Becky Nuttall

Becky comes from an artistic and literary background. She studied art in the early seventies
but got diverted by literature and, latterly, the social development of adolescents.

The research undertaken as part of her MA reconnected her to her own adolescence and it's influences.

She is a published poet and performs her poetry locally. She was highly commended in the Torbay Poetry Festival competition 2017.

Her work 'Bedroom shrine to the virgin of the rocks' was shortlisted for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2017.

Currently Becky's art work has two themes:

Art of the School: Religious influence and on an emerging young artist in the Seventies

Family Tree: Referencing the objects, places and influences in Becky's past

Becky paints mainly in acrylic but uses mixed media including materials she used as a child and student to enhance the reference to emerging child artists. Parts of her original childhood and student works are collaged into paintings and some have a deliberate naive quality for this purpose. Works with a reference to religious iconography replicate the paintings in her convent school.

Becky includes works by her father and children to show the artistic tradition that runs through her family. Her father, Peter Draper, owned Milton Head Pottery Brixham from 1950 -59 and became a successful playwright. He was a founder member of The Devon Guild of Craftsmen. The pottery site is featured on the Brixfest heritage trail app. Torbay Libraries held two Milton Head Pottery exhibitions in 2016.'Visiting Artists' is Becky's blog on her website; recalling the influence of her artist father, his friends, convent education and art school education on her life.

Robert Garnham

Robert Garnham is a comedy spoken word artist from Devon. Although light in tone, his work deals with LGBT issues and social representation and has an undercurrent of seriousness. His shorter pieces are fast-paced, delivered in a stand-up style, with a slightly surrealist edge and often a humorous punchline. His tone is off-beat, high energy and often somewhat deadpan.

Over the years Robert has headlined at the top spoken word nights in the UK such as Bang Said the Gun in London, Evidently in Manchester, Hammer and Tongue in both Bristol and Brighton. He has won or been placed second at slams in Exeter, Wolverhampton, Edinburgh, Swindon and London. He has recently headlined at the Duplex in New York and the King Kong Klub in Berlin. He often appears at comedy nights and has supported John Hegley and Arthur Smith.

Robert has appeared at festivals such as Womad and London gay pride, and his one hour show Static recently featured at festivals in Bath, Guildford and the Edinburgh Fringe, where he has performed for the last three years. His first collection was published in 2016 by Burning Eye Books, and he was long listed for the Saboteur Awards in the category Spoken Word Artist of the Year. He is currently working with the musical jazz improvisation group Croydon Tourist Office, and has narrated and appeared in a short film, 'Professor in the Bathroom'. Robert provides workshops for adults and sixth form students in comedy poetry, and has been Poet in Residence at the Artizan Gallery in Torquay, and on the LGBT radio magazine show 'Listen Out' in Exeter. Lately he has been appearing on adverts for the Nationwide Building Society.

'What I love most about Robert Garnham is that he seems naive and childish enough to believe that poetry can be for the actual pleasure of the reader. His work is an invitation to spend time in his world, looking at things differently. He is excellent company. In short he's an excellent poet with an inimtable voice and a nice smile. There's warmth in his whimsy, it's sturdy not flimsy. Where others might proffer inanity he offers humanity'.