If you live in the Bay and have ventured into the Twittersphere, chances are you’ve heard of #TorbayHour. Every Monday at 8PM, the internet braces itself for what is supposedly an hour of networking and promotion, but more often than not is an hour of locally sourced raillery married up with the all-important GIF war. We do several of these twitter hours throughout the week, but #TorbayHour is undoubtedly our favourite, having created a wonderful community of local businesses who work together to support, promote and generally have a laugh every Monday evening. From 7PM, as anticipation mounts, the official Torbay Hour radio show goes live on Riviera FM hosted by the dream team @Inspiring_Joe and @SimonDayUK, who humour the questionable music requests of their listeners and generally oversee proceedings. This week, thanks to Torbay Hour and Simon Day, we spotted a great last-minute event going on down at Oddicombe Beach organised by Elements of Fire. This little Devon group are inferno enthusiasts, and to celebrate January’s Blue Moon, they organised an impromptu session, offering a relaxed performance with their various fire props. They all specialise in different areas including poi, staff, hoop and diablo, with the one common thread, these tools will always be aflame. We were suitably intrigued and with the invitation to come along and take some photos we needed no more persuading. So, we headed down on a chilly Wednesday evening, camera and tripod at the ready to see what it was all about. We were definitely not disappointed! These guys do some incredible stuff creating incredible displays of motion and momentum drawing fire trails across the night sky. A calm sea and full moon were the perfect backdrop, but I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking! Photo Credit: Grace Hannah Photography and J Brandon Photography Elements of Fire offer performances to cater to most outdoor events including; birthdays, weddings, gigs, corporate events and other escapades. They provide you and your guests with a unique chance to get in touch with this primal element in a completely safe way, individually adapting performances to your event through carefully selected music to create a transient state that will transform the dynamic of any event. Make sure to check them out: Website, Facebook, Instagram. So, if you’re on Twitter and you’re not already keeping an eye on #TorbayHour, now you know why you should be! #2018 #January #Events #Torbay

If we had to sum up this month’s Culture Update in one word, it would have to be “eclectic”! We’ve found some extraordinarily diverse events on offer this February with some awesome opportunities to get out and experience something you’ve probably never experienced before. Where can you hear an award-winning violinist, a graduate of the prestigious Gnesin Academy and a virtuoso balalaika player performing, jazz vocals, classic piano, and compositions from Russian composers including Tchaikovsky, Dargomizsky, Rachmaninov and Sviridov? Well, Russia probably. But for one night only, believe it or not, you can experience all of this in Torquay's Central Church at the Russian Gala Ball, where graduates of Russia and its former republics will take you on a "musical journey to the heart of Russian heritage". Guaranteed to be a unique evening, there's also the chance to win a traditional Russian prize in the interval raffle. Tickets start at £10 and are available online for the performance on 9th February. Keeping with music, we've got something a little different for lovers of Torquay's alternative nightlife scene. Early creators of original Euphoric Trance, Psychedelic Trance, Astral Dub, Trance, Experimental Techno and Ambient Dance, Astralasia, are in attendance at The Attic this month. Formed out of the now defunct Magic Mushroom Band, Astralasia, known as "wizards" of psychedelic electronica, offer music to melt to, and a performance from them is likely to be, turbulent, meditative, transformative; an immersive trip. Tickets for this one start at £8.50 and in the interval, there'll be a chance to win a traditional, psychedelic raffle prize! Just kidding, there's no interval all the way through from 11pm to 3am! If just thinking about staying up that late has you reaching for the cocoa, we've got a more civilised alternative which promises a slightly different illusory and fanciful experience. The ever-inventive troupe at The Pocketwatch Theatre Company add their creative twist to Kenneth Grahame's classic riverbank tale, Wind in the Willows, with live original score and beautiful handcrafted puppets. Their family friendly and traditionally versatile performance will be brought to Torquay museum on 15th and 16th February with 4 performances in total and tickets starting at a bargain £8; a great way to wrap up half-term! Finally, we want to let you know about a great new CIC delivering arts workshops with a difference. Somewhere between a square and circle, you’ll find the Squircle Arts team. This roaming band of creative folks like nothing better than a pop up arts workshop and they’ve got a packed calendar for February in locations across Torbay. Whether you’re a big person or a little person, they’ve got something on offer for everyone from Collagraph Printmaking, to Linocuts, to Stone Age Cave Art. The best way to keep track of them is on their Facebook page (/squirclearts) where they’ll be confirming their February dates soon! Here at the gallery we’re far from quiet! We’ve got our Cocktails and Conversation launch on February 1st, followed by an Artist Preview event on February 2nd. Creative Writing with Harula Ladd returns on the 5th, Steve Jenner headlines our Acoustic Night on the 19th, and Robert Garnham returns with Stanza Extravaganza on the 26th! Full details of all of the events in this month’s update can be found on our website, www.art-hub.co.uk! #ArtsampCulture #CultureUpdate #BeachHutMagazine #2018 #February

