For over a decade, our annual Summer Open has been a cornerstone of the Artizan calendar, bringing an incredible array of artistic talent to the English Riviera. This year, we are shifting our focus to explore a specific narrative dedicated to the unique spirit of our region. Peninsula: The South-West Open 2026 brings together national and local artists responding directly to the physical, cultural, and historic characteristics of the South-West. Grounded in the dramatic landscapes, tactile materials, and the legendary quality of light that defines the peninsula. Join us this summer to experience a visual journey through the South-West, celebrating the landscapes and light that inspire us. The exhibition will launch on 25th July 6 – 8 pm and run from 26th July – 4th September Wednesday – Sunday 10 am – 4 pm or by appointment.

We are fascinated by the plant as a being of dual nature: beautiful yet dangerous, healing yet poisonous. This contradiction is the starting point of our joint exhibition, Poison Garden: Healing or Deadly. For us, plants are more than shapes, colours, or natural motifs. They become symbols of the delicate balance between life and death, healing and harm. What can heal can also become poison; the difference often lies in knowledge, dosage, and human choice. This duality is particularly visible in the Devon landscape. Foxglove, yew, and nightshade are familiar plants, yet carry hidden stories of medicine, poisoning, ritual, science, and our desire to understand and control nature. It is difficult to explore the darker side of local botany without thinking of Devon’s most famous resident, Agatha Christie. Her work in a hospital and pharmacy during the First World War gave her an understanding of drugs, dosages, and toxins that later influenced her crime novels. For Christie, poison became both a means of death and a form of hidden knowledge. Through paintings, ceramics, and printmaking, we explore plants as delicate forms, tactile objects, traces, and imprints. Rather than offering clear answers, we invite viewers into a garden where the familiar becomes mysterious, and beauty can evoke both wonder and anxiety. The Poison Garden is a space between opposites: where beauty is not always safe, and poison is not always simply poison. Exhibition will launch 11th September Exhibition dates: 12th September – 11th October Wednesday – Sunday 11 am – 4 pm