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MAKERS &S SHAKER
SUE TOWNSEND Artist
Sue Townsend moved to Tetbury from Bristol after she got married nearly 40 years ago. Sue is an artist who has her own studio, teaches art classes in the town and regularly organises painting holidays. She is also a member of the Dolphins Hall Committee.
The art classes are fun. There's always tea and coffee, and you end up making a whole new set of friends. I also run painting holidays once a year, which are always exciting. We've been to France, Italy and Portugal. The Tetbury Art Society is well subscribed. It meets once a month and other artists are invited to come and give a demonstration or talk. There are quite a lot of artists in the area and a number of social groups you can join in with: singing, sewing, knitting, felt making, and so on.
Y
ou can consider Tetbury as either a small town or a big village. It’s got a fantastic community with a lovely community spirit. There's a lot going on and everyone's well catered for.
Sometimes I take myself off into the countryside and find a field to draw in. All the seasons have their own beauty. Autumn is incredible, because of all the colour, but then winter's also great if we get some snow and you can see the skeletons of the trees. Spring, of course, is wonderful because we have all the bluebells and colourful new leaves. And summer – if only it was longer!
Tetbury is a quintessential Cotswolds town with beautiful architecture, some of it going back to medieval times. I enjoy the slower and more relaxed way of life. It’s the atmosphere of a Cotswolds town and the people that make it – everyone is friendly and there's a buzz when the market opens on Wednesdays. I teach a number of classes: small groups in my studio and in the town as well. There’s quite a vibrant little group that I run in St Michael’s Catholic Church Hall on a Monday afternoon and evening.
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