June newsletter

With the sun shining, and the Environments exhibition now open at The Wilson, I am writing to update you on this and other upcoming events from my studio.

Environments is the second of two We Are Creators exhibitions this year in the community gallery at The Wilson, showcasing the work of the current artists in residence. It is open until June 25th: Tuesdays - Saturdays 10am-6pm; Sundays 10am-4pm; closed Mondays.

Environments exhibition flyer

For this exhibition I have created a new collection of artworks based on local open spaces. Being sight-impaired, I am unable to drive, and so it was important to me to base these landscape paintings on local spaces that I could reach on foot. The exhibition also includes audio field recordings made at these sites and en route to them, creating an immersive experience while viewing the art.  

Park Bench

The Wilson is venue 11 in the upcoming Cheltenham Open Studios (COS), running 10-18 June. As well as the Environments exhibition, it will also be possible to visit the artists studios on the 3rd floor on the weekends of 10-11 and 17-18 June. COS is a great event allowing people to see a real variety of artists at work. You can find out more about all the venues on the trail on the COS website.

Air dry clay embossing and painting

Running alongside COS on 18 June, I will be holding an air dry clay workshop 2-4pm. During this family-friendly workshop, you can come along and create your own air-dry clay artworks, decorating them by embossing them with found objects and adding watercolour.

Later on in June, I will be giving two talks at the Wilson - the first, entitled Art in a Blurred World on 24 June, will discuss disability arts. I will look at the history of disability in art, from the disabled body as subject, to the use of art as protest by disabled creator, and how being visually impaired and recovering from Long Covid both inform my own work.

In my second talk, Illusion of Vision, on 30 June, I will look at questions of vision, illusion and perception. I will look at the difference between the objective information that reaches our senses, and how our brains process this information to build up a subjective image of the world around us. Using examples from the evolution of vision, how we learn to see, and visual illusions, I will question whether any of us should accept our view of the world around us as representing how it really is.

I am really pleased to be able to give these talks during my residency at the Wilson. I have relished having studio space where I can create freely while being inspired by the other artists around me. In these talks I will be combining my artistic passion with my passions for disability arts and inclusion; and philosophy. You can find out more about all of these events on The Wilson website.

Greetings cards for sale

I have added a shop section to my website. You can find sets of greetings cards here, perfect for stocking up on for when you want to send a special hand-written message to someone. I will be adding more of my artworks to this shop soon.

Best wishes,

Sarah