Search this site

Kirsteen Titchener is a self-taught photographic artist living in Devon. Her work is strongly influenced by a fascination with human nature, many years working in the field of psychology, and periods of self-reflection. Kirsteen’s work often features digitally manipulated self-portraits illustrating the elements that make us individuals hidden beneath our everyday facades. "Welcome to Deepbridge Chester Arts Fair, Cheshire’s premier arts event taking place from 16-18 November at Chester Racecourse.Visitors to the Fair have the opportunity to view and buy artwork of all mediums and styles, ranging in price from as little as £40.00 up to £10,000 plus.Since the Fair first opened in 2011, it has grown considerably, now attracting over 100 UK & International, emerging & established artists exhibiting a varied selection of visual arts including paintings, sculpture, photography, illustration, glass, digital art, ceramics and much more. The Fair welcomes visitors with a genuine passion for art, from serious collectors to those investing in their first piece of original art." chesterartsfair.co.uk/portfolio-item/kirsteen-titchener/ #KirsteenTitchener #2018 #Chester #ArtFair #ChesterArtFair #November

Surveying the blank canvas that is 2019 there’s some trepidation. Last year our workload reached almost overwhelming levels with output at the end of 2018 dominating commitments. A year which saw us tied up with the building purchase and flooding in our basement left little opportunity to look ahead. The result? Well let’s say certain aspects of 2019 are somewhat abstract. A vague outline, some recognisable shapes; it still looks very much like Artizan, but the edges are a little blurred, colours hazy and there’s work to do before the bigger picture will be hanging on the gallery walls. What we know confidently, is that 2019 will be big. We were inundated with proposals for a diverse range of challenging and inspiring thematic calls put forwards by guest curators and a wealth of talented contemporary artists making enquiries. We’ll be exploring themes of mental health and welcoming national and international names to Torbay, complimenting shows from local talent. Collaboration with Geopark Ambassador Artists will extend alongside our commitment to the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark. Early plans include an exhibition during the Geopark Festival which we hope might welcome other international sites, but with the commitment shown already from these artists, we’re anticipating this won’t be all we see from them. Photography will take a headline slot. We met the South West Collective of Photographers in October and saw a big contribution in this medium to our Winter Open. With approaches being made from individual artists, and audiences being equally vocal, it’s apparent there’s appetite here. The UK is still fairly traditional in its recognition (or lack thereof) for the medium with bubbles of excellence where you might expect them, London and Bristol being notable. Witnessing this progressive attitude locally therefore is exciting. Off the back of 2018 pop-ups on Fleet Walk, we’ll be continuing to think big. There’re some ideas forming, we might have our eyes turned towards friends in Brixham… but who knows! Plenty of the old Artizan will be remaining, favourites such as Stanza Extravaganza are going nowhere, but the rest, watch this space! Visit art-hub.co.uk/2019 for details. #BeachHut #CultureUpdate #January2019 #Photography #SWCP #Geopark #EnglishRiviera

Nobody’s Perfect | A Comedy By Simon Williams | Directed by Anna Reynolds Mon Jan 14th-- Sat 19th Time 7.30 pm. Matinee: Sat 19th Jan only at 2.30 pm Toads Little Theatre. The January TOADS production is Nobody's Perfect by Simon Williams; a feel good hilarious comedy, sure to fend off those January and post-Christmas blues. 'Love Is All Round' is a feminist publishing house where Harriet Copeland is running a competition to find new romantic fiction; their motto is 'For Women By Women'. To avoid this gender bias, Leonard Loftus is forced to submit his novel under a female pseudonym, namely Myrtle Banbury Leonard begins to have a major problem when Myrtle wins the first prize! He is a bashful statistician lumbered with a spectacular alter ago. With domestic complications from his wayward daughter Dee Dee and Gus, his rascally old father, Leonard tries frantically to keep up the charade. His problems are made worse when he falls hopelessly in love with Harriet. He is a worried man in the guise of a carefree woman. The happy ending is not going to be easy. Our hero is caught in a hilarious dilemma of cross-dressing and cross-purposes. Nobody's Perfect has been acclaimed as a classic feel good romantic comedy. It has the fertile tradition of Some Like It Hot, Tootsie, and Mrs. Doubtfire. This is a play that offers belly laughs galore - four irresistibly loveable characters locked into a hilarious plot. The final scene has been described as a comic masterpiece. The Director Anna Reynolds is a familiar face at The Little Theatre both on stage and in a directorial role and has had much fun during the rehearsals of Nobody's Perfect, with a first class cast and a wonderfully funny script. Cast: David Gent, Jon Manley, Molly Wynne, Nichola Aldridge Nobody’s Perfect: Mon 14th Jan– Sat 19th Jan 7.30pm. Saturday Matinee 19th Jan only 2.30pm TOADS Theatre Company, The Little Theatre. St Mark’s Road, Meadfoot, Torquay. TQ1 2EL. Box Office: 01803 299 330 Mon/Fri 10.30 am -1.30pm Online Booking: www.toadstheatre.co.uk Tickets: £13.00. Concessions available. Free parking. Disabled Access. Bar and Coffee Shop open from 6.30 pm. #TheLittleTheatre #December #2018 #Torbay

