Artists at Home 2023 is the groups biggest open studio event to date with over 90 artists showcasing their work, across 69 open studios over 3 days in June.
In 2023 Artists at Home celebrates its 50th year, the group now including 97 artists in total, many of whom will open their studios to the public from Friday 16th June until Sunday 18th June 2023.
Horton and Garton continue to be proud sponsors of Artists at Home, recognising its significance as part of West London’s identity; the areas strong ties with artists and creatives.
In this article we explore a brief history of the group and share more about several of the creatives opening their studios in June.
Artists at Home is celebrating its 50th year
Artists at Home was originally founded in Durham Wharf on the Thames in 1973 by Mary Feddon and her husband Julian Trevelyan.
Durham Wharf, in Brentford, positioned on the River Thames, had become a favourite area for artists seeking a more cost effective place to live outside of central London, with it being popular with artists from as early as the 1920’s.
Between 1925 – 1934 the Wharf was used for block fabric printing, stone sculpting and film making and local artists in the area became part of a community known as the ‘The Chiswick Group’. Exhibitions were often held in the Wharf and over the years this grew in popularity.
Shepherd’s wood-yard, next door to Durham Wharf was destroyed by a fire in the 1960’s. Julian purchased the land and developed a set of artists’ studios which were finished in 1974, known as St Peters Wharf. Some of the Artists at Home today, Ben Johnson and Jenny Price have their studios there.
In 1973 Mary Fedden and Julian Trevelyan formalised The Open Studio Scheme which became a regular annual event and Artists at Home was born.
In 2003, on Artists at Home’s 30th anniversary, Mary Fedden RA said: “When my late husband, Julian Trevelyan, and I first opened our studio to the public one summer Sunday in 1973, we never realized we would be starting a local tradition. We had been asked to open by Hammersmith and Fulham Council, who enticed us with a £5 grant for tea and biscuits. Much to our surprise, the day was a huge success, with over 100 visitors. They were appreciative of our work, but equally interested to see inside these mysterious studios!”
Whilst Artist at Home has obviously expanded and changed a lot… the intention is very much the same – to give people the opportunity of seeing artists’ work in the very space where it was created
Mary Fedden
In 50 years, Artists at Home has grown to now include 92 talented artists in the west London area, with the group still having members in the original site at St Peters Wharf, which continues to be a creative central hub on the river.
Jill Spearman
Studio 31
Jill began painting in oil and pastel whilst teaching English part-time at George Washington University in Washington DC 10 years ago. Her initial journey into art was mostly exploring landscapes using large canvasses and painting en plein air. On returning to London she attended the London Fine Art Studios to focus more on drawing and painting of portrait and figure. Then followed a watercolour course at Heatherly School of Fine Art. Jill currently uses the combination of art and teaching skills to support a visually impaired group based at a community centre ‘The Blackfriars Settlement’ in Southwark.
Even though my appreciation of art has changed over the past 10 years I have always known how and what I wanted to paint, influenced by learning to look at paitings from a young age under my mother’s guidance.
Jill Spearman
Like many artists, Jill is quite obsessed with light and dark: Chiaroscuro of classical painting, value or tone of colour. She shares that she refers to Old masters such as Sorolla , Vermier, Turner, Singer Sargent and contemporary artists who provide exciting new challenges in design: perspective, tonal and colour application, and use of materials.
Jill explores by working across mediums and sketching. For Artists at Home 2023, she will be presenting pastel and oil landscapes including some mixed media.
Salome Gallan
Studio 43
Salome’s artistic background encompasses a variety of mediums, including painting, drawing, sculpture, mixed media, and textiles, but she always finds herself returning to acrylic painting. In addition to creating two-dimensional artwork, she enjoys constructing and designing three-dimensional objects.
Salome says she finds inspiration from the everyday feelings, emotions, and observations surrounding her: “Art is all around us and within us. Anyone can express themselves through art; it can be an excellent way to release and share our inner feelings with the world.”
Salome uses bold and expressive colours to paint, creating layers and textures. Although she paints intuitively, Salome spends time choosing the right colours. Sometimes, sticking to a specific palette takes work!
I enjoy experimenting and allowing myself to paint, trusting that my energy will show in my work. My passion for psychology has also led me to explore how colour affects us, giving me a deeper understanding of how no boundaries art can impact our emotions and thoughts.
Salome Gallan
Juliet Strong
Studio 51
Juliet Strong creates exquisite jewellery from her West London studio. She has been silversmithing since 2001 and has been fortunate enough to learn from some of the leading makers in London. Whilst starting a family she took part-time courses in Jewellery and Silversmithing at London Metropolitan University followed by Kensington and Chelsea College. It was in 2013 that she started exhibiting and selling my work in galleries and contemporary craft shows.
My work is drawn from nature and the aesthetic appeal of organic forms – themes of asymmetry and balance run through my designs. I am particularly inspired by coastal landscapes; waves and ripples, pebbles, driftwood and seashells all feed my imagination
Juliet Strong
Juliet employs traditional metalworking techniques alongside more experimental approaches. Hand-crafting jewellery in silver and base metals, using delicate surface textures and finishes, offset by the occasional gemstone. The techniques she favours to create my pieces are press forming, casting from wax and forging. Juliet also enjoys experimenting with patination to produce colour and pattern. Producing original designs which are elegant, playful, tactile and sensuous to wear.
Jenny Price
Studio 40
Jenny has worked in France and the UK for the last 25 years, with her work including installation, paintings, open weave incorporated into abstract and semi abstract paintings. She has previously studied weave and printmaking at Camberwell Art College.
I am inspired by water, the convergence of story and image, and colour.
Jenny Price
Jenny’s work involves exploring a story translated into image. Her latest series, Brilliant Women explores women and their roles through the generations. Jenny usually creates open weaves with a variety of yarns, which include silks, linens and synthetics. The weaves are an integral part of the paintings on canvas. Other series of paintings have been inspired by the Cornish coast, stone and rock, the river, and heat. Jenny also has a limited number of silk and cashmere scarves available which have been designed with images of her paintings; Brilliant Women, Floodplain, and Reedbeds.
Naila Hazell
Naila Hazell is passionate in her exploration of the stillness to be found in short precious moments, which can be seen instantly throughout one’s life, but which can also be ignored and lost in the haste of life.
Her paintings transform those unconscious moments to create conscious reminiscences that can be activated by every viewer.
The diversity of the deep colours and structures around her figures, can lead viewers to many dimensional connections.
Saskia Daniel
Studio 3
Having left a long career in higher education communications, Saskia Daniel returned to making ceramics, which she had abandoned for over a decade. She is now a small-batch potter throwing collections of functional stoneware items for everyday use. Saskia’s focus is on making highly tactile pieces, exploring the textures and contrasts of glazed and unglazed areas using only small number of glazes on a variety of clays. She also looks after the Artists at Home website.
Saskia is looking forward to welcoming visitors to her open studio in June, where she hosted by her friend, vibrant abstract painter Kathryn Davey.
Artists at Home 2023
With so many artists to explore over the open studio weekend in June, it might be useful for those intending to visit certain artists to explore the interactive map and look through sample works on the Artists at Home website in advance.
As always, for any property related matters, please do get in touch with Horton and Garton.
