I am a bit obsessed with Kurt Schwitters, I am a bit in love with him. I was shown his work in 1973 at art school and I used his quote in my history of art exam: "What is art Herr Schwitters?" "What isn't?" he replied. At the time, I was seventeen, I thought it was a smart retort, not realising the depth and profundity of his reply; I did not really know Herr Schwitters, deviant artist of the Nazi regime, Dadaist, spoken word and collage artist, keeper of the found text, the disempowered culture observer at a time of surveillance, torture, exile or death. Kurt was a German refugee in England, interned and released into Ambleside and the Cumbrian countryside. On the day he received his permission he stay, he died. It was 1946 and his son had accompanied him through every exile he journeyed through Europe. I have Jewish heritage, my family journeyed through Europe. Somewhere genes mix and become me, an artist, admirer of Dada, European sensitivity and lover of the strange; my daughter is drawn towards Otto Dix; my great uncle won a military cross in WW1 as a member of the tank regiment; horrors. Brexit is not in my lexicon. I am working on a current theme called The Annunciation, a schoolgirl receiving the calling to take on the robes of great artists. The Annunciation 1 is a school girl wearing Lucien Freud's scarf. The Annunciation 2 is an adolescent girl wearing the suit of Kurt Schwitters. The hawthorn finch is a symbol of the Cumbrian landscape. I received the call in 1973 to become a disciple to the manifesto according to Dada, Modernism and Surrealism; maybe Kurt is my Jesus. When you see my art in any exhibition take time to remember Kurt Schwitters, his Merzbau in Hanover, Norway and Ambleside, his joy of life, his sorrow in exile and his legacy. #BeckyNuttall #KurtSchwitters

We're glad your asked, but the answers simple. You can! And you can, and you can, and especially you can! Anyone can make a submission to the Artizan Summer Open Exhibition 2018, it's an accessible exhibition for all artists and creative practitioners. So whether your 18 or 80, we want to see your submission make its way to us! To make this easier we're partnering with schools, colleges, art societies, community groups and really as many networks as possible in Torbay, South Devon and beyond to make sure this opportunity finds its way to you. We're also running submission sessions at the gallery to help those who need any assistance with forms and the tech bits so that there are as few barriers to entry as possible. If your a full-time painter or only sketch on Sunday's that's ok; if you're into oils and landscapes or scrap metal constructions, we don't mind! So, what are you waiting for, apply today! For more information on our Summer Open Exhibition, head here! #ArtizanSummerOpen2018 #2018 #TheBigQuestions

We're please to announce that Creative Coverage are now partnered with our Summer Open Exhibition 2018 and will be assisting us with promoting and marketing the exhibition. We've been working with Creative Coverage since the start of 2018, and we're pleased to say they're playing an important role in getting the message out there about all of the work we're doing all year round! Creative Coverage, who offer publicity for professional artists and craftspeople will be offering support to us throughout the delivery of the exhibition. We are now able to offer their members reduced entry to the exhibition. For more information on the Summer Open and how to apply head here. To find out how you can become a member with Creative Coverage, visit their website. #ArtizanSummerOpen2018 #CreativeCoverage #Announcement

This is a super important question, because you'd be forgiven for thinking that the Artizan Summer Open 2018 was going to be at Artizan Gallery. However, you'd be wrong! This year, thanks to the kind sponsorship of Edinburgh House Estates we're off on tour with the exhibition and we'll be creating a Pop-up Gallery at Unit 5 Fleet Walk. For locals, you may remember this as the Laura Ashley building, or perhaps more recently as the brief home of Weird Fish. Either way, its a really great location, down at the bottom end of Torquay town on the main high street, just a little way up from the Harbour. It's got beautiful front windows and sits where the pedestrianised area of the street widens up opposite Banx Café Bar and the route to The Terrace. We've also rather high end brands for neighbours including Animal, Deichmann and Starbucks. The venue benefits from high footfall and excellent access from the bus routes and Fleet Walk car park, so all in all, we're very grateful to be here at the kind invitation of Edinburgh House Estates. With this placement at the height of Torbay's Summer season, we hope this will be a wonderful location for an open exhibition, with artists, locals, tourists and visitors able to join us in this beautiful exhibition space to Celebrate Visual Arts in Torbay! For more information on our Summer Open Exhibition, head here! #ArtizanSummerOpen2018 #2018 #TheBigQuestions