‘Tiz the season to be jolly’ at Toads Little Theatre, and what could be better to fill you with Christmas cheer than Alan Ayckbourn’s hilariously funny - ‘Season’s Greetings.’ In what is considered to be Ayckbourn’s funniest play, half a dozen friends and family are celebrating Christmas with Neville and Brenda; but peace and goodwill don’t last long. As squabbles inevitably break out and with too much alcohol and some annoying mechanical toys, it becomes a fabulous recipe for a truly dysfunctional Christmas! With a stellar cast of Toads’ favourites, director Alec Stokes said “I think ‘Season’s Greetings’ is one of Alan Ayckbourns finest. Everyone will know a character in this production, based on family, relations and friends coming together at Christmas. The play is full of controversy and humour. SEASON’S GREETINGS is a ‘MUST SEE’ comedy that everyone will enjoy.” SEASON’S GREETINGS: Mon 17th Dec– Sat 22nd DEC 7.30pm. Saturday Matinee 22nd DEC only 2.30pm TOADS Theatre Company, The Little Theatre. St Mark’s Road, Meadfoot, Torquay. TQ1 2EL. Box Office: 01803 299 330 Mon/Fri 10.30 am -1.30pm Online Booking: www.toadstheatre.co.uk Tickets: £13.00. Concessions available. Free parking. Disabled Access. Bar and Coffee Shop open from 6.30 pm. #TheLittleTheatre #December #2018 #Torbay

Images from our October Flash Exhibition Preview, In Plain Site with photographer Lee Fletcher! #2018 #LeeFletcher #ExhibitionGallery #ImageGallery #Photography #Projection #October #Exhibition #FlashExhibition #ArtistPreview

Images from our October Flash Exhibition, In Plain Site with photographer Lee Fletcher! #2018 #LeeFletcher #ExhibitionGallery #ImageGallery #Photography #Projection #October #Exhibition #FlashExhibition

After a few months hard work Studio 7 on New Road Brixham is now open. This will be a working studio and gallery from which I will be able to paint and display my work and from which I will also be welcoming other creatives to share the gallery space with me so please get in touch if this is of interest. From this space I hope to be able to share my love of art and offer a place to escape to view through art the thoughts and views of old and new artists and they way that they see the things that surround us all. #KevinPatterson #Brixham #Studio7

Artizan are delighted that one of our artists, Anna Grayson, has had two more pieces exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, this time selected personally by Grayson Perry and hung in his famous yellow gallery. The exhibition, including Anna's two pieces, Love in the Care Home' and 'The Moaning Geezer' is still available to view online at https://se.royalacademy.org.uk/ Anna's husband is the model in both pictures and is an artist in his own right, exhibiting with Artizan now and again. Thus far Anna has accumulated a total of 46 red dots,with her work finding its way into private collections around the world. You can see a selection of Anna's other work in our "Loovre" gallery - yes the smallest room, always a good place to hang humorous works of art. #Photography #Announcement #AnnaGrayson #2017 #RoyalAcademy

