leading figurative artists it is unusual for a painter of Catriona’s reputation and schedule to find the time or the energy to run a regular art class but she says it’s worth every minute.
you use a mix of specialised materials such as glass shards and accessories, metals and foils in a glorious range of beautiful and vivid colours.
With step by step guidance and support, experience the delight of seeing your own creation take shape as you gain an understanding of basic glass fusion techniques. And, for some festive fun, book on to an ornaments workshop to make three light catching hanging ornaments of your choice such as Christmas trees, birds, icicles and more.
Gift vouchers are available upon request and workshops are suitable for all ages over eight years old. There is a maximum of five participants per workshop. For more information and to book a workshop place contact Chantal on 07818 277653 or email chantalmesnard@gmail.com.
“Making art is normally a solo act,” says Catriona, “socialising rarely comes into it but the art class changes that for everyone who attends. It’s a meeting of creative minds all focussed on a path of discovery,” Catriona pauses for a moment then adds, “and of course there’s free tea, coffee and biscuits.”
Catriona laughs, but the fact is her class is one of the few in Sussex where you can learn the traditional techniques of painting. You can also learn to draw and paint in all media every Tuesday 11am to 1pm. For more information contact Catriona on catrionamillarpainter@gmail.com or 07758 367479, or visit www.Catrionamillar.com
visit www.nethervaleceramics.com
Looking for a unique gift for a creative soul? Gift vouchers are available and can be an amount of your choosing
We are a friendly open studio where all levels of experience are welcome, running ongoing courses in life drawing, figurative and abstract sculpture.
Casting service, bisque kiln firing available, studio space for rent.
Any questions? Contact Marji at: info@artjunction.uk
Visit www.artjunction.uk
Natural History Artwork / Courses / Demos
Regular studio courses in Polegate & Langney
Creative Mixed Media / Personal Projects / Watercolour and Mixed Media
Live, fun, group Zoom courses Mixed Media Portrait and Landscape / Watercolour Natural History
Art Societies – demos / workshops / regular teaching 1-1 or small groups – private studio / home sessions
For details and testimonials: www.roznathanart.com roz.nathan@hotmail.com • @roznathanart
subscribe to ingénu/e magazine & never miss a copy
For just £14.95/year you can have your own copy delivered to your door each quarter. To subscribe just email subscribe@ingenuemagazine.co.uk More info: www.ingenuemagazine.co.uk
Provides ‘art for wellbeing’ workshops to individuals and small groups
Studio/gallery space showcases the work of Sussex based artists and makers
Art hot-desking spaces for artists & makers
Enterprise Shopping Centre, Eastbourne, BN21 1BD collaborativecanvas.art@gmail.com 01323 552733 The Collaborative Canvas e.bennett_artwork
Meads Village Hall Eastbourne , Tuesdays 11am -1pm
Meads Village Hall Eastbourne , Tuesdays 11am -1pm
Tutored by acclaimed figurative artist Catriona Millar. All media taught, beginners to advanced welcome. To join the Art Class call 07758 367479 or email: catrionamillarpainter@gmail.com catrionamillar.com
Tutored by acclaimed figurative artist Catriona Millar. All media taught, beginners to advanced welcome. To join the Art Class call 07758 367479 or email: catrionamillarpainter@gmail.com catrionamillar.com
www.oaststudio.co.uk
www.oaststudio.co.uk
www.inlightdesigns.weebly.com
When we started ingénu/e over ten years ago, we had a vague idea there were probably many artists around the region, often unsung, who could use a hand in becoming better known. And, like Livingstone exploring Africa, when we set out to find these creatives and their work, we were, and still are, astonished at the amount of artistic endeavour covering all genres of creativity that exist in the area.
After many years of seeking out creativity in all its forms, we are still meeting artists and seeing works we knew nothing of originally.
It is truly incredible what amazing work exists in the nooks and crannies of the South Downs and High Weald, with some often hiding in plain sight… from the small workshop at the back of her home in Storrington, where Vee Pease works away designing jewellery, to the grand ex-Georgian coaching inn that is Trading Boundaries at Sheffield Green, East Sussex, where fabulous furniture, textiles and trinkets from South East Asia can be found, and which is not only an award-winning live music venue but also the official gallery of internationally acclaimed artist Roger Dean.
From the Sussex-based This Is My Theatre that prides itself on producing classical plays and literary adaptations that are accessible for all audiences, particularly those living in rural communities, performing in historic buildings and open-air venues, to the magnificent Ellen Kent productions, who has made it her mission to
take some of the world's best known operas around the UK with top international performers, stunning sets and plenty of showmanship.
There is literally a universe of creatives in our area. All these spirits – these artists, artisans, composers, writers, inventors, painters, sculptors, performers, enablers et al who we have met or whose work we have seen, all seem to have one thing in common, a purpose, an aesthetic drive to delight and engage people, ably expressed by poet, playwright, novelist and scientist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe as follows:
'A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.'