It’s a grey day in March but just as the sky breaks to blue a young man approaches me at the temporary bus-stop and asks the time. For some odd reason I am wary of him, even though he doesn’t have the look of anyone unsavoury about him – just loose, flowing hair and paint-splattered jeans and trainers. I am to find out later, sitting on the bus with him, that he is Louis Ruegg, an art student studying painting on the Totnes Art & Design Foundation Course. He asks if he can paint me. First Sitting. As Louis – what looks like to me from both the back of the canvas and the angle I’m sitting at – daubs serious amounts of paint randomly about, I resist from asking him if he has ‘a style’. He is paining my portrait, after all, and I’m wondering whether I’ll end-up looking like a photographic image of myself; a take on Michaelangelo (one of his favourite artists – though my physique is hardly Renaissance-esque!]) or an angular cube with one eye closer to my mouth than it would normally be! I say nothing. We talk politics – literally. At the end of the session I am taken aback at how much of myself I can see in a mere two hours of Louis’ time – I also do appear to have started off a tad geometric looking! Louis explains this is his ‘preliminary blocking’ Second Sitting. Louis tells me he will be adding more detail to the portrait and re-iterates from the first sitting, that, though he’s asked me to keep my eyes on a cross he’s marked on the back frame of his canvas, I do not have to stare at it intently and am free to be relatively animated while he paints. We talk about which artists we appreciate, both agreeing that you don’t have to like everything an artist does or limit your taste. I express my love for a wide cross-section of styles (including Michaelangelo) and in particular the Pre-Raphaelites, Miro, Klee, Mondrian and Hockney. Louis asks me if I were in a room full of famous pieces of work and could only buy one, which would I go for. I ask him the same question and we both agree that we would choose what we loved the most and could live with everyday – and not one simply because it was the ‘most’ famous, or by a particular artist or had the highest asking price. I take pictures of the next stage of my portrait and am very impressed with my hair and brooch and, even though I have no eyes as yet, can see myself reflected in their absence. Third and Fourth Sittings. Louis decides that even though the black jumper I am wearing is speckled with blue, white and green flecks he feels it should be black overall with hints of purple throughout. An obvious artistic decision that I am not qualified to question. We discuss the complexities of the colour ‘black’ and how some sources maintain that as it is merely the absorption of all colours, it isn’t truly a colour in its own right; and how also there are many shades of black! Conversation also turns to the importance of Art – and we both take it to mean the Arts (ie, art, writing, music, dance and so on) in general. I rant about how the curriculum in UK schools neglects creative, expressive subjects [especially Drama] and blame all governments for that one! Louis agrees and talks about how fortunate he feels to be on his present course with the opportunity to follow his dream to become a painter. He has been accepted by Wimbledon College of Art (part of The University of the Arts, London])and begins his training later this year. My portrait jumps out at me – sporting one eye, fabulous hair and I can really feel the texture of my sweater and the brooch! Fifth and final Sitting. Louis has been working on my portrait in my absence and, in fact, both he and his tutor feel it needs very little else done to it. I now have both eyes, and tell Louis how much I like my right ear with the stud earring, my hair and my expression. I only sit for an hour, perhaps even less, as Louis thinks, considers and, in truth, does very little to his work. Talk is of his future hopes and dreams – and just a wee bit of politics today! His, and my, work is done! I feel I have learnt a lot about Louis who, until a few weeks ago, was a complete stranger to me. Via him painting and me sitting we have put the World to right, discussed serious issues and had a good laugh. I hope he has gotten something from meeting me also. Ziggy Abd El Malak Devon, Spring 2018. Ziggy is a retired Theatre lecturer who is presently spending his time modelling, studying for a GCSE Maths and performing his poetry in Torquay. His new volume of poems Laid Bare And Split-Up! (available on Amazon]) deals with the break-up of a recent long-term relationship – but there is much humour in the book too. He will be headlining at Stanza Extravaganza, The Artizan Gallery, Lucius Street, Torquay on Monday 25th June 2018. #2018 #Totnes #ZiggyAbdElMalak #LouisRuegg #Portraits #StanzaExtravaganza