As we’re slowly stepping out of Summer, dragging our heels, I’m up on Dartmoor enjoying a rare day off but reluctantly still pondering work in the back of mind. We’re now edging into October and I can’t help but think that this time last year things were beginning to slow down. The holidaymakers were heading home, the streets were looking quieter and in general the pace was easing. For us, Artizan was looking forward to its final two exhibitions of the year and a handful of events that came with them, whilst beginning to think about plans for 2018. The picture this year could not be more different. Our students from TTPL help us curate these articles and when I asked our current resident Italian, Emma, to get researching, I had nearly two pages of upcoming events returned to me! Looking at our own calendar, the story was much the same I realised, with overflowing exhibitions, pop-ups and performances to enjoy before we can even begin to think about 2019… We’re definitely not complaining, it’s great to see such a strong showing of activity going into Autumn. It’s a follow on from an overwhelmingly busy Summer of activity as 2018 has seen a huge amount of energy put into new programming, with arts venues and creators across Torbay raising the bar. And the range of activity in October is a perfect showcase for this with everything from Britain’s Seafood Feast visiting the three towns, through a diverse showing of performances at the Palace Theatre (including Shakespeare Oct-01, comedy with Harry and Chris Oct-06 and music with Wall of Floyd Oct-07), to the annual English Riviera Film Festival with a huge array of talks, exhibitions, workshops and screenings (join us at Artizan for a talk on “Torbay in the Movies” with Kevin Dixon Nov-01). The list goes on as the energy to bring Torbay to life all year round with inspiring arts activity being boundless recently. I’d encourage everyone to get out there and enjoy what’s on offer and match this unbridled spirit from our local creative producers with an indulgent appetite not just for this month’s seafood, but for culture in all its shapes and forms. #BeachHut #CultureUpdate #October2018 #SeafoodFeast #PalaceTheatre #TTPL

My name’s Emma Dei Agnoli, I’m a 17 years old student from Onigo, a little village in the north-east of Italy not far away from Venice and from other Italian’s art centers such Padua and Verona. My area is culturally and artistically active as many artists live and work there. Several art exhibitions and cultural events as film and music festivals and are organized throughout the year especially in the Summer. For example the Operaestate Festival Veneto which is a Summer show of live entertainment that takes place annually in the city of Bassano del Grappa and in the Pedemontana area. It was born as a summer lyric season and then introduced theater, dance, music and cinema projects in the following years. The main aim of the Festival is to bring the public closer to performative art and live performance in all its forms and raise the cultural value of our territory. Since I was a child I’ve always been creative and passionate about art and drawing mainly thanks to my parents who are really into modern and contemporary art: they’ve given me the chance to travel a lot and visit many foreign cities and countries, museums and art galleries and my grandparents who have always surrounded me with paintings and sculpture as they used to be art collectors. At the moment I’m attending the fourth year of the Figurative Art course in High School and I’m studying painting and drawing techniques, sculpture and history of art. As I don’t really have a defined style I’m always looking for inspiration both from classical and contemporary art but also from people who surround me. Currently I’m really into printing, especially linoleum printing, and I’m working on a series of portraits and city landscapes. I really love illustration too and experimenting with different types of materials and textures. Personally I don’t have a favorite art current or artist: I think it’s better to be open minded and give yourself the chance to explore different kind of art, styles and artists. I really love design especially furniture and jewelry design; I’ve attended few pottery and jewelry courses. I don't really know what I want do in my future; I'd like to study design at university and maybe get a master in Jewelry Design. I'll stay in Torquay for five weeks thanks to an European scholarship with other 15 students from different schools and cities. I haven't visited the Torbay area yet but for what I saw up to now it seems quiet but stimulating at the same time. It's quite different from where I live: the landscape is quite different as well as culture, food and people. I live near the mountains so it's a little bit strange for me to see the sea every day and live in a big town full of shops. I really love traveling and get to know new cultures and explore different places and cities. I can't wait to explore Torbay and Devon: I'm planning to visit Paignton and Brixham as well as Dartmoore National Park. I'm a little bit nervous because it's my first time away from home for so long and my first real work experience but I'm also really excited to test myself and my limits. I've never worked abroad or in an Art Gallery before so I can’t wait to learn new things and improve my skills. I'd like to learn more about this work, get in touch with costumers and artists and improve my technical language. Emma Dei Agnoli #August #2018 #EmmaDeiAgnoli #TTPL #Italy

