Sudbury must be unique in having an Art Trail which encompasses ten artists and an art gallery all within easy walking distance of the Market Hill.
And they are all open on the weekend of 4th and 5th September, from 10.30am to 5pm. It’s a great opportunity to chat to the artists and find out how and why they make their artwork. There’s an amazing variety: landscape paintings with an international flavour, abstracts, metal sculptures, ceramic figures, prints, textiles, collages, pastels, drawings: something for everyone, in fact.
And of course, everything is for sale.
The Trail will take you right through our medieval market town, and a good place to start would be Peter Day’s (Tel: 07913909617) studio (known as Rain E Days) opposite the Masonic Hall. He will be showing metal sculptures alongside garden planting ideas. Where possible he uses reclaimed and recycled metal to complement his work, and weather permitting, will be running demonstrations throughout the weekend.
Next, along Friars Street to Priory Gate, (Tel: Kate Perkins 01787 373877) where you get FOUR artists in one place:
Kate Perkins believes that it’s satisfying to create something from nothing. She has always sorted through her rubbish to find usable printed paper for collage as it’s ‘fun and economical’ and is a dedicated champion of ‘upcycling’ to produce her paper-collage and textile pieces.
Ilona Johnson is a newcomer to the Trail. Although she uses a variety of media including printmaking and collage, her current work focusses on place and landscape and she’ll be showing her vibrant paintings from the local area as well as from parts of central India, Uganda and Southern Africa.
Although Ben Raz is a recent graduate of the Slade School of Fine Art in London, he has based his studio here in Sudbury where he works on landscapes and artworks which will fascinate and intrigue the viewer.
In the conservatory at Priory Gate, Sally Freer will be showing her screen monoprints, which are taken from watercolours that she paints in situ in the iconic Suffolk countryside, much of it around Sudbury. Her intricate pieces are made using overlays of
different colours.
Across the road at 40 Friars Street, Judith Glover’s (Tel: 01787 829878) very personal approach to botanical art has become the defining feature of her work. She will be opening her garden studio to display framed work alongside her unique range of printed stationery, greeting cards and her new ‘Garden Days’ calendars and diaries for 2022.
Moving on to Straw Lane, you’ll find ceramic artist Cathy D’Arcy (Tel: 07780977318) in her Corner House studio, showing her iconic ‘quirky’ figures and other work which, she says, reflected her feelings during lockdown: her work also shows a distinct African influence from her
time spent there.
Up the hill to Stour Street now, and the studio of Anne Lowe. (Tel: 01787 376149) She finds that inspiration dictates her subject-matter and the materials used, which is often acrylic paint but sometimes mixed media. Her paintings fall into different series that can include abstracts, plants, trees and seascapes.
Head down into Cross Street and you’ll come to Garden Place, a small turning on the left, where you’ll find the work of Jacqui Robins. (Tel: 01787 377469) A printmaker for the past 12 years, her prints are inspired by a sense of place with emphasis on texture and abstraction. Her preferred technique is screen-printing, where she uses combinations of photo and paper stencil to layer depth and detail, building combinations as the work develops.
Further down Cross Street at Number 52, you’ll find Lorna Hoey’s (01787 379598) conservatory studio, where she’s showing pastel and pen-and-wash drawings of the Sudbury Meadows as well as some acrylic paintings on canvas in her ‘Dreaming of Home’ series, created during lockdown.
And should you wish to extend your walk along the river, the Mill Tye Gallery (01787 376796) in Mill Tye, Great Cornard, specialises in contemporary art, sculpture and ceramics.
It is showing the work of Bury St Edmunds-based artist Bev Howe with her vibrant and wonderfully distinctive collection of paintings, each piece reflective of her overactive imagination. Dreams, folklore, tattoos, the insect world, and memories of her father's garden all feed into her work. Free Admission, everyone welcome.
So, plenty to look at, ask about, and buy, over the weekend of 4/5 September. See you there!
Lorna E Hoey 2021