This month’s Spring Fling offers the chance to see an astonishing variety of contemporary art and craft at 104 studios across Dumfries and Galloway.
Among them are Kirkcudbright bespoke high-quality furniture maker Ian Cameron-Smith, Thornhill multi-disciplinary artist Hetal Chudasama and Sally Jennings, a painter and installation artist who will be exhibiting near Castle Douglas.
The open studios weekend, which takes place from 25-27 May, features everything from painting and drawing, jewellery and textiles, photography and woodwork to ceramics, glass and metalwork.
Ian is a regular Spring Fling participant and is renowned for his highly unusual work, which this year includes the remarkable white pagan wedding throne, created from wood and horned animal skulls, for the marriage of his son Connor and bride Sanni.
Ian said: “My work is very much bespoke and with a strongly organic feel about it – which is very much what the wedding throne was about, reflecting our connections to the natural world.
“I get a lot of pleasure from pushing the boundaries and thinking outwith the usual parameters to create solutions, artworks and designs that are practical as well as beautiful – it’s great fun.”
Hetal is among the new artists being welcomed to this year’s event.
Originally from India, where she had a successful career as a commercial artist, she moved to the south of England eight years ago but now lives in a farmhouse where she has been converting a stone outbuilding into a studio.
These days she has shifted her focus and much of the work on show will be woodcut prints created using everything from household and agricultural items to the head rest from an Indian chariot.
Other works incorporate the use of text as images playing with ancient Gujarati characters, or using borrowed English quotes from well-known writers to create enigmatic images.
She said: “Currently, my main focus is on woodcut printmaking. I work with a combination of woodcuts and multiple woodblock arrangements to create an image –experimenting with forms and colours and exploring possibilities that the material holds in itself.
“I make my prints using blocks which consist of inherited pieces of furniture and various household objects. Each objects carries a hidden history embedded within it. By incorporating them in various creative arrangements I’m hoping to find new visual narratives.”
Hetal also creates multi-media installations, sometimes combining moving images, sound and even scent.
Sally Jennings is a Glasgow-based emerging artist with family connections to the region, who is taking part through Spring Fling’s New Graduate scheme.
She has a fascination with mystery, myth and ancient beliefs and has previously collaborated with scientists from Glasgow University’s School of Physics and Astronomy.
With Dumfries and Galloway covering such a large area the organisers have divided the studios into six colour-coded routes that visitors may wish to follow.
- Blue Route (Studios 1-18) – extends from Stranraer to the southern tip of the Mull of Galloway to Newton Stewart.
- Purple Route (19-41) – covers areas such as Gatehouse of Fleet and Kirkcudbright.
- Pink Route (42-63) – takes in Dundrennan, Auchencairn, Castle Douglas Kirpatrick Durham, Corsock and New Galloway.
- Orange Route (64-80) – includes Colvend, Kirkunzeon, Rockliffe and Dumfries.
- Green Route (81-90) – Auldgirth, Thornhill and Durisdeer and Moniaive.
- Red Route (91-104) – covers Lockerbie, Moffat, Eskdalemuir, Langholm and Waterbeck.
Brochure (which are free to pick up across the region) provide complete details and there is an online map, plus a full set of virtual studios on the Spring Fling website allowing visitors to work out exactly where they want to go and who they wish to see.
As some of the studios are tucked away in very rural areas, and because not everyone wants to drive, Spring Fling has also arranged bus tours to give visitors the chance to see studios in remote locations.
Joanna Jones, Upland Assistant Director, said: “Spring Fling is always an astonishing mix of contemporary art and craft from the amazing creative community that exists in Dumfries and Galloway.
“We are really looking forward to welcoming visitors from across Scotland and the rest of the UK for our largest ever event – and the opportunity to explore one of Scotland’s most beautiful regions.
“We’d encourage visitors to join one of our guided tours – you see more of our countryside when you are not driving and they take you to studios off the beaten track.”
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Notes for editors
About Spring Fling
- Spring Fling made its name a Scotland’s premier visual art and contemporary craft open studios event covering all Dumfries and Galloway, South West Scotland. It is the flagship annual event of Upland CIC.
- For further details visit www.spring-fling.co.uk or contact [email protected]
- For the full list of participating studios visit www.spring-fling.co.uk.
- Brochures can be ordered from the website and will be available in April.
- Spring Fling is pleased to once again have the support from Dumfries & Galloway Council as one of the region’s Signature Events.
- The open studios event also plays an important role in supporting artists and makers who are often working in remote areas – and contributes significantly to the region’s economy.
- Since its conception, Spring Fling has attracted around 174,000 visitors who have made over 546,000 studio visits.
- In 21 years over £10.2 million has been spent in the studios and the event has brought over £17.5 million for the region’s economy.
- Visitors will be able to follow six colour-coded routes taking them round studios in different parts of the region.
- Some studios will have special evening openings and there will be other attractions like walking and bus tours and, demonstrations on the lead up to the event.
About Upland
Upland CIC (Community Interest Company) supports artists and makers based in, and with connections to, the region. It delivers, events, training, networking, support and opportunities as part of a year-round programme to benefit the region, its artists, communities and economy. Upland CIC runs the annual Spring Fling contemporary visual art and craft open studios weekend in Dumfries and Galloway. It will work closely with other arts bodies in the region to further-strengthen the sector. Upland is based at Gracefield Arts Centre in Dumfries and exists to:
- produce and deliver festivals, events, and experimental projects of the highest quality
- nurture an environment where artistic excellence thrives and grows
- inspire and educate a wide range of audiences, customers and clients to understand, celebrate, be actively engaged in and supportive of visual art and craft practice
- raise the profile of visual artists and makers locally, nationally and internationally fulfilling a crucial role in the culture and tourism of Dumfries and Galloway
- build strategic partnerships at regional, national and international level
- maintain a financially sound and adaptively resilient organisation
- work to the benefit the local economy and the sustainability of local communities.
Its funders are Creative Scotland, D&G Council, The Holywood Trust, The Barfill Trust.
About Creative Scotland
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here. We enable people and organisations to work in and experience the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland by helping others to develop great ideas and bring them to life. We distribute funding provided by the Scottish Government and the National Lottery. For further information about Creative Scotland please visit www.creativescotland.com. Follow us @creativescots and www.facebook.com/CreativeScotland.
For media information contact Matthew Shelley on 07786 704299 or at [email protected] or call Upland on 01387 213 218.