Birdwood House Gallery, Totnes Monday 20th August – Saturday 25th August Open 10am – 5pm daily It is true that a picture speaks a thousand words; however if a representational painting or photograph is symbolic or intended to illustrate a narrative then that is not necessarily communicated by viewing alone. An abstract image that has been created to an elusive intellectual concept can prove to be even more difficult to discern. Likewise, the lyrics of a song are also a locked box to anyone who does not know the language in which it is sung. However, instrumental music is universal and could wash over a crowd of people that are completely incapable of communicating with each other verbally and unite them in rhythm. In the visual arts I believe that abstract painting also has the highest potential to be a universal language. True abstraction is beyond description in words, have you ever heard a plausible description of Love? The critique of abstract painting is often reduced to a soulless analysis of colour and compositional relationships or it is regarded that the concept behind the work is more important than the artwork itself. I paint intuitively and spontaneously with geometry as my shepherd; with the intention of creating works that people can connect to in a silent conversation, regardless of their cultural heritage. Art should be universally inclusive. #CharlesSomerton #BirdwoodHouse #Exhibition #Abstract #August #2018

Anna Grayson is a former BBC Presenter and Science Writer who, on retirement, treated herself to a year’s Diploma course at Art College. Her plan had been to study ceramics, incorporating knowledge and understanding gained as part of her original degree from St Andrews - in Geology with Chemistry. But photography won the day - using similar techniques and continuous lighting she had used in her long broadcasting career. During her first career she won the Glaxo Wellcome award for some short science films and had broken new ground by being the first woman to present a Natural World on BBC2. She had also been a regular voice on BBC Radio, with the aim of making clear and vivid pictures inside people’s minds. Just a year after leaving art College, in 2014 Anna was hung at the RA with her take on Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait entitled An Allegory of Modern Marriage. She has also been hung at the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol and for several years running at South West Academy in Exeter. She has held several exhibitions in the South West, but finds her work hung in many corners of the globe. She is thrilled to be exhibiting again in 2018 and hopes to raise lots of money for the Royal Academy Schools. It is such a worthwhile cause. Both the works celebrate her long marriage to Des Maxwell Clark, also an earth scientist turned artist. While he paints watercolours that look like photographs, Anna takes photographs that look like paintings: Klimt in the Care Home was shot to celebrate their ruby wedding, but with a distinct hope they’d make it to gold. Several art historians, including foxy James Fox and Sister Wendy (that well known authority on sexual relationships) have asserted that the embrace is coercive, that the woman is recoiling. Finding a photograph of Klimt cuddling a pussycat, Anna found herself disagreeing. So, her kiss is full of tender and enduring love. The blankets were made by Anna’s late Aunt whose family had been friendly with Magritte, so a good pedigree, and also a tiny nod to the textiles in Tracey Emin’s Tent. Anna had trouble keeping hers in place, running from the camera, set on ten second delay, to her tricky position on a re-arranged sofa with bewigged husband. The Moaning Geezer (after Leonardo) takes advantage of the Devon countryside, full of perfect locations for her pastiche photography. This is the Teign Estuary in late Autumn, taking on the colours of Tuscany. Anna did have a female model lined up, but she couldn’t make it, so long suffering husband had to step in wearing a long wig and Anna’s best cashmere jumper. The enigmatic smile is due to La Giaconda being in the process of clenching her buttocks to let off a particularly fruity fart. Only she knows how bad it is, which makes her smile to herself. An open farting policy could well be the key to success in marriage, and certainly proves to be an excellent tool of communication between an artist and her model/muse. The photograph had to be taken quickly before said model/muse started to feel cold and reverted to moaning again. #RoyalAcademy2018 #AnnaGrayson #ArtizanGallery #EnglishRiviera