Whether you are religious or not, I think he nailed it there. See the Art of Giving lead feature in this issue and support all the local Creatives therein, as well as those of other genres featured in the magazine.
One of the things both Gill and I love to do is reviewing books (Gill) and CDs and other formats of music (me). And so if you have a book or music on CD, vinyl or other format, get in touch with us. We are just so pleased to receive these, enjoy them, and give our readers a chance to discover your work.
Get in touch!
roger.ingenue@gmail.com (Music) editor.ingenue@gmail.com (Books)
from top: Roger Dean, Close to the Edge; Vee Pease, Sterling silver & moss agate pendant; This Is My Theatre, The Secret Garden
What can one say about the influence of the internet on society? Some say it’s as influential, if not more so, than the Industrial Revolution.
In a similar way applicable to both, there are constructive influences and not so constructive influences, to put it mildly.
But I love those surprises where random pieces of wisdom spring up from the endless outpouring of mindlessness that we encounter daily. Especially those concerned with art or creativity, being a modern rendition of 'The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls'
For example someone posted this quote, apparently from Ghandi;
'Live as if you were to die tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever.'
I guess the next huge stage of societal change (barring a major war or another universal pandemic) will be dominated by AI. I wonder how AI will evaluate human creativity, which is arguably a spiritual phenomenon. Can such a nebulous, ethereal concept be even envisioned by what is in essence a machine? Will it actually be able to truly be creative, not derivative?
Don’t hold your breath.
Besides our adventures distributing the magazine across the region, we also visited some marvellous events this summer which delighted and amazed us; including the captivating Equus exhibition at Oxmarket Contemporary in Chichester; we saw photographer Steve Gallagher’s exhibition at Colonnade House, Worthing; and dropped in on author Carrie Evans promoting her
book ‘The Fun We Had’ outside East Grinstead Bookshop (turn to page 65 to read more). The Botanical Art Fair at Sussex Prairie Gardens over a balmy weekend in July was a real treat. Such beautiful work by all the artists there. Then there was the Makers Fair at Standen House and Gardens in early September, where once again a host of remarkable talent was on display.
Later in September, on a sunny day that could well have deputised for high summer, we were treated to a guided tour of the Surrey Sculpture Society’s sculpture trail at Leonardslee Gardens. Oh my! What talent we witnessed and we also had the opportunity to talk with each sculptor, standing by their creation in the magnificent gardens. (More about these events on p.36-37)
It’s difficult to put into words the effect some of these magnificent works have on one. Suffice to say, as one artist told me of a quote by a famous sculptor describing sculpture, we were experiencing ‘Frozen moments’. And these frozen moments were, by degrees, spectacular, aesthetic, haunting, fun and thought provoking. For organising such an incredible spectacle kudos must go both to Leonardslee and the Surrey Sculpture Society, who should be
immensely proud to have gathered together such a diverse range of talented artists.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light –Dylan Thomas
Last spring I wrote about my sadness at seeing one of my favourite singer songwriters, Nashville’s Gretchen Peters, announcing her farewell tour. And now I hear that in October 2025, Scottish singer/ songwriter extraordinaire Al Stewart will be celebrating his 80th Birthday with a Farewell Tour of the United Kingdom. He recently relocated to Arizona from LA where he has lived for the last 45 years, and will be winding down his touring schedule with his long time band The Empty Pockets.
I’ve been a fan of Al’s since the late 60s, when he was first scratching a living in folk clubs in London’s Soho. A true wordsmith, his unique brand of folkrock, often blended with historical characters and fascinating anecdotes, saw him hit the big time worldwide in 1976 with the ethereal single ‘Year of the Cat’ from his eponymous seventh album.
We all have favourite songs, and in my top ten is Al’s song ‘Roads to Moscow’ from his fifth album ‘Past, Present and Future’. An epic WWII tale seen through the eyes of a Russian soldier, it’s a song that haunts one long after hearing. It contains many typically aesthetic Al lines such as….
'In the footsteps of Napoleon the shadow figures stagger through the winter' or 'Two broken Tigers on fire in the night, flicker their souls to the wind'
2025 will be the last time we see him perform in the UK. I’m disappointed that the tour (as it stands at the moment) doesn’t include any dates in our region, the nearest being at the Palladium in London.
The wealth of songs he has created guarantee his immortality. I wish him well in his retirement in Chandler, Arizona. I think it will suit him well, the town being famous for its history, arts and culture along with areas of beautiful nature.
It’s Adieu in 2025 to an incomparable talent. from top: Carrie Evans with our editor at East Grinstead Bookshop; Let's Dance by Jeremy Moulsdale at Leonardslee Gardens (see page 36); Al Stewart and the Empty Pockets
Contemporary Craft Painters, poets, weavers, welders, gardeners, gilders, calligraphers, conservators…
Whatever your craft, whatever your level, there is a short course for you at West Dean. Learn from expert tutors in state-of-the-art studios, or study in your own time with distance learning.
Be inspired at westdean.ac.uk
