West Norfolk Artists at South Acre

What glorious sunny weather for an exciting time of the month.  The Norfolk Open Studio season is upon us and Friday saw myself and a group of other artists from the West Norfolk Artists Association busy setting up at St. George's Church in South Acre to take part in this event.  The venue is delightful and the Church has many interesting features.  The current trend for art to be viewed in these settings has really opened up these spaces and a lot of people get as much pleasure from the architecture as from the artwork! 

St. George's Church, South Acre

The setting up went smoothly and display boards were allocated on the basis of drawing a concealed golf ball from a bag upon which the two consecutive board numbers were written.  I was very pleased with my spot - just inside the entrance.

Putting the final touches to display

As luck would have it, once all the work was in place by everyone there was a spare board alongside my work and I had just the canvas to fill it... Kingmaker.  So the next morning (yesterday) when I returned to spend the day stewarding I brought the canvas with me and quickly hung it before the opening time.

My display area

The Church looked splendid with all our work displayed, very vibrant and 'alive'.  As early bird visitors started to arrive I set up to spend time working on a pastel portrait of the head of a sheep.  This is really class preparation so I had to keep reminding myself to photograph the stages.

At work during NOS12

I had such a lovely day.  The visitors arrived in a steady stream and I enjoyed greeting them and chatting.  The church was a pleasant temperature, even sat just inside the doorway which can sometimes be a draughty position.  It is also pleasant to be able to talk with other artists as we oversee the day.  Artists are never short of a topic for conversation!

After a productive day I was happy to head home with several more hours of sunshine ahead to relax and enjoy.  The exhibition will be closed Monday to Friday this week but reopen on Saturday 2nd June until 10th June, and be open daily 11 am to 5 pm each day - so if you are in the area do pop in for a visual feast.  West Norfolk Artists at South Acre are also part of the Castle Acre Art Trail so there is lots to see in this one small part of Norfolk.  Visit www.thecastleacretrail.co.uk for more information. 

Just needs the final highlights...

I shall leave you with the almost completed sheep portrait - a sneak preview for those on my mixed media classes...