A fortnight on and we've still not quite come to terms with the fact that we're not filling our weekends with sunny festival vibes. Come back Grinagog, we miss you! Now, we had a fantastic time, if you don’t believe us, check out our Day 1 and Day 2 Grinablog. The final day was just as good, the festival site mellowing out as everyone wound down and just chilled out in a third miraculous day of exceptional weather. So, in this final Grinablog round up, I could tell you a little about Day 3 and sing the festivals praises one last time; but I’m not going to. Instead, I’m going to give a completely honest review, tell you where I thought the festival shone out and where, for me, it could have done better. Most importantly, I’m going to tell you why I will definitely be going to Grinagog 2019! I’ve not got anything particular to report from Day 3, I was briefly accosted by a band of wandering nymphs who serenaded me with Eurythmics hit single “Sweet Dreams” and Cut Capers in the Spanish Barn frankly should have had a headline slot. And here’s my first niggle; it really felt like they stepped down the walkabouts this year. There’s only four that I can say I definitely spotted; the singing fairies I’ve mentioned; then there was Rusty the Horse the kinetic robot horse with uncannily lifelike mannerisms created by artist Simon Collins; the incredibly talented Ras King Bobo 1 was seen out on the lawns as well with a simple but sensational acrobatics and circus set, although he is officially listed as being part of the Saturday family line up in the Spanish Barn; and finally The Acid Morris, who we saw constantly throughout the weekend but not once did we spot performing. Similarly, I’m pretty certain I spotted the World’s Tallest Bubbleoligist, but without his bubbles it could have just been a very tall man. Now I’m fully prepared to accept that I may have missed a few performers – although the list on the Grinagog site isn’t all that long – but in my opinion, for whatever its worth, you shouldn’t be able to miss them! Clearly you can’t have a festival without music, but the atmosphere is made or broken by the bits in between, the mad and awe-inspiring sights that keep your disbelief suspended and make the festival ground such a haven. I want to be doing double takes every step, and if that means I’m tripping over walkabout performers, then that’s all the better. This being said, the festival is clearly not lacking in atmosphere; it’s leant a healthy dose from the rustic setting of Torre Abbey, the intimate Chapel, reverberating Spanish Barn, secretive Undercroft not to mention the stunning grounds and gardens. One World Café too brings a huge amount of charm; I personally felt absolutely transported whenever I was in there. I’ve already lamented the loss of The Gathering Space and I really hope this returns to the line-up next year. I’d also love to see more busking, maybe the addition of some low maintenance DIY stages in the gardens for spontaneous acoustic sets. And now for what might be my most controversial niggle; the Riviera Centre needs to step up its game or step down and here’s why. Torre Abbey is the centre of the festival and that’s the way it should be, but if Grinagog has a Pyramid Stage then the RICC is it, and frankly, its uninspiring. And that’s not its fault, after all, it’s a Conference Centre and no matter how low you put the lights it’s exceptionally difficult to hide that fact, and the walk from the bag search at the door through to the centre of the Arena has a similar effect to letting the air out of a balloon. There have been improvements since last year; for one, bar service has improved hugely and there was at least an attempt at some set dressing but its still not enough filling in a sandwich built on carpet tiles and topped with ceiling tiles. I fully understand why the RICC is a necessary part of the festival and logistically I’ll hold my hands up and say that I can’t think of an alternative venue that is both convenient enough and has the capacity required – can we put a big tent on Torre Abbey Meadows? – but as it stands, I just think this is the weakest link in Grinagog’s current offer. That’s not to say that what goes on in the RICC isn’t impressive and it is definitely significant to look at the calibre of performers the festival has attracted to this stage; Sam and the Womp, Rat Boy, Congo Natty, Electric Swing Circus, Craig Charles Funk and Soul, The Correspondents, Big Narstie, Dizraeli and Downlow, all in Torbay! Sticking with the positives, the expansion of the market this year was a big improvement too. Don’t get me wrong I love Meat59, but I also love choice! Choice and jerk, the latter of which Monty’s Caribbean Kitchen satisfied exceptionally well. I also had the most incredible falafel wrap which I’m fairly certain could have fed a small family for a week or two, and my good friends at the Cognitive Coffee Company kept me in caffeine for the weekend! From chatting to the vendors though, there’s still work to be done here and I get that this element is pretty hard to balance, finding the right point between meeting all tastes and not spreading a limited audience too thinly across businesses who at the end of the day need to head home with some cash in their pockets. One minor niggle here, the location of the market; great for convenience, but entirely blocking the view of the sea from Torre Abbey which for me is one of the absolute selling points of it as a festival site! However, great to see that Grinagog got on board with reusable cups this year which we like a lot and also lovely to see a festival site so clean! I don’t know whether this was down to exceptional staff and volunteers on litter picking duties or a particularly well-mannered festival crowd, but either way it was pretty impressive. And that’s one of the other great things about Gringagog, the people. I can honestly say that it is the happiest, most relaxed, festival or gig crowd I’ve ever experienced, and the event seems to be an absolute leveller with people of all ages getting into the spirit of Grinagog in such a singular way. We witnessed barely any trouble across the whole weekend, with everyone being respectful, friendly and good-natured. This truly is a family-friendly festival, without compromising the true festival experience. There were a couple of points where the site felt a little bit on the quiet side particularly first thing Friday and for the majority of Sunday. The last day certainly gave the impression of winding down and I feel like it would be nice to see the party go on a bit longer next year, maybe with a final headliner in the Spanish Barn finishing at 10 or 11. Also, wouldn’t it be great if we could make this a 5 day festival, drawing in a crowd on the Wednesday and Thursday to enjoy Torbay as a whole?! Add in more cultural venues for a Grinagog pre-show where we can really celebrate what the Bay has to offer. Ultimately, we love Grinagog; a festival of this scale right on our doorstep is an absolute dream. World class acts, exceptionally diverse genres of music and for two years it has brought with it gorgeous weather which I’m sure was hard to arrange! But I think what is most important is how Grinagog levels the playing field. It is not a young person’s festival. It is not an old person’s festival. It is not a family festival. In fact, I would struggle to tell you what “type” of person goes to Grinagog, because at every stage and for every performance the audience was so mixed, with a fairly even representation from every generation. And this is so easily missed at a festival! We’re now two-year veterans of Grinagog, Torbay’s very own mudless festival, and we’re excited to continue the tradition in 2019! #Grinagog #Grinablog #2018 #April #Festival #Music #Torbay

“It’s Delamore – so it must be summer…” a passing remark at one of the first Delamore Arts events which now underpins the promotion of the annual exhibition and sculpture trail now in its 16th year. And it’s a pretty accurate summary – particularly when you go on a day like the one we did which was absolutely glorious – with the historic gardens entering full bloom to compliment this prestigious event, this is as much a celebration of the restoration work at Delamore as it is a commitment to visual art. We were a little bit late to the party this year, the exhibition is now in its second week, but certainly DelamoreArts18 is by no means over. The present house is the fourth to have been built on the site in 1859 by Admiral Parker. Built from Dartmoor granite, the house has a number of distinctive architectural features, but the gardens are undoubtedly the highlight. Colourful shrubberies, immaculately manicured lawns and borders, the beautifully remodelled lake, all make the Delamore grounds a lush and verdant paradise. I can imagine little better backdrop than this for a public display of visual art, and that is exactly what it is put to use for! This year, across the house, gardens and stable (the latter is occupied by SWAc as they join the event for a third year) more than 300 artworks make up the exhibition. In the main house, a busy display of an incredible variety of works dazzles. A few friendly works were spotted including Rhian Wyn Harrison, Jane Villaweaver and Ella Massingberd, with works from Kerry Lloyd surprising us with how distinct they are from past work we’ve seen. Over in the stable galleries, Martin Dutton’s work was quickly spotted, but as is often the case, it is the discovery of new works which proves most exciting! Graham Lester was one such discovery; his playful paper sculptures fun and bright in primary shades. And sticking with the sculptural, Julia Roberts’ assemblage “box art” works, inspire a similar childlike glee when viewed. Almost at the complete opposite end of the spectrum in many respects are the “collage” scenes of Lisa Wisdom. Works depict modest landscapes, a building or two, a gate, a sky, all through layers of found metal gathered on Dartmoor rambles. Rust, decay and weathering dictate the palette, which is unexpectedly diverse. However, on a sunny day, it is the sculptures that steal the show. Once again, there is huge variety here; glasswork, metalwork, bronze, wood-carving, animals in their multitudes are represented, as well as soft natural forms which blend seamlessly with the landscape. The occasional more industrial work – such as those of Carl Gamester – though is not out of place offering striking lines against rolling hills. Many of the whimsical creatures were favourites for us, Jemma Wyllie’s Walrus in particular made us smile, but some of the more organic forms, in this stunning setting, really do take your breath away. Philip Hearey’s Windblade for example stands proud with its electric blue hue, simultaneously strong and apparently curved by the gentle breeze. With time at a premium as we build up to our own Summer Open, a return trip to Delamore is sadly unlikely for us, but we will be living vicariously through other people’s visits! We highly recommend this for a daytrip whilst the weather is with us, and if you do head over, send us your pictures so we can enjoy it all again! #Delamore #DelamoreArts18 #Artizan #Exhibition #May #Summer #Sculpture #RhianWynHarrison #JaneVillaweaver #MartinDutton #EllaMassingberd #LisaWisdom #2018 #GrahamLester #JuliaRoberts #CarlGamester #JemmaWyllie #PhilipHearey #KerryLloyd

After much deliberation and consultation with friends of the gallery, we've come to the conclusion that we made a mistake (not our first ever)! As such, the Youth Category for the Artizan Summer Open 2018 has now had its age range expanded to include anyone up to the age of 21. Anyone who has already submitted work who believes they now fall into this category should get in touch with the gallery and we'll be happy to arrange a refund. An updated call file will be live soon but for now please disregard any reference to a an upper age restriction of 18. #ArtizanSummerOpen2018 #Artizan #Summer #July #Youth

Local thespian Brenda Hutchings appeared in last months production of Steel Magnolias at the Little Theatre and, here, brings us her take on how it all went. The play is set in Truvy’s (Brenda Hutchings) Salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana, where the ladies of the neighbourhood meet regularly to have their hair done. Helped by her eager new assistant Annelle,(Amy Burton-Smith) wise-cracking Truvy dispenses shampoo, coffee and advice to her clients, including the town’s rich curmudgeon Ouiser Boudreaux,(Nichola Aldridge) a woman blessed with attitude and acerbic wit; the eccentric, but lovable millionaire Clairee Belcher; (Adele Reynolds) M’lynn Eatenton,(Lisa Fletcher) social leader and mother of Shelby Eatenton. (Emma Hackett) They engage in small town gossip, but when one of the group faces a trauma that affects them all, they draw on their strengths to support each other. By turns hilarious and poignant, Steel Magnolias is a heart-warming portrait of friendship and love. Robert Harling wrote the stage version of Steel Magnolias in ten days. His wife Kathy urged him to write something after the death of his sister Susan, whom the character Shelby is based on. "I wrote it to somehow get this true story off my chest and to celebrate my sister in the process," Harling said. That means all of the characters are based on real people from his hometown of Natchitoches, Louisiana. The play premiered in 1987 at the WPA Theatre in New York City. Despite the snow and other misfortunes affecting our (TOADS) rehearsal schedules, Steel Magnolias was a very successful production. Feedback from the audience was positive and the majority enjoyed the show. There were a few issues with volume at times, and the nerves kicked in on a few occasions on the first night with just a couple of prompts needed, but everyone played their characters so well this was never an issue. Something I personally believe, and I’m certain the cast would agree is - we all felt the emotion, the tears, and the wonderful moments of laughter throughout the run of the play. And the audience felt it too. Many people said they’d cried, laughed and hung onto every word spoken. It was the reaction the director Helen Gould wanted and achieved. There were some brilliant one-liners which the cast delivered on cue, and the reaction from the audience attests to this. Robert Harling wrote Steel Magnolias in memory of his sister, but I think in many ways he wrote it for everyone who has ever lost a loved one. ‘That’s the way it should be. Life goes on.’ Robert Harling. Next up at the Little Theatre: Tons of Money - 14 May to 19 May Revised by Alan Ayckbourn, originally by Will Evans & Arthur Valentine, Directed by Andrew Bell An unsuccessful inventor has inherited the life interest in a fortune which reverts to his cousin George Maitland on his death. Unfortunately the inventor has accrued enormous debts and, as cousin George is thought to have died abroad, the inventor has the idea of ‘dying’ so he can resurrect himself as his cousin thus avoiding paying his debts. Inevitably complications arise! Tickets available here! #2018 #TheLittleTheatre #SteelMagnolia #TonsofMoney #Torquay #Theatre

