A final 2017 update and a message of thanks to our supporters and friends!
Well where on earth did 2017 ago?! It all seems to have rushed by in quite a blur and we’re still trying to catch our breath here! As the year and our final exhibition draws to a close it’s time for myself and the team at Artizan to reflect on how it all went and to look forward to what’s to come.
We’ve had a really wonderful year here at the gallery and we owe a huge debt of thanks to the artists who have joined us for the 2017 series; Richard Slater, Jim Doran, Jo West, Charles Somerton, Jennifer Harris, Marc Heaton, Alan Gregory, Chris Pitman, Clare Jenkinson, Martin Bush, Mark Wallis, Kat Fennell, Nina Kleinzeller and Susan Cavaliere. This is of course also not forgetting the hundreds of artists who have joined us for our open shows here and in other venues! To all of our returning artists, we are grateful for your continued support, and to those who were new to us in 2017 it’s great to have met you and thank you for choosing Artizan.
Additionally, we need to recognise artists Arthur Homeshaw and Tim Long who are no longer with us, and also Paul Ansell who we sadly lost earlier this year. We were privileged to have hosted Paul’s final exhibition as he lost his battle with cancer; this unassuming man who had found a new direction with his art and was producing bright colourful abstracts that were unashamedly bold has left a lasting impression with his work and we miss him very much.
This year we also introduced ‘The Loovre’ to our visitors, a dedicated space, albeit tiny and unusual, for artist, Anna Grayson’s, popular and well-known pastiche photography. The collection steadily grows with recent new works, ‘Ophelia in the Hot Tub’ and ‘GSOH’ now adorning our walls. The final extension to Artizan this year was the opening of the Basement Gallery, a dedicated space for 3D works which currently houses work by Gesche Buecker, David Jones, Kat Jenkinson, Roger Lissenden, Elisabeth Hadley, Amy McCarthy, Sally Fisher, Kevin Scott, Alan Austin, Gilly Pitman, Peter Stride, Joseph Hayton, and Mike Nuth. Both spaces have proven to be popular additions, offering the opportunity for us to continue broadening the variety of art we host, and our visitors more opportunity to explore the talented works being produced by Torbay’s artists.
We have also been involved in some collaborative events with Torre Abbey and must thank James Tyson for welcoming us to be part of this year’s International Agatha Christie Festival and also Anna Gilroy for inviting us to exhibit there throughout December and into January. It really is a privilege for us to be part of events in this wonderful, historic building, a true jewel in Torbay’s Crown!
Interspersed with all of this there has been Poetry, Music, Cocktails and Conversation, bringing with them, laughter, reflection and many new friends to the gallery. To all who have newly joined us in 2017 we hope to continue to welcome you back, and for those who have been with us for the long haul now, we glad to still have you with us.
With the re-launch of our newly updated website, alongside our brand-new sister site art-hub.co.uk (currently in pre-launch), we are very excited to offer new digital opportunities and services in 2018. We’ve got a wonderful team of content creators on board with us, and we’re excited to now be receiving guest submissions to the website too.
Back in the Gallery, the calendar is almost full, and we have decided to mix things up a bit, continuing with solo or small group shows in the main space but running a yearlong Salon Open show in the Garden Gallery. We guarantee another rich and diverse calendar throughout 2018 as we welcome Veronica Charlesworth, Michael McDonagh Wood, Jane Villaweaver, The Raw Art Forum, Sue Luxton, Alan Price-Roberts, Douglas Bardrick, Roger Lissenden, Sandra Lissenden, Chantal Ashwell, Becky Nuttall, and Marge Penn to the gallery. With many exciting events and activities planned to sit alongside the art 2018 promises to be anything but dull!
Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to visit us this year and thanks to our wonderful and talented artists without whom there would be no Artizan. We wish you all a Happy Christmas and look forward to seeing you all again in 2018.
