The Greenwich Open Studios group is coming to Discover Greenwich Visitor Centre, showcasing a range of wonderful and varied artworks from local artists.
The Greenwich Open Studios group was established in 1977 when a number of Greenwich artists banded together to become one of the first groups in London to open their homes and studios to the public. It brings together artists working in a wide range of media ranging from paint, pastel, printmaking, jewellery and photography through to weaving and multi-media constructions. Some have been members for more than 20 years and others have joined more recently. 'Open Studios' takes place annually in June and we are pleased that the ORNC will be the next place for one of their group exhibitions.
Fiona Athanassaki trained at City and Guilds of London Art School. Her subject matter is usually taken from landscape and many of her influences stem from the rich vibrant colours of the Mediterranean. Inspired by the light and how it effects and transforms surfaces, her work is semi abstract and uses imagery of shapes, texture and colour.
John Bangs studied Fine Art at Reading University under the tuition of Terry Frost and Claude Rogers. He works mostly in dry pastels, using colour as an expressionistic tool for recording memories of valued places and people. He views his drawings as being a form of visual diary.
Colin Boothman graduated from Burnley School of Art with an N.D.D. in Fine Art and progressed to the Royal College of Art where he emerged as an A.R.C.A. He works with oils and pastels, drawing and structuring the forms in nature with colours.
Basia Karnicka (Burrough) works primarily in oils using a combination of drawings and photographs as starting points for her work. Born and brought up in Greenwich, the river and its surrounding landscape and architecture has been part of her life and inspired her recent paintings.
Nicola Corrigan studied textile design and surface pattern at West Sussex College of Design. For over 20 years she has designed posters, wallcoverings, ceramics, tiles, packaging, textiles, homewares and cards for worldwide clients. She also designs and produces a range of decorative textile products and printed tea towels.
Tim Cousins is a painter living in Greenwich and working as an artist at APT Studios in Deptford. The process of making his work involves both quick, gestural mark-making together with careful and considered adjustments to the image. Over the last 20 years he has returned to work in the open landscape and initiated the work of the Sharing a View group.
Ann Dingsdale is both historian and artist. She layers shimmering silk, velvet and wool, etching, stitching, fusing and drawing to tell true, forgotten stories. Currently Ann is working on the series Greenwich as it was which presents stitched pieces of the historical local landscape.
Dawn Harverson studied Fine Art at Ravensbourne College of Art and Etching at Central St Martins. She works in watercolour, pencil and oil. She is currently working on portraits in oils in a traditional manner and has always had a strong affinity with animals, especially horses.
Katharine Honey is a jewellery designer-maker working mostly in silver. The earrings, bracelets, necklaces and brooches are individually made. Using mostly silver, necklaces, bracelets, earring and rings are often constructed around semi-precious stones.
Janey Jones’ work is made of paper from magazines which has a contemplative and tranquil feel inspired by nature, sometimes showing a lone tree or even a simple cup. Currently she is specialising in theatre props, puppets, masks and sculptural decorative props.
Carol Kenna is a photographer, painter, founding member and artistic director of Greenwich Mural Workshop. Her photographs provide a personal view of the world around her and often reflect her interest in architecture, the River Thames, favourite places in Woolwich, Brittany and Berlin, and people as they go about their everyday activities.
Maggie Learmonth was born and brought up in a remote valley in the Lake District which she still feels a close bond with. The relationship between humans and the landscape play an important role in her artwork, inspired by the Cumbrian fells.
Sarah Lister trained in Fine Art at Beaux Arts, Montreal and Graphic Design at St Martins. She specializes on figure drawing and painting - sometimes with a design approach - using her surroundings as inspiration. Sarah describes herself as a ‘motivated, creative thinker, exploring the intersection of technology, art, and advertising’
Erica Macdonald studied graphic design and illustration at Chelsea and works with charcoal, pastels, oil and watercolour, exploring figures and landscapes. Before moving to Greenwich she worked with painters in the Weald of Kent, using either a life model in the studio, or painting sheep in the fields.
Vanessa Mackness is a graduate in Fine Art (Painting) from Camberwell, and spent many years as a professional singer before returning to painting. She sees the act of drawing and painting as the act of connecting with the world.
Elaine Marshall studied at Goldsmiths, the Slade School of Fine Art, and gained a BA Hons degree in Book Arts from the London Institute. At her studio in Greenwich Elaine works in several printmaking techniques, especially the linocut. Elaine is a founder-member of Greenwich Printmakers, situated in the Greenwich Market.
Penny Matheson, who graduated with an MA from Central St Martins in 2008, has a varied practice which ranges from prints and conceptual work to paintings in oils, acrylics and watercolours. Her subject matter is also varied ranging from atmospheric landscapes to often slightly humorous studies of hens and, latterly, mums who work out with their buggies and new offspring in the park.
Maggie McWhirter works with acrylic and mixed media. Her approach is bold, passionate and edgy. She uses contrasting colours and textures to convey thoughts taken from her feelings, intuitions and life experiences.
Rob Mills is a musician who also paints and makes work in fibre-glass. Like a musician working with improvisational and structural practices, he also uses these methods on his paintings. The works exhibited in Discover Greenwich derive from a period of playing at Kentish Town Public Baths this year, improvising to the swimmers.
Felicity Moss graduated with a B.A. from Ravensbourne College of Art where she specialised in Film Studies and Graphic Design. Felicity has belonged to the Greenwich Open Studios group for about 20 years and is now retired from teaching to devote more time to her own work.
Xavier White recycles, re-uses and remakes found objects and turns them into magical installations. Mostly a self-taught artist, Xavier has shown commitment to a number of areas in his creative rehabilitation after having had a cycling accident resulting in brain injuries.
Karen Scadeng trained at Goldsmiths School of Art and has exhibited throughout the UK and Europe. All her imagery is of the moment. It is gathered outside while walking with a sketch pad, feeling the blowing of the wind, the chill or warmth in the air, watching the landscape as light and the weather change throughout the day and then into night. These sketches are then translated into monoprints.
Maria Silva is a painter and jewellery designer, born in Chile and based in the south of London. She draws her inspiration from the richness and colour and light in nature and the environment, and contemporary architecture. Some of her paintings reflect her interest in nature, colour and light and others are linked to the environment and are inspired by the landscape of Chile.
Frances Treanor studied fine art at London Goldsmiths University and Middlesex University. She has won many awards and commissions based on flowers, architecture, landscape and erotica. Frances was selected first Artist-in-Residence, Greenwich Royal Park, 2005, and was nominated by the Editors of the American Biographical Institute woman of the Year 2006.