At the end of what had been a very busy week at the gallery with a re-hang for our latest show along with not one, but 3 evening events, one might have expected that, come 5 ‘O’ Clock on Saturday we would have been hot footing it home to pop open a bottle of wine and sit in the garden soaking up the sunshine. But we had one final very important event to attend which we didn’t want to miss, so we jumped in the car and headed over to the wonderful ‘Words and Pictures’ Gallery in Teignmouth to view an exhibition by Artizan Artist, F. G. Davis. ‘Words and Pictures’ is, like us, an independent gallery working hard to promote and support local artists and is run by Jason and his wife. They have a dedicated space to the rear of their gallery where they host a series of exhibitions throughout the year. We have been to a few here but were especially keen to see this one as we knew that George would be showing his ‘Coffee Sack’ series of paintings altogether for the first time to coincide with a book launch of the same name. We had already seen some of them but to see the work as a whole is very special. George is a prolific abstract painter who just loves colour and working with unusual mediums and techniques to produce original bold works of art. In this latest body of work, he does not disappoint, taking coffee sacks as his starting point, using their texture and graphics for inspiration, George has produced a collection of innovative work that fully demonstrate his skills as an artist. We were delighted to see a first sale notched up as we were leaving and would suggest that you get yourselves over there quickly before the rest get snapped up. The Exhibition runs until 18th May #2018 #WordsampPictures #Teignmouth #FGDavis #Artizan

Renowned South West Contemporary Artist F G Davis exhibits his Coffee Sack Series as a whole for the first time at the Words and Pictures Gallery, Teignmouth, 5th-18th May. F G Davis paintings are uncompromising in their use of colour, texture and surface - They will excite your visual receptors and shake up your imagination. The starting point for this series ,as the title suggests, is a collection of large coffee sacks used in whole or in part to direct the composition. There is a very well presented book that accompanies this exhibition and copies are available at Artizan Gallery priced at £8.95 The Private View is on Saturday 5th of May from 5 to 7pm, please feel free to come alone and say hello to F G and enjoy the exhibition. #FGDavis #Exhibition #WordsampPictures #Teignmouth

This year I promised myself that I would try to get out walking a bit more, not only because we are surrounded by stunning scenery but also because, having lost my lovely Woodie just over two years ago, I was becoming increasingly aware that my fitness levels had started to drop. So, this year I have been trying to walk to and from the gallery and have been joining the other half of the team on occasions when they are out for a walk with Cobi. This Sunday with Jacob and Grace off partying at Grinagog Brian and I headed in the other direction down to the harbour to pick up the South West Coast Path and take a walk up to Daddyhole which sits just above Meadfoot Beach. Hardly a major hike but at least it’s a start! It’s uphill pretty much all the way so plenty of excuses to stop and take in the view whilst getting my breath back. Every time I wander past Peaked Tor I think what a great place it would be for a small open-air amphitheatre, yes, we could have our very own Minack here, just need some permissions and helping hands to make it happen, one day maybe? When we got to the top we sat awhile and had some lunch then had a wander around the National Coastwatch Institution Visitor Centre that we had not even realised was there. Not a huge space but packed full of interesting information about the work the volunteers do, wildlife in the area plus a potted history of some significant events. We then stopped off at the wonderful Headland Hotel for a coffee before heading back down for a wander around the harbour and along the seafront and then feeling thirsty again, grabbed a quick drink at One World Café which was in full Grinagog swing before heading back up the hill and home. #SouthWestCoastPath #MeadfootBeach #Torquay #Torbay #CoastalWalks #NationalCoastwatchInstitution #HeadlandHotel #OneWorldCafe #Grinagog