If we had to sum up this month’s Culture Update in one word, it would have to be “eclectic”! We’ve found some extraordinarily diverse events on offer this February with some awesome opportunities to get out and experience something you’ve probably never experienced before. Where can you hear an award-winning violinist, a graduate of the prestigious Gnesin Academy and a virtuoso balalaika player performing, jazz vocals, classic piano, and compositions from Russian composers including Tchaikovsky, Dargomizsky, Rachmaninov and Sviridov? Well, Russia probably. But for one night only, believe it or not, you can experience all of this in Torquay's Central Church at the Russian Gala Ball, where graduates of Russia and its former republics will take you on a "musical journey to the heart of Russian heritage". Guaranteed to be a unique evening, there's also the chance to win a traditional Russian prize in the interval raffle. Tickets start at £10 and are available online for the performance on 9th February. Keeping with music, we've got something a little different for lovers of Torquay's alternative nightlife scene. Early creators of original Euphoric Trance, Psychedelic Trance, Astral Dub, Trance, Experimental Techno and Ambient Dance, Astralasia, are in attendance at The Attic this month. Formed out of the now defunct Magic Mushroom Band, Astralasia, known as "wizards" of psychedelic electronica, offer music to melt to, and a performance from them is likely to be, turbulent, meditative, transformative; an immersive trip. Tickets for this one start at £8.50 and in the interval, there'll be a chance to win a traditional, psychedelic raffle prize! Just kidding, there's no interval all the way through from 11pm to 3am! If just thinking about staying up that late has you reaching for the cocoa, we've got a more civilised alternative which promises a slightly different illusory and fanciful experience. The ever-inventive troupe at The Pocketwatch Theatre Company add their creative twist to Kenneth Grahame's classic riverbank tale, Wind in the Willows, with live original score and beautiful handcrafted puppets. Their family friendly and traditionally versatile performance will be brought to Torquay museum on 15th and 16th February with 4 performances in total and tickets starting at a bargain £8; a great way to wrap up half-term! Finally, we want to let you know about a great new CIC delivering arts workshops with a difference. Somewhere between a square and circle, you’ll find the Squircle Arts team. This roaming band of creative folks like nothing better than a pop up arts workshop and they’ve got a packed calendar for February in locations across Torbay. Whether you’re a big person or a little person, they’ve got something on offer for everyone from Collagraph Printmaking, to Linocuts, to Stone Age Cave Art. The best way to keep track of them is on their Facebook page (/squirclearts) where they’ll be confirming their February dates soon! Here at the gallery we’re far from quiet! We’ve got our Cocktails and Conversation launch on February 1st, followed by an Artist Preview event on February 2nd. Creative Writing with Harula Ladd returns on the 5th, Steve Jenner headlines our Acoustic Night on the 19th, and Robert Garnham returns with Stanza Extravaganza on the 26th! Full details of all of the events in this month’s update can be found on our website, www.art-hub.co.uk! #BeachHut #CultureUpdate #February2018 #SquircleArts #TorquayMuseum #TheAttic

Earlier this year we grabbed a rare chance to get away for a few days whilst things were a little quieter at the gallery. With plans to meet up with friends and colleagues we started out break in London, a place that we love to visit. It’s frenetic and noisy but bursting with visual experiences from the multi-faceted architecture, to the amazing views be it a glimpse or a panorama seen from a great height. We loved our stay at the quirky Citizen M near Tower Bridge in London in January. The public areas offer sprawling seating spaces, fabulous views and great interior design, whilst the pod style bedrooms are unashamedly modern with a touch of the sci-fi about them, from the view into the atrium with its moving sculptures, to the tablets which control everything from the TV to the lights. I can’t visit London without a trip to a gallery or two and having a few days to myself whilst partner Brian worked, I managed a leisurely stroll around Tate Britain, The National and Tate Modern. Impossible to cover it all but here’s some of the highlights. Tate Britain In 1889 Henry Tate, an industrialist who had made his fortune as a sugar refiner, offered his collection of British nineteenth-century art to the nation and provided funding for the first Tate Gallery. Tate was a great patron of Pre-Raphaelite artists and his bequest of 65 paintings to the National Gallery included John Everett Millais’ Ophelia 1851–2 and J.W.Waterhouse’s The Lady of Shalott 1888. The bequest was turned down by the trustees because there was not enough space in the gallery. A campaign was begun to create a new gallery dedicated to British art. With the help of an £80,000 donation from Tate himself, the gallery at Millbank, now known as Tate Britain, was built and opened in 1897. Tate’s original bequest of works, together with works from the National Gallery, formed the founding collection. It is now well known for founding the Turner Prize in 1984, an annual award open to British Artists working primarily in Britain or an artist born in Britain working anywhere, and established to encourage wider interest in contemporary art and assist in acquiring new works. Bernard Cohen is one of Britain’s most significant abstract painters and the Tate holds ten of his works in the permanent collection. He was born in 1933 and came to prominence during the 60’s. Although unashamedly abstract they are created with a strong understanding for tradition and connect with everyday experience with each one telling a story or series of stories that encompasses the process itself as well as the resulting image. Cohen has used many different techniques and materials to produce his works resulting in pieces that are rich in texture, and colour with overlapping patterns, shapes and lines resulting in multiple images, the stories, in each composition. When viewing his work one is compelled to focus on details of his work to take time to explore and understand how each of the elements interconnect, and then to step back to experience them together as one coherent picture. Turning to something that might be more at home at the Tate’s sister gallery, Tate Modern, is Marguerite Humeau’s, large and dramatic installation, Echoes. Marguerite Humeau is a French artist living and working in London and this her latest installation is part of the Art Now series at the Tate. A melodic hum, a synthetic version of Cleopatra’s voice, draws you into a room of brightly painted walls, sound and sculpture. Part temple, part laboratory the space explores the confrontational relationship with life and death. At it’s centre are two semi-abstracted sculptures based on Ancient Egyptian Gods surrounded by long tubes that pump alligator blood, hormones and other fluids around the installation synthesising the production of an elixir for eternal life. We learn that the yellow of the walls replicates the colour of the venom of the black mamba python in order to evoke Cleopatra’s death and remind us of nature’s lethal powers. Individual Works that stuck out for me were Chris Ofili’s No Woman No Cry which he created in 1998 and was part of his exhibit that won him the Turner Prize in the same year; fellow Turner Prize winner, Rachael Whitehead’s Untitled (One Hundred Spaces) and Richard Hamilton’s Fashion Plate. No Woman No Cry is a tribute to the London teenager Stephen Lawrence who was murdered in a racially motivated attack in 1993. In each of the tears shed by the woman in the painting is a collaged image of Stephen Lawrence’s face, while the words ‘R.I.P. Stephen Lawrence’ are just discernible beneath the layers of paint. As well as this specific reference, the artist intended the painting to be read as a universal portrayal of melancholy and grief. Forming part of a major exhibition of her work at the Tate, Untitled (One Hundred Spaces) is made up of one hundred component parts arranged in a grid. Each piece is the cast from the underside of a found chair, made in coloured resin. Fashion-plate is a print related to the series Cosmetic Studies in which Hamilton put together fragments of photographs of models from fashion magazines. It caught my eye because it reminded me of some pieces we had here in the gallery when we ran our Anonymous Artist exhibition. The National Gallery In 1824 the house of commons had purchased a collection of paintings from the banker, John Julius Angerstein, with the intent that these should form the core of a national collection of art work held for the enjoyment and education of all, but it wasn’t until 1831 that it was decided to construct a dedicated building, the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square to house these and other works with the building finally opening in 1838. For a time, the Royal Academy of Arts was also housed here but moved to it’s new building in Piccadilly in 1869. Since then there have been further additions with a new wing and dome added in 1876, five new galleries added in 1907 by extending into the barracks and by 1991 the Sainsbury Wing had been added and was opened. The National is all about the Masters, housing those paintings that we all know so well and that I never tire of viewing, invariably seeing some detail that I have not spotted before, with no visit complete without seeking out some of the originals that inspire Anna Grayson’s pastiches, which we hold here permanently at Artizan. Tate Modern In December 1992 the Tate Trustees announced their intention to create a separate gallery for international modern and contemporary art in London but it wasn’t until 1994 that the site for it was identified. Redundant since 1981, the former Bankside Power Station was an inspired choice. Some may have been tempted to radically change the space ridding it of any hint as to its former use but the appointment of Swiss architects Herzog & De Meuron whose proposal retained much of the original character of the building has ensured that the integrity of the original building remains. Since it opened in May 2000, more than 40 million people have visited Tate Modern. It is one of the UK’s top three tourist attractions and generates an estimated £100 million in economic benefits to London annually. Lots of free exhibits here and you would certainly need a whole day or more to take it all in so with sadly not that much time, I headed for the Materials and Objects Exhibit, a display across several rooms which looks at the inventive ways in which artists around the world increasingly use diverse materials which at one time may have been considered unsuitable for art. With this new no boundaries freedom to create, some artists employ industrial materials and methods, while others adapt craft skills, or put the throwaway products of consumer society to new uses, such as El Anatsui’s Ink Splash II, flattened bottle tops stitched together to create a large shimmering metal cloth, and Louise Nevelson’s large sculptures made from packing crates, old furniture and scrap timber, although the story behind her pieces went deeper. She spent much of her life in New York City, which she saw as ‘a great big sculpture’, and her work embodies the ever-changing clutter of the urban metropolis. In the late 1950s, household refuse proliferated as many run-down neighbourhoods faced demolition and redevelopment. Nevelson collected and assembled these objects for works like Black Wall1959 as the title suggests painted black as many of her pieces were, unifying the disparate components and obscuring decorative details. However, she also produced groups of works painted in white and gold, such as An American Tribute to the British People 1960–4. Reminiscent of an altarpiece, its design chimes with the ceremonial titles that Nevelson often chose for her most ornamented constructions. In contrast to these individual pieces was Sheela Gowda’s spectacular installation Behold, made from car bumpers and human hair, and taking up an entire room. This piece absolutely needs the narrative to fully appreciate its significance. Her work is rooted in her experience of daily life in Bengalaru (formerly Bangalore), India, observing the coexistence of ritual and superstition alongside modern urban and economic transformation. For Behold 2009 she was inspired by the humble talismans of human hair that are knotted around car bumpers to ward off bad luck. Fragile hair supports the stronger, heavier metal, just as it is believed to protect the technologically advanced machine.The hair comes from local temples, where it is cut off as a sacrificial offering when pilgrims fulfil sacred vows. In today’s consumer driven world, the longer lengths are sold to make wigs or supply keratin for beauty products, while the shorter sections are kept to make protective talismans, such as those used by motorists. Roughly four thousand metres of corded hand-woven hair have been netted into mesh forms and hung from the ceiling to wrap around and suspend the chromed steel car bumpers, the fragile hair supports the stronger, heavier metal, just as it is believed to protect the technologically advanced machine. By then I had run out of time so no chance to have a play on SUPERFLEXES, One, Two, Three, Swing in the Turbine Hall which looked a lot of fun so I guess I need to get back there sometime as it will remain in situ until October this year. #London #2018 #Arts #Tate #TateBritain #TateModern

We are delighted to see so many of our regular exhibitors at Artizan Gallery taking part in this Exhibition during February. It will bring together works from the Brixham, Devon and Torbay Art Societies, in the stunning setting of the Spanish Barn. This promises to be an eclectic, inspiring and popular event and best of all, it's free. #ArtsampCulture #TorreAbbey #Torquay

Coming Back Painting was always there, a silent friend, my companion, a place to lose myself. However it had also become a bone of contention so for the last ten years I had seldom picked up a paintbrush. When I did the work was hurried, frequently unfinished and in all honesty average. Now, I stood in my empty back room, the evening light pouring in through the window. The clocks had gone forward, and I was alone, at the time I thought it was going to be forever. The evening stretched out, no food to cook. No-one to complain about the mess. Just me and paint. He was dead. In the past I had always painted boats, there had been a time when they were even sought after. So, it was boats that I went back to. My daughter called them my happy boats and bizarrely that's what they became. Except now they were my companions on a journey back. The evening light cast shadows in the room, the work was loose rather unformed, finally I went to bed knowing that in the morning it would still be there. Exactly where I left it. In that first year I decided not to count the cost of anything. I still have no idea what it was, there was trauma after trauma and finally I found my way to a house by the sea where I can stand on my balcony listening to the sound of the halliards ringing. The room has two velux windows and runs the length of the top floor. Painting now takes place between the kitchen table, a much-loved relic from the past, my fridge and my cooker. The table cloth has paint splatters on as does the floor. Painting still marks stages in my journey. I now paint in oils; the early work was always gouache because I could hide it away quickly. In between times there were the acrylic landscapes. Abroad in Australia, the daughter of my new man gave me her dead mothers acrylic paint and started me on a new and unexpected voyage. We were in a Adelaide hills, in an indescribably beautiful place, I sat outside painting what I saw, canvas from the local cheap shop propped up on an old bench. The Australian series was painted over two or three trips. Along the way I discovered the Australian impressionists. Tom Roberts is now one of my heroes. The light and the dust captured perfectly. From there we followed the step-daughter to The Orkneys and finally there is the commission to paint vegetables for a company filling boxes with organic veg. I work in London now, I would love to retire to the sea to paint. However, as a self-taught painter I have no provenance according to galleries, however I am not sure I really care anymore. The work and my journey speak for themselves really. #Artists #ArtistStories #BeyondDevon

Blazing Flame Quintet are among the most original of the new wave of bands in the UK. Live they are Big Music and visceral in delivery. They are centred around the story-songs of Steve Day – behind him are a bass/drum team that ‘speak’ the power of subtle funk to rhythm. Mark Langford on tenor sax/bass clarinet has a phenomenal improv sound that can ignite a club. He’s partnered by Peter Evans’ “stunning” electric violin. On one level they slice jazz, go higher and they are dark theatre, at the core BFQ are a great night out for the head, heart and body. Rigobert Dittman called them “an alchemical flame.” A highpoint evening guaranteed. View on YouTube Listen “... hugely impressive..... (the audience) really enjoyed the challenge of your music and performance...(and) came away raving about the band.” Geraldine Hill-Male, Chew Valley Arts Project (2017) “I am repeatedly listening to the latest Blazing Flame CD – it is mind-blowing. Previous albums by Steve Day were really good too, but the band have topped themselves with this one. The blending of the music, vocals, poetry really works. It is a joy to listen to from beginning to end. Suits my mood too! Like David Lynch and David Byrne hurled into the twilight zone. In an ideal world, such a project/record should be number one. I hope to catch them live someday…… Glad such records are being made. It is very pleasing and healthy on the mind and heart.” David Cristol, (The Jazz Magazine) 2017, France. #Jazz #Music #Torbay #Ad #Event

Avron House will be running an inaugural watercolour weekend with professional local watercolour artist, David Webb on the weekend of April 28th-29th. This is the ideal opportunity to learn a range of traditional watercolour painting techniques during this relaxed and friendly, indoor-based weekend. You'll receieve personal tuition from David, who will advise on disciplines including colour mixing, wet-into-wet and how to build your paintings from light to dark. Materials are not included, but we can advise on what you should bring. Prices start at £300 which includes all tuition, bed and breakfast accommodation, homemade lunches, cake and refreshments. Places are limited, so booking is essential to avoid disappointment. Call Avron House on 01803 294182 or email stay@avronhouse.co.uk. For more information about the weekend or Avron House, please visit their website at www.avronhouse.co.uk About David Webb My artwork is mostly watercolour-based and, with a background as an illustrator, is unashamedly figurative. I do however, paint in a looser style than I once did in my illustration days. A couple of decades of highly detailed work led me to wonder that, perhaps, there might be bigger brushes available. My work today is rooted in the pure watercolour tradition. I use transparent washes to build up my paintings, the whiteness of the paper playing an important role as I do not use white/opaque paint. This way of painting requires forward planning as any highlights must be avoided. I work from life as much as possible but also work on more considered, or larger work, in the studio. I have always had an interest in nature, which still inspires me to paint animals and wildlife today. However, my range of subject matter has broadened over the years to include landscape, seascape, buildings and still life. One thing that inspires, whatever the subject, is light. If the light and atmosphere are right then any subject can be something worthwhile to paint. #Workshops #watercolour #Ad

After a sell out term at Dartington, local artist Matthew Davison will be running further workshops in Sidmouth during January and February. The course is intended for students with some experience of producing a painting (perhaps in watercolours, pastels or oils). It will explore observation, imagination, atmosphere and personal response to create explorative and evocative paintings on a reasonably large scale (60cm x 60cm). A basic knowledge of acrylic painting is necessary as this will be an improvers course and focuses on more advanced practical techniques and conceptual awareness. The course includes creating suitable surfaces, exercises in drawing, using pencil & charcoal, painting, use of rags and palette knives and will cover the transition from representational naturalism to abstract painting. Weather permitting participnts will be working outside for some of the session, with the seafront at Sidmouth ia short walk away from the studio door. The course will also look at the development of formal elements and obscurity in picture making, using imagination, expression and atmosphere. There is limited availability for the weekends, with a maximum of 12 places for each weekend. About Matthew Davison I’m a landscape painter based in Dartmoor Devon I teach painting in groups and also one to one. I worked for most of my professional life in television and film as Director of Photography, winning awards for cinematography, photography, theatre & opera lighting design. As an artist, my body of work started in 1978 with Elephant size screen prints, selected at Royal West of England Academy. Painting in acrylics, I draw inspiration from Dartmoor, working from my studio in Bovey Tracey. Dates, prices and bookings can be found at www.wea.org.uk #Workshops #Sidmouth #Ad

Due to a last minute cancellation, we've had the opportunity to add an open call to our calendar at very short notice. So, we've come up with something we think is quite creative to try and deliver an ambitious and exciting exhibition in a very short time frame! If you feel you can join us on this exciting journey, and work with us to some unfortunately tight deadlines, keep reading to find out what's involved! The formats super simple and open to all creatives! As part of our continued commitment to offering space for unique and diverse forms of cultural expression, we are excited to welcome submissions to an explorative show which will run throughout February. “The Art of You” will look at works, objects, pieces of narrative, multimedia submissions, written statements, objects, journals, sketchbooks and a diverse array of other submitted material that explore the identity of the artist that submits them. This submission is open to any individual who wishes to celebrate their creativity, whether they are a full time professional artist or last did art at school as a child. This is intended to be a richly personal exhibition that is open to artists, makers and individuals of any level or discipline to submit something which goes to the heart of their creativity. This might be a sketchbook that looks at their practice in its purest form or an object or item of particular relevance to their work. Equally, the submission could take the form of a completed artwork that is in someway uniquely representative of the artists identity. We hope in this way to produce a show that is in part autobiographical, and where visitors are encouraged to focus on the lives behind the works. Through the collective display of personal items, the opportunity to draw interpretations of where shared aspects of creation lie, and where difference and similitude can be found in the homes of individual muses will be available, with scope to explore the raw and unrefined elements of creative process. We view this as an extension of the “sketchbook” or “postcard” model of exhibition which looks at either the process behind an artwork, or a small representation, with our version offering a greater degree of flexibility and wider opportunity for individual expression. The exhibition follows on from a number of other shows hosted at the Gallery including the “Postcard Exhibition” which featured as part of the Gallery’s touring London exhibition, and “The Anonymous Artist”, an open show exploring issues of identity in which artworks were hung anonymously. Dates and Details! Dates: The exhibition will run from February 6th - March 2nd with an Artist Preview on February 9th 18:00-20:00. Exhibition set-up will take place during February 5th and the final deadline to receive work is 5PM on Saturday 3rd. Exhibition takedown will be on March 2nd and all works must be collected by March 5th 10AM at the latest unless alternative arrangements are made. Application success will be confirmed on a rolling basis as we receive submissions. Follow the image below for full call details. #2018 #February #Opportunities #opportunity #TheArtofYou

Last year I was shortlisted for the RA Summer Exhibition with "Bedroom Shrine for the Virgin of the Rocks" which will be exhibited at the Riviera Art Fair in The Spanish Barn Torre Abbey Torquay 3rd Feb - 25th Feb 2018. It was also displayed in my "Chapel "' in 2017 Devon Open Studios at my home in Brixham. This chapel, named The Chapel of St Catherine and Virgin of the Passion began as a virtual concept to display my works under the theme "Art of the School" I will be taking part in 2018 with additions to the Chapel. In November 2017 I began a large painting titled "Is your all on the altar" This derives from a traditional hymn with lyrics by Elisha A. Hoffman: Scripture: Romans 12:1 and this is the painting I had decided to submit to the RA Summer Exhibition. By serendipity I discovered Grayson Perry is curating the exhibition this year. Although he is not part of the selection committee, it is hopefully an omen that a ceramic artist is involved. My painting symbolises a high altar with Milton Head pottery representing the altar pieces, as sacred relics. I have charcoal still life sketches by my father of household items that have been another influence. It measures 100cm x 70cm, one of the largest canvas I've attempted and making me a bit panicky about the February deadline for submission of digital images. This is an acrylic painting and does not involve collage. However the symbolism is stitched together in my head and translated into a painting, which in itself symbolises the traditional religious art found in churches. March will bring the results of the first round of judging, reducing the selection from 12,000 down to 4,000. Those are seen in the flesh by the selection committee. Bedroom Shrine made that journey but no further. Maybe my altar will top my shrine this year... #ArtsampCulture #Blog #Artizan #2018 #Torbay #Artists #ArtistPreview #BeckyNuttall

Over the Christmas break Jacob and I headed up to Bristol for a “relaxed” festive period; we were dog sitting for family but planned to fully take advantage of being in the city, enjoying its arts and culture, as well as the Bristol festivities. On Boxing day, we headed to Bristol Zoo; being animal mad this was mainly an indulgent day for me. Due to dog walks and picnic prep we didn’t get there until around 2pm, it was a gloomy day in Bristol, cold and grey with the threat of rain, but this didn’t cap my excitement. Heading through and paying a slightly pricy entry, (if looking for a cheaper day out, check dates online, prices vary according to peak times) we went on with our adventure. Immediately, flamingos catch my eye, their bright plumage striking out against the grey day and I’m already grabbing for the camera. It turns out boyfriend has forgotten to recharge the batteries (what a numpty) so lack of time added pressure to get the right shots with only 7% battery left! A few snaps of the flamingos and we we’re off again. Activities galore are dotted around the enclosures. You can compete to stand on one leg like a flamingo, compare the length of your tongue to different animals or race a cheetah; the last of these comes with specific warning for adults to restrain themselves when attempting the challenge! I notice how close you can get to some animals but not be intruding on them; there are areas where you can walk right through enclosures (only open in the warmer months), as well as cleverly designed bridges and tunnels and a few biomes, including the Butterfly walk through which was one of my favourites. Talks and feeds are frequent; we caught the end of the crocodile talk and feed, where staff pushed home the importance of not supporting the illegal pet and skin trade, and the keeper explained that one of the crocs was rescued from customs at Bristol airport! It was made clear the Zoo's ethos centres around conservation and raising awareness of animal rights issues. We continued to the Penguins to watch them feed, entering an enclosure which was full of life with three different bird species populating the netted “Seal and Penguin Coast”. Eider Ducks were bobbing gracefully in the water, Inca Terns were scattered around swooping over our heads clearly excited that food was coming, and finally African Penguins looking smart in their dinner jacket plumage dotted the shore. Listening to the feed talk and watching the staff, it is clear to see how passionate they are about the animals they work with, sharing knowledge on individual characters and how maintaining the zoos breeding programme aids conservation of African Penguins. This was a fantastic opportunity for pictures, but the stars of my shots weren’t always the penguins; some of my favourite shots from the trip are of the Inca Terns, incredibly charismatic with their white moustaches. Realistically, I could have spent all day at the Zoo, I love watching animals and how they interact with each other. One area where we saw some family antics was with the gorillas, having just been fed a load of veggies the Western Lowland Gorillas were munching. Jock the silverback took pride of place on the floor peeling some leeks. The design of the enclosure allows a walk-through underneath enrichment ropes and toys with blacked-out areas giving the family privacy when they want it, which made glimpses of baby Ayana a real treat as she occasionally showed her face, peeking out from behind her mum. Our final stop was the butterfly house, a warm poly-tunnel full of foliage and a sweet nectar smell. Wandering around, peering in between leaves, we tried to spot a variety of butterflies. Due to the gloomy day, and the fact that it was nearly 4:30, many of the butterflies had gone to bed but we were lucky enough to see a few of the bigger varieties; either with wings closed and huge owl eye like markings showing or gently flitting showing off their iridescent blue wings. A very informative volunteer told us where to look for some of the smaller butterflies, pointing out at least 20 nestled looking like leaves on a plant, it was brilliant! With the butterflies sleeping and everything else heading to bed we made our way to the exit! Our crazy fast 3 hours over, we thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon. The day was made even better by whopper Christmas dinner leftover butties wolfed down on a picnic bench undercover near the gorillas. Camera batteries flat, but pictures taken, a few mementos from the day, we legged it back to the car in the rain to head off for tea and mince pies. #2017 #Bristol #BristolZoo